Student supplies and equipment

A review of the following ingredients and equipment

Chocolate supplies

You need to have bulk chocolate on hand. For use in molding or enrobing, chocolatiers use a chocolate that is at least 32% cocoa butter – it's sometimes called "couverture" or "covering" chocolate in the industry. You may want to look for that, but any good quality chocolate will work for your practice during the program. Do not buy a "baking" chocolate or chocolate chips that you buy at the supermarket or drug store. Those are formulated for baking not for creating bonbons, confections or bars.

You calculate the percentage of cocoa butter in a bar of chocolate by dividing the amount of fat (by weight) by the weight of the product. In consumer products, this information is listed by serving size, but the calculation remains the same.

This is all an exercise in understanding how to source chocolate. We don't expect you to know this coming into the program but through the process of sourcing your supplies, you start to learn what is important information and questions to ask your supplier. For example, ask your supplier exactly what chocolate you are buying by the chocolate manufacturer and the manufacturer's product number. You can then go to the manufacturer's website and find the exact specifications (including their recommendations for optimum tempering temperatures) and ingredients for the chocolate you are using.

We suggest couverture since it produces a thinner coating when enrobing chocolates because of its high cocoa butter content. Also, I find for molded chocolates that it flows into the crevices of the mold to define the details better and produces a thinner shell. You'll learn more about that in the curriculum as we get into molding and talk about viscosity. For a ganache filling, it isn't necessary to use a chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa butter unless you like the taste and texture.

The Bottom Line: If you can't source a product called "couverture" don't worry. For our program purposes, you can use any good quality, real chocolate.

Most chocolate manufacturers now offer their wholesale chocolate in blocks or in bags (as small discs, pistoles, wafers or logs). ANY of these forms is suitable for our program. See the section below on chopping chocolate to understand why the small wafers are popular — no chopping.

The list of minimum chocolate supplies includes:

Chocolate: No less than 5 kilos (11 lbs.) in the following amounts for completing your tempering and signature recipe assignments:

• 3 kilos Dark Chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet) for practicing tempering (needed for second week of program) and recipe development (needed about one month into the program).
• 1 kilo Milk Chocolate for recipe development purposes (needed about one month into the program).
• 1 kilo White Chocolate for recipe development purposes (needed about one month into the program).

To get started, I suggest you research chocolate manufacturers with good distribution networks, such as Callebaut, Valrhôna, Guittard, etc. Finding a distributor is one of your assignments, so any research you do on local distributors of your preferred chocolate will be used to complete that assignment later.

I encourage you to source a bakery or restaurant supply distributor in your area and work with them to get your supplies. You will need this important contact later when you decide to pursue your career as a chocolatier. In the curriculum we provide you with a list of ALL the bulk chocolate manufacturers in the world for further research and to locate distributors in your region. If we have missed one, just let us know.

Another alternative is to order the chocolate from the sources we have provided on our Chocolate Making Supplies page. Research and compare what each supplier offers, and their prices, before ordering.

If your budget allows, you may want to stock a number of chocolates and work with each as you learn your chocolate-making skills. This will help you to find the one that works best in the signature recipes you'll create later in the course.

Should I use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate? These are pretty much the same type of chocolate: a little more sugar in the semisweet, but that differs from brand to brand. Either type of chocolate will work for our program purposes.

Dark (i.e., semisweet or bittersweet) chocolate to complete the tasting assignment (needed about two weeks into the program):

Expertise derives from taste experience so we include a whole module on tasting where you'll complete a formal tasting comparing dark chocolates. You can add varieties of milk or white chocolate to your tasting, as your budget allows.

Have the following on hand for your tasting assignment:

• At least 4 - 6 different brands of dark chocolates to taste and compare with each other, including the chocolate you've chosen to work with in chocolate making. A 100 - 250 g ( 4 - 8 oz.) sample of each chocolate will give you enough for a series of tastings.
• 1 package of Bakers or Nestle Semisweet chocolate squares or another type of baking chocolate found in your supermarket.
• 1 inexpensive Lindt, Toblar, or Sucard solid semisweet or bittersweet chocolate bar that you find in drug stores, markets or delis.
• 1 100 - 250 g ( 4 - 8 oz.) sample of semisweet or dark confectioner's coating* chocolate. This is usually available as wafers in kitchen shops.

