MELTING CHOCOLATE

To quickly melt chocolate, place the chocolate chips or chocolate melts into a microwave-proof bowl.

Place the bowl in the microwave and set Power at 40% and microwave for 30 seconds at a time.

Each time 30 seconds elapses, stir the chocolate.

Stop cooking as soon as the pieces have almost all melted. They will continue to melt as you stir.

Microwaved Nutty Brittle

Here is a simple and easy recipe to make some great treats for your friends! Please remember when working with any candy that it is VERY hot in it's liquid form. If you spill it on your skin it will burn very quickly and bad. (I still have a scar on my thumb from pouring it out of a bowl when I was a teen)

1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup LIGHT Corn Syrup (not light as in better for you, light in color)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt (may be omitted if using salted nuts)
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 1/2 Cups Nuts of Choice (peanut, pecan, cashews, pistacios, or a mixed blend)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Grab a large jelly roll pan or baking sheet with a rim going all around it and spray well with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine the Sugar, Corn Syrup and Salt (optional) in a 2 quart Microwave Safe Measuring cup that has a pouring lip and handle. Stir well until all of the sugar is moistened by the syrup. Place in the microwave oven and microwave uncovered on high for 4 minutes.

Remove from the microwave (using the handle) and add the butter and nuts. Stir using a wooden spoon to blend the ingredients just a bit and return to the microwave. Microwave on high heat uncovered for 5 more minutes. Remove from the microwave (using the handle). The syrup will be hot and bubbling. The sugar will also have changed color from clear to a light brown.

Using the wooden spoon stir in the vanilla and the baking soda. Upon adding the soda, the mixture will change color a bit again and will foam up. This is normal, but be careful as it is still very hot and can burn.

Once the ingredients have all been mixed in, carefully pour onto the baking sheet, you can use your wooden spoon to gently scrape the sides once most of the brittle is out of the bowl. Using the wooden spoon spread the mixture evenly across the pan.

Now just set the pan aside for about an hour to let the brittle harden. While the brittle is setting up, place your bowl and spoon into the sink and fill with hot water and a bit of soap to start cleaning it off. It is best to clean it off immediately instead of waiting for it to cool off and harden.

After about an hour gently start breaking the brittle apart by hand. Try not to break in into too small of pieces. Store in an air tight container and gift or eat within a week.

Kitchen Terms:Candied

Candied is a process that is done to Nuts, Fruits, or Citrus Peelings. The items are usually dipped or cooked in a sugar syrup and then left to drain and dry. This creates a super sweet version of the items prepared. Typically these items are bought already candied for use in recipes.

Sweet Birthdays

You are making the best Birthday Cake, but the problem that you are having is with the candles. They don't want to stand up in the cake on their own, and you have to push them so far in that not very much of the candle is left sticking out.

The solution is on the candy aisle! Pick up a roll of regular life savers. There are so many flavors out there right now that you can easily find a color that matches your cake. Gently place a life saver where you would like to place each candle. Now gently press a candle in the center of the hole. Your candle now stands up like a champ!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

The next time that you have some fresh strawberries have a bit of fun.

Buy some white and milk chocolate for melting.

Melt them into 2 separate bowls. Dip your strawberries about 2/3 of the way down into the white chocolate, then place onto a piece of wax paper and let sit in a cool place until firm.

Now take your strawberry and dip into the milk chocolate about 1/3 way down.

These make a very festive and unique looking fruit.

CRYSTALLIZED SUGAR?

You are making candy and when you pull the sugar mixture off the stove you notice that little crystals have formed in it.

To help prevent this from happening, heat the sugar in a non-reactive pan (Steel, Aluminum or Glass), over low heat without stirring it.

Watch carefully until all of the sugar is dissolved.

If you see some sugar that is still stuck to the sides of the pan, simply place a lid on the pan for a few more minutes.

As the mixture continues to cook steam will build up inside the pan dissolving the sugar.

MELTING CHOCOLATE

There are several methods for melting chocolate. Each one is good in it’s own, and it is just up to you to decide which method that you would like to use.

Stove Top (Good) – Place a small saucepan over low heat on the stove. Measure the desired amount of chocolate into the saucepan. Using a spatula slowly stir the chocolate constantly. It should begin melting after 3 minutes or so. Once about 80% of the chocolate has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Continue to stir until all of the lumps are gone.

Microwave (better) – Melting chocolate in the microwave is a bit tricky. Depending on the wattage of your oven, this can spell disaster if you are not careful. Measure the desired amount of chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate and place back in the microwave oven. Cook for 10 seconds then stir again. Repeat this process until the chocolate is almost completely melted, you will still see some chunks floating around. Continue to stir until all of the lumps have melted. DO NOT CONTINUE TO COOK until all of the lumps have melted, they will melt on their own once about 90% of the chocolate is melted.

Double Boiler (Best) – Place the bottom double boiler over medium heat. Fill the bottom pan with water and place the top pan in place. Measure the desired amount of chocolate into the top pan. Stir occasionally until all of the chocolate has melted

HIGH ALTITUDE CANDY MAKING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

If you are cooking candies, you can decrease the cooking temperature in the recipe by 2º for each 1,000 feet of elevation. The candies concentrate much faster at higher altitudes, therefore lower temperatures and shorter cooking times are required.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CHOCOLATE?

You just pulled out your chocolate to bake with it and ewwww...... It looks nasty with a white film all over it! Is it still usable?

If chocolate gets wet or damp, it will create a white “film” over it.

If you have some chocolate that this happened to it is not really pretty to use in most recipes.

You can however melt the chocolate for frostings or other recipes and it will still work just fine.

To make sure that this does not happen again, make sure that you store it in a tightly sealed container in a cool dry location.