Buying All The Things

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I quickly realized when I started the Professional Chocolatier program that to get the most out of it and meet the standard set by instructors, tutors, and peers (which was higher than I'd initially anticipated), I felt I couldn't just "make do" with what I had. Instead, I decided to invest in a few additional tools and supplies. It's been an expensive few weeks, so I thought you might like to see what I purchased.

First, there's the chocolate. I was required to purchase 5kg (3kg dark, 1kg milk, 1kg white) for the course. I chose Callebaut, which I ordered from Ontario. Pictured is 4kg of the 5kg -- the other kilo has been melted and tempered four times during practice sessions and doesn't look as pretty.

I also was required to purchase a variety of chocolates for a tasting assignment that's coming up in a few weeks. And, now that I'm getting into this, I feel a compulsion to buy just about every different brand of dark chocolate that I stumble upon for research purposes. I don't think I've ever had this much chocolate in my apartment before.

Then there's the stuff to decorate the chocolate. The cocoa butter transfer sheets were required for an assignment. We were told to purchase as small a quantity as possible, but I wanted options so I ordered three instead of one. They are at least double the size I had anticipated. It's hard to see, but one has a gold swirl pattern, one has white snowflakes, and the third has red hearts.

The bottles of pre-coloured cocoa butter for painting chocolates were optional, but once I started developing my products through the first assignment, I felt like I had to have them. I bought white shimmer and ocean blue. Stay tuned.

Then there were a few additional purchases for the actual process of melting chocolate. First, a microwave safe bowl, since I couldn't confirm that the mixing bowls I already owned were indeed microwave safe (the sticker only said dishwasher).

Following my first tempering attempt, though, I realized I needed a new spatula that was silicone from tip to end, as well as a more flexible "bench scraper" for use on the marble. I found myself in the paint department buying a putty knife. It works beautifully.

Finally, I felt the need to buy professional chocolate molds. I already own a variety of chocolate molds for the home chef. These molds work perfectly fine for small batches of chocolate, but they typically aren't as deep as professional molds (making it more challenging to make filled centres). As well, professional molds are usually made of polycarbonate, rather than a more flexible plastic, and they result in a glossier finished surface. Because they don't have the "lip" usually found on the edge of the home versions, it's much easier to fill them and scrape the excess chocolate back into the bowl for reuse. I bought two for now, but I know that I'll be buying more in the future.

I also have to give a shout-out to two friends: Diane and Leanne. Diane gave me a small marble slab for Christmas, which has been critical for my tabliering sessions. Leanne just gave me a heat gun, which I'll use to keep my chocolate in temper while enrobing centres. I truly appreciate the support and will repay them with -- you guessed it -- chocolate!

I've also been very lucky that my mother likes to give me kitchen gadgets as presents. For example, I didn't have to buy a set of dipping forks because my mother gave me a set two years ago (long before I ever thought about taking this course).

I've found one more item that I desperately want to buy, but it's pricey. It's a small appliance for tempering chocolate and then holding it in temper while you work. I can't really justify the expense now, but I've decided that it may be a present to myself when I successfully complete the program.

So how about you? When you start something new, do you make do or do you buy all the things?