*Note: Confectioners coating is not chocolate. It is a product developed for the volume confectionery industry. The production of this product starts with some or all of the cocoa butter being removed from the chocolate liquor (ground cocoa bean). The resultant "presscake" of chocolate solids is then recombined with either coconut oil, palm oil or other hydrogenated oils to replace the cocoa butter. This produces a much cheaper chocolate-like product that can be used for enrobing or molding without tempering. Various qualities of this product are in use throughout the confectionery industry. Optional Exercise: check for the cocoa butter content in your favorite childhood candy bars to see if they were made using real chocolate or confectioners coating (you'll see hydrogenated vegetable oil as an ingredient in the latter). I don't think you'll be surprised with the results.

Special equipment

You will need some specialized equipment, as well as your regular kitchen equipment, such as bowls, pans, spatulas, spoons, metal drying racks, cookie sheets, whisk, etc. I've included pictures of those items that you may not have used before.

Those items with an asterisk(*) are optional so don't feel that you need to invest in them for this program. They might be something you will want to get later as you practice and perfect your technique and skills. Not all this equipment will be used right from the beginning of the program. If you're on a limited budget, you may want to wait to order materials as you need them for assignments and practice sessions.

Needed in Module 2 at the start of the program:

Parchment (also called baking paper). Parchment paper or baking paper comes as either a roll or in sheets and will be available in your local kitchen stores, bakery or restaurant supply companies. You can also use Silpat™baking mats. They are a more expensive alternative to disposable parchment, but last a lifetime if taken care of properly.
Granite or marble slab. You'll need a cool working surface to hand-temper chocolate. A granite or marble counter is perfect or purchase a marble slab no smaller than approximately 18 in. x 18 in. (45 cm x 45 cm).  They are available in most kitchen stores or look for end pieces at your local marble/granite supplier and buy direct from the source. They will rough cut the slab and it's usually much cheaper than the fancy slabs at your kitchen store.  The reason for the stone slab or counter is its cooling properties. Marble or granite stay cold even on warm days and retain their coolness while you're working on them. The thicker your stone slab, the better the cooling properties. Most stone slabs come in either 1/2 in. (12.7 mm) or 3/4 in. (19 mm) thickness. Either thickness will work, but thicker is better, if you can afford that and have a counter to keep it permanently (a thicker slab is much heavier). Composite counters, such as Corian or Arborite, wood or metal (stainless steel) do not have those same cold properties.
Accurate kitchen scale. Chocolate recipes sometimes use weights instead of measurements for most ingredients.
Pallet knife or bench scraper. Used in tempering and making chocolate curls. These are usually found at kitchen supply companies, but I found the one in the picture with a plastic handle and metal blade in a paint store. Note that the rounded corners keep them from marking your marble or granite as sharp corners would. Click this link for a bench scraper that Rachel likes to use for tempering and no, neither she nor I get a kick-back from Chef Rubber :o)
Thermometer(s). With a range no less than approximately 80 to 300°F. You might need two thermometers to get both: 80 - 100°F (27 - 38°C), an accurate low range for chocolate tempering ( eBay or Amazon have them), and a high range model measuring up to 300°F (149°C) is needed for boiling sugar. Glass, metal or digital probe-type thermometers are all acceptable.  Here are examples of thermometers that cover the whole range:  Digital Proaccurate candy thermometer with a range of 32 - 375°F. See the Instructor's Note at the bottom of the page for a test of digital thermometers.  We've found that the best thermometer for the tempering process is a probe thermometer. It allows you to easily and accurately take the temperature of your chocolate mass on the marble slab, as well as in a bowl. These thermometers are a box design with digital readout that takes the temperaure using a wire and probe. They can be found from $20+ to $200+ (the difference being accuracy and better manufacture for a longer life). There are many out there — just do a search for "cooking thermometer+probe." Note: When using the model in this picture, you'd remove the pan clip on the probe before testing a chocolate mass on your slab. Don't want the mess of a probe thermometer? There's another solution, but it isn't as accurate as the probe. Again, my experience at Valrhona introduced me to the use of infrared thermometers in tempering and making ganache. The thermometer Chef Givre used was a gun model like the one pictured below. While it only takes the surface temperature of the chocolate or ganache mass, if you make sure to stir the mass thoroughly before taking the temperature, you'll have a pretty accurate read of the temperature of the mass. This method doesn't work if you leave too much time between the stirring and the time you take the temperature, but if you're careful to stir and shoot immediately, it works well. No mess or having to clean the thermometer after reading the temperature as with the probe thermometer. These aren't cheap, so I suggest you do an Internet search on "infrared thermometers." I've seen prices from $69US to much higher. There are many, many different kinds on the market. For example,Raytek has a variety of different models, as does Bon Jour Products. Gun-type Infrared Thermometer
Something for chopping large blocks of chocolate. We used an old-fashioned ice pick at au Chocolat and it worked well. Make sure you have a good, sturdy, plastic cutting board (wood can splinter) at least 3/8 in. thick on which to chop. A chisel-edge screw driver will work as well. I don't really recommend using a regular knife as the blade can easily slip. See the lecture "Working with Chocolate" for more details on chopping before you purchase an implement..  *Chocolate Chipper. Used for chopping chocolate into hunks. The Chocolate Chipper was the winner in a 2009 Cooks Illustrated utensil rating for home cooks. "This mini-pitchfork device was comfortable to hold, didn't damage our cutting board, and broke uniform pieces of chocolate without excess force. The six, equally spaced tines ended in tapering points a half-inch longer than the wood-handled model’s tines, helping it penetrate the chocolate block more easily."

