Category Archives: Food Products

Caramel Tips and Information

I get a lot of questions about melting our “Peters” brand caramel. While it’s a pretty straightforward process in the microwave, I thought I’d give you the scoop straight from the manufacturer, so here goes:

Caramel Melting Tips

Melting caramel loaf in microwave – Place caramel in a microwave safe dish. Cook on high for 1 minute.

Stir.

Cook on 50% power for 1 minute.

Stir again.

Repeat at 50% until thoroughly melted, being careful to avoid scorching.

To thicken caramel – Add 1/2 to 1 oz. confectioners’ sugar to 1 lb. of caramel

Softening caramel – Add 1/2 to 1 tsp. evaporated milk to 1 lb. of caramel.

Storing caramel – Unused caramel may be cooled to room temperature and reused; seal in airtight container.

Caramel Apple Tips

• Wash apples to remove any wax; dry thoroughly. Insert stick into stem side of apple; do not pierce through bottom.
• Maintain caramel in the 160-180 degree F range and completely coat apple with caramel (including pierce point) to obtain maximum shelf life.
• For fastest setup and to minimize “feet,” refrigerate apples after dipping for 10-15 minutes. Avoid prolonged refrigeration to prevent condensation.

Black…It’s the new Black (Melting Candy, that is)

Well, the Blommer Vivid Black Wafers have been discontinued. In its place we now have Clasen Satin Black Wafers. Clasen, the same company that gives you our awesome Navy Blue melting candy, now gives us satiny black melting goodness!

What will you notice about these new wafers? Well, first you will notice that they have a shinier finish (satin) than the Blommer wafers. Second, when melted, the texture is slightly creamier. And, last, the flavor still has that slight hint o’ chocolate. In my opinion there is a slight Oreo cookie flavor to this new candy melt. It’s good. You’ll really have to try it for yourself.

Like all of our darker candy, this melt has has visible scuff marks while in the bag due to being bumped around in transit. These scuff marks disappear completely when the candy is melted.

Isomalt for Molded Sugar Decorations

Just 3 of the Many Isomalt Colors Available

Several people have asked for isomalt. Well, now we have it. What is it? Isomalt is a sugar substitute that has the physical properties of sugar. It’s commonly used to make pulled, cast, and blown sugar decorations. It doesn’t crystallize as quickly as sugar, so you can work with it a little longer. We even have some basic instructions on how you can use it.

We have the pellets which need to be melted with water. or, for those of you who would like a more ready form, we have isomalt sticks in several bright colors.

If you have been looking for Isomalt, come and see what we have.

What About Those Edible Images?

Well, we print them for one thing. Edible images are pictures printed on a modified sheet of frosting that is set on a paper backing. It’s not spreadable like frosting, though. It can be handled like a delicate sheet of paper. Many of our customers ask for images on rice paper, but the images aren’t printed on rice paper, though we do have rice paper for sale.

How do i get such an image?

You can bring in a photograph – any photograph, really – and we can scan it and print it for you. You can also bring in an image on a CD or a flash drive and we can take the file from there. Remember, the better quality image you give to us, the better quality edible image you get back. If you don’t want to bring in a photograph, you can come in and look at all of the images that we are able to print.

We don’t keep any of our newest and most popular images in stock. We download them from our image company when the customer requests it.

how long is the wait?

It usually doesn’t take very long, maybe 15 – 20 minutes. If it will be longer, we’ll tell you. If for some reason we’re not able to print it that same day, it will be ready the following day.

You should always bring in your image ready to print. But, if you need some adjusting or editing of your image, we can do it for an additional charge. Also, we require 24 hours notice for images that need extra Photoshop work.

care and use of the image

We’ll give you the image in a plastic storage bag. Keep it in the bag in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, and keep it flat. Although we believe freshest images are the best, you can keep the image for a week before using it, if kept in the correct conditions.

To use your image, simply take it out of the bag, lay it on the edge of a counter or table and pull down on one corner of the backing sheet until the image starts to loosen. Rotate the image until it loosens more and more.

You can then remove it from the paper backing, pick it up gently, and place it carefully on your frosted cake. The image should be put on the cake immediately after the cake has been frosted so it can more easily be absorbed into the cake.