All about chocolate for chocolate fountains

Chocolate is one of the most beloved treats, so its popularity remains unchanged. To diversify the presentation of this sweetness, different forms of the product, additional ingredients can be used, but the chocolate fountain looks most impressive. The molten mass circulating in a special apparatus looks very appetizing, interesting and attractive. If you want to make a chocolate fountain, you need to know what ingredients are needed for it.

Chocolate for a chocolate fountain differs from the usual slightly, it melts faster and has a more liquid consistency, which allows it to flow beautifully from the fountain and spread evenly over the product. To make such beauty on your own, you need to choose the right raw materials for work.

There is a variety of types of chocolate that can be used in a fountain.

• Specialized - the composition contains a greater amount of cocoa butter, due to which the mass becomes more liquid and plastic. The structure of the mechanism of the chocolate fountain assumes work with a rather liquid substance, which it can lift and bring out through the top. If the mass turns out to be too thick, then the operation of the device will be difficult, and as a result, it will fail. The use of thicker chocolate does not allow the raw materials to quickly flow down, flowing beautifully over the bowls, which means that the main idea will be violated. In order for the chocolate to melt well and be plastic, the cocoa butter content in it must be from 30 to 40% of the total mass of the product. Dairy varieties are more fluid as they contain milk fat.Dark chocolate must contain more than 40% cocoa butter to have the desired appearance. Specialized products are labeled, allowing you to select the desired product; the packaging may contain the following symbols: Fountain, Fountain chocolate and similar options. In addition to being used in fountains, these varieties can be eaten in solid form or used in confectionery.

• Non-specialized - chocolate, the main focus of which is not used in chocolate fountains. Such options do not have special designations on the packaging, do not have the required amount of cocoa butter, therefore they are less fluid. You can find such a product on sale under the name "Callebaut Fountain Chocolates", the instructions of which will indicate the need to add additional cocoa butter. For melting, you can use the usual varieties of chocolate, bringing it to the state of the desired liquid. On average, for a regular bar, you will need to add 20-35% cocoa butter, which is 200-250 g per 1 kg of chocolate. There are also more expensive options for chocolate products, which have a much higher content of cocoa butter in their composition, so only 3-5% need to be added additionally, which is 100-130 grams. Callebaut produces the most suitable varieties of chocolate, which are successfully applied in the fountain, adding a small amount of cocoa butter. Black, milk and fruit varieties can be used if desired.

• Chocolate glaze - in addition to bars and other varieties of chocolate, consisting of cocoa butter, it is possible to use confectionery glaze, which uses substitutes for the main raw materials. Well-known manufacturers create high-quality glaze that tastes good and melts well. The most famous are the Italian firms Unitron and Italica, which have been producing quality products for many years.

To make a chocolate fountain, you need to find the right raw materials for it. Several firms are considered the highest quality and proven manufacturers of such products.

• Barry callebaut - has the form of callets, which increases the rate of melting and makes the use of raw materials more convenient. In addition to the black and dairy varieties, there are also fruit options that contain natural flavors that do not harm humans. To preserve the fountain mechanism, it is recommended to add an additional 10% cocoa butter. In addition, the manufacturer produces lump milk chocolate products, which contain 35% cocoa liquor and 20% milk, as well as 70% dark chocolate. In order for the consistency of these varieties to be as liquid as possible, it is also worth adding 10% cocoa butter to them.

• Belgian chocolate Puratoswith a variety of products: white (28%), milk (34%), black (56%), bitter (72%) "Belcolad", which is allowed to be used for a chocolate fountain without any additives. Outwardly, these products look like small tablets, which are packaged in packages of 5 kilograms.

• Belgium also produces options for fountain raw materials such as white "Cabo Blanco" (27%), milk "Maracaibo" (34%), black "San Felipe" (58%), which can be bought in containers of 2.5 kg.

• The Italian company "Italica" produces white and dark glaze, which is packed in paper bags from 1 to 20 kg.

• Cacao Barry - a Swiss company that produces chocolate with 70-76% cocoa. Raw materials are collected in Venezuela, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico.

The use of high-quality raw materials for the chocolate fountain allows you to get a beautiful and effective dessert that will delight both adults and children.The presence of the correct cocoa butter content allows the consistency to be liquid enough to protect the fountain mechanism.

To find out which variant of chocolate is best suited for use in a fountain, it is necessary to analyze the options based on a number of criteria.

1. The timing - fresh chocolate allows for optimal fluidity and unforgettable taste and aroma. It is important to evaluate the packaging of products, check its tightness. This is especially important in expensive options.

2. State - chocolate should be hard or slightly soft in case of high temperature in the room where it is located. With proper storage, slight softening does not affect the quality of the product and the convenience of its use, and in case of violations of the temperature regime, the callets begin to stick together, forming a monolithic mass, which will have to be cut, spending time and energy on it.

3. Features of marking - Many manufacturers indicate on the packaging that the product can be used in the mechanisms of chocolate fountains, but in fact, to work with it, you need to add cocoa butter, which significantly increases the cost of all ingredients or may cost the device breakdown if you use chocolate without any additives.

To make a chocolate fountain, you need to melt the chocolate mass. Among the main methods you can use:

• water bath;

• microwave, melting raw materials in a specialized container;

• microwave, leaving chocolate in the manufacturer's packaging;

• special technique for melting chocolate, which is recommended for professionals;

• heating the chocolate in the lower bowl of the fountain, it is not recommended to do this, since in this case a heavy load is put on the mechanism, and it will not be able to work for a long time.

When using specialized chocolate, you just need to melt the mass and pour it into the fountain. If non-specialized options are used in the work, then during the melting process it is necessary to add cocoa butter and mix well to obtain a homogeneous and plastic mass, which can be poured into the fountain.

To revitalize the chocolate fountain immediately after adding the mass to it, it is necessary to preheat its bowl so that the composition that has got into it does not begin to thicken. When choosing regular slab chocolate, it is very important to use only clean options, without nuts, raisins and other elements that can clog the fountain mechanism or disable it.

The consumption of chocolate from the fountain is carried out using long wooden sticks or other improvised means, on which fruits, chewing marshmallows or other products are strung, which are substituted under the flowing chocolate mass. In order not to burn yourself, it is recommended to allow a few minutes for the chocolate-covered object to cool down and for the mass to thicken.