Needed for Modules 3 and 4 later in the program:

Forks. To use in dipping centers into chocolate. You can use a regular kitchen fork if you are very careful to adequately shake off the excess chocolate. If your fork has fat or wide tines, it can retain chocolate and give you an undesirable "foot" on your finished chocolates.  *Or you can purchase Dipping Forks: 2 or 3 tines are adequate for what you will do in the program.
Chocolate molds. If at all possible, find professional polycarbonate plastic molds — they're strong and will hold up for years of use. In order to produce filled chocolates using a mold like the one on the right, you need to find molds with deep cavities. A minimum number of molds would probably be two or three so you can work with one while the others are in different stages of cooling.  The molds don't have to have the same shaped cavities. Pick cavity shapes that you like and might use again and again. Most molded chocolates are about 1 – 1.25 inches (25 mm – 32mm) across and about 1/2 inch (16 mm) high, so I'd try to get molds that are about that size. Most companies display the mold size in millimeters as it is more precise, for example, the mold cavity that makes the chocolate on the right is 25 x 25 x 20 mm. Molds may be available in your local kitchen stores, bakery or restaurant supply companies. What you may find are flimsy plastic molds with shallow cavities made for home craft use. These are fine for solid molded shapes but won't work for the filled chocolates you'll be making during the program. You can also source the molds from the companies we've listed on our Chocolate Making Molds page.
Transfer sheets. Designs or pictures are printed on clear polyethylene film or acetate sheets using cocoa butter (or another hydrogenated vegetable oil). The acetate sheets are then pressed onto the enrobed or molded chocolates while they are still wet. Once the chocolate hardens, the sheet is removed and the designs remain embedded in the chocolate.  The sheets originally were used in professional chocolate and pastry work in Europe, but are now more readily available in other countries.  Transfers come in sheets and rolls and some specialized molds include the ability to use transfers. Buy the smallest amount you can. To get you started I found that Choco Transfer Sheets has an assorted package of 12 at a low price, but most pastry and bakery suppliers carry these now, so check your local supplier first.
Acetate or PVC sheets. Thin flexible plastic sheets (or rolls) used to produce thin wafers or ribbons of chocolate for decorations. Any thin plastic that you can cut into strips will work, as you won't be using a lot of sheets. Acetate sheets can usually be found at bakery/pastry supply companies such as: Kerekes, Pfeil and Holing or Albert Uster Imports. Or ask your favorite bakery — if they sell cakes, they may use acetate sheets and may sell you some. Also if you use the acetate instead of parchment to place your chocolates or do your tests, the chocolate that comes in contact with the acetate when drying will be very shiny if perfectly tempered — a nice impact for the finished product.  You can practice decorating techniques for mold cavities on the acetate sheet instead of in the molds—this saves cleaning the molds and allows you to see the finished design by just turning over the acetate sheet. Cut large sheets into small strips for experimentation purposes as pictured in the bottom image.
Pastry brush. Buy a new one that you will only use for chocolate, as there's nothing worse than a little garlic odor on your molds or chocolate leaves.

Optional items for decorating (not required for the program)

*Decorating comb or triangle. Used to produce designs on chocolate for decorations. While you may not use this a lot, I think it's important to understand how to use it and to practice with different effects. Combs or triangles are inexpensive, so it isn't a big investment.
*Small metal biscuit or cookie cutters. Choose any shape you want, as these are only used to practice making decorations. Size isn't important for this exercise so if you already have medium sized ones in your cupboard, try using those first.
*Foil squares. 6 in. x 6 in. (15 cm x 15 cm) gives you more flexibility, but a smaller size will work for your assignments as well. These usually come in packages of 50 - 100. Buy the smallest package you can.  Tiny solid-chocolate molded items are very popular. You might want to buy one of your molds for that purpose, say small Santa shapes or hearts, and practice foiling the shape using a cotton ball or soft cloth to polish the foil into the grooves of the mold to bring out the details.
*Offset spatula. The offset or angled spatula allows for even spreading of chocolate when making decorations. Both a small and large size will come in handy. It also is good for keeping your pallet knife or bench scraper clean when tempering chocolate.  Use the spatula in one hand and the pallet knife in the other. We have pictures and videos in the tempering lectures showing the chef using both in the tempering process.
*Rasp-type grater. The best and quickest grater for making chocolate bits. Can be found in most kitchen shops now.
*Dosage (confectionery) funnel and holder You can hand-fill the mold cavities using a piping bag or spoon. A dosage funnel makes the whole process much less messy, especially when you're making small solid chocolate shapes. The funnel is used for depositing chocolate into molds and making wafers or mediants. You can use a regular funnel and a dowel (to plug and unplug the hole to release the chocolate). These can be sometimes be found at candy making or pastry supply stores such as Chef Rubber. Search for "funnel."

Other US resources for supplies and chocolate

Optional starter kit from Chef Rubber

If you're having a hard time sourcing chocolate and the supplies needed for the program, we have worked with Chef Rubber on a Starter Kit. Please note that Ecole Chocolat does not receive any compensation for the sale of these kits. We simply wanted to find an alternative for those of you unable to locate ingredients and equipment. Chef Rubber is set up to ship all over the world.

Paul at Chef Rubber has kindly given us discounts on some of the items. No, you cannot break up the Starter Kit – they have calculated the discounted prices and shipping based on the total order.

Please note that the Felchlin chocolate comes from the factory already packed in 2 kg bags which we obviously couldn't ask Paul to open and portion just for us. So you will be getting more chocolate than required for the program, but the discounted prices will offset that.

Ecole Chocolat Kits cost $225.00 US and include:

Dipping Fork 3 pc. = 1 set
Parchment Paper 1/2 = 4 sheets
Acetate 1/2 = 4 sheets
Transfer Sheet Assorted 1/2 = 10 sheets
Bench Scraper (8 in) with handle = 1 unit
Felchlin Accra Lait 42% Rondo 2 kg = 1 bag
Felchlin Edelweiss 36% Rondo 2 kg = 1 bag
Felchlin Gastro 58% Rondo 2 kg = 3 bags
Chocolate Mould = 2 units

If you want to order the kit CLICK HERE to go to the Chef Rubber Order page.

Please note: This isn't a complete list of all the ingredients and supplies you'll need for the program, but it helps you to source the more specialized items. Those items on the Student Supplies list that are NOT included in the Starter Kit are more generic and more easily sourced.

Chef Rubber estimates the shipping time:

U.S. West Coast: approximately 2 - 3 shipping days
U.S. Mid-West: approximately 3 - 4 shipping days
U.S. East Coast: 5 shipping days

Canada: Ground Shipping is about 5 days — you can always choose quicker delivery and you'd be looking at about 2 days.

International: Allow 2 or 3 weeks for delivery, depending on whether you choose ground or air.

Any questions on the Starter Kit, contact: Tasha at: support@chefrubber.com

The following chocolate distribution company was set up by one of our Ecole Chocolat Graduates:

Crescent Cacao,llc
3015-B Millwood Ave.
Columbia, SC  29205
(803) 413-2405

Contact Harriet Rice: hmcerice@aol.com

Chocosphere.com

Chocosphere sells chocolate in bars and bulk chocolate online and can ship to most locations.

Instructor's note about thermometers

Here is an excerpt of a test of digital thermometers conducted by Cooks Illustrated in December 2008 that you might find helpful. While they're looking at general cooking and not just chocolate or sugar work, the results make us a little smarter about thermometers in general.

Digital thermometers tested:

CDN ProAccurate Candy & All-Purpose Thermometer DTC375 
CDN ProAccurate Quick Tip Digital Cooking Thermometer DTQ450 
CDN ProAccurate Quick Tip Digital Cooking Thermometer on a Rope Q2-450 
Comark PDT300 Thermometer 
Cooper-Atkins Waterproof Digital Thermometer DPP400W 
DeltaTRAK 11000 Thermometer 
Fieldpiece SPK1 Thermometer 
Maverick Redi-Chek Professional Chef's Digital Thermometer DT-01 
Polder Instant-Read Thermometer 371 
Taylor Classic Instant Read Thermometer 9840 
Thermoworks RT-301 Thermometer 
Thermoworks Super-Fast Thermapen 211-476

Results

Sight, touch, and instinct are age-old ways to gauge when food is done, but for consistent results, none is as reliable as taking the food’s internal temperature. There are many types of specialty thermometers on the market, designed specifically for everything from meat to cappuccino. Yet for home cooks the most useful model is the least specialized of them all: the instant-read thermometer. This device can be inserted into almost any kind of food to display a reading of its internal temperature within seconds. Unlike traditional meat thermometers, these quick-reading units are not designed to be left in the oven. Prolonged exposure of the whole unit to heat will destroy an instant-read thermometer.

After testing, we developed the following criteria for an acceptable thermometer: A broad range to cover high and low temperatures; a stem long enough to reach the interior of large cuts of meat; a way to recalibrate slips in accuracy; and, above all, speed, so you don't have to keep the oven door open too long.

One of the primary design differences among instant-read thermometers was the type of display—dial face or digital. Though pocket-sized dial face thermometers are less expensive than digital models, they are much less legible, and most have narrower effective temperature ranges than the digitals. Both digital and dial thermometers are mechanically capable of covering wide temperature ranges, but dial thermometers cannot offer the same readability over wide ranges because their faces become too compressed graphically to read small changes. As a result, while digital displays show the numbers clearly and display the temperature to the degree (or in some cases, even tenths of a degree), most dial faces are marked with faint lines every two degrees, leaving you squinting and unsure of whether your loaf of bread is at exactly 195 degrees.

Another important difference between digital and dial models is the location of the temperature sensors. On dial face thermometers, the sensors are located roughly one and one-half inches up from the tip of the stem. The sensors on digital thermometers, on the other hand, are located at the very tip of the stem. In our testing, this difference mattered most when measuring the temperature of shallow liquids (Instructor's Note: as with chocolate). Our top digital thermometers could produce an accurate temperature reading in liquids of one inch deep or even less, whereas the dial models needed at least one and one-half inches.

We noted one difference among digitals that effected cost. Our higher-priced models are outfitted with a thermocouple sensor, whereas the less expensive models register temperatures with a thermistor, which is a cheaper circuit that comes with a sacrifice in speed. Our preferred model has the thermocouple sensor, but we found a best buy model with thermistor.

Several models offered high enough temperature ranges to use for deep frying or sugar syrup, however, none really made it as high-quality pinch hitters in this department. Many allowed maximum temperatures just a few degrees above the 375-degree oil that is required for deep frying, easily risking damage to the thermometer. They also lack the clip by which a thermometer could be attached to a pan wall so the stem could remain in the hot oil or sugar syrup. Readout clarity was also a problem.

One note: digitals are electronic and do require batteries. This might be annoying when you reach for a thermometer and find that the battery has died unexpectedly. Because battery life can be extended by shutting the thermometer off when it is not in use, we think it’s essential that digital thermometers have an automatic shutoff, or at least an on/off switch.

Super-Fast Thermapen was the overall winner of this test. Simply the best: fast accurate, and easy to use. The Thermapen also has the widest temperature range (-58 to 572°F degrees).