My chocolate and candy molds have always been organized in a chaotic fashion. They are awkward to store because of their different shapes, sizes, and materials. And even when I purchased a piece of furniture in which to store them, I never managed to corral them all into the same place. Consequently, it was very easy to forget what I had.
When I moved about six months ago, they were all packed into boxes with a generic label and no sense of order. They were deposited in my basement and placed on the shelf of a baker's rack. While I love having space to store them without seeing them daily, I knew I needed to make it easier to find what I want when I want it. And as the old year transitioned into the new, I made a note to organize my chocolate and candy molds in 2026.
And so about three weeks ago, I took the last of my vacation days for the 2025-26 year. I didn't sleep in. Instead, I was up with the birds as usual. After breakfast, I drove to Canadian Tire to purchase a folding table and then once it was set up in my basement, I put every mold I own on it. As I sorted and sifted, it became clear that the easiest way to organize them was to separate them into boxes by material -- polycarbonate, PET, and silicone.
Polycarbonate molds are professional grade and made of a rigid plastic. They give chocolates a beautiful finish and tend to be more expensive. I purchased my first two when I did my professional chocolatier program and have been slowly collecting them since. For these, I have been restricting myself to classic shapes rather than novelties -- the diamond dome, the half sphere, the peanut butter cup, an Easter egg, etc. About two years ago, I concluded that based on my current production scale, I need two of each, which allows me in most cases to produce 42 of the same chocolate at once.
PET molds are made of a lighter plastic and are usually much less expensive. While they result in a better finish than silicone molds, they seem to be prone to marring during the unmolding process resulting in an imperfect finish. They more commonly are novelty shapes -- Garfield lollipops, awareness ribbons, giant pills, hockey pucks, etc. For the vast majority of these, I own only one of each mold (unintentional exceptions are an Easter bunny mold and a Valentine's pour box).
Silicone molds, of course, have become increasingly popular and are generally inexpensive (unless you order a custom one like my oyster mold). They can produce greater detail and are easier to release because you can peel them from the chocolate, but they are very difficult to work with. For example, unless you want a colossal mess to clean up, shelling has to be done by painting each well with a pastry brush. Consequently, they are better suited to solid pieces. I have molds for penguins, Christmas lights, bats, pumpkins, gummy bears, etc.
As I sifted through the molds, it occurred to me that sorting by material wasn't good enough. It would be much better to have an inventory of all of the molds. Go big or go home, right? Before I knew it, I had a laptop in front of me and was typing into a spreadsheet. I recorded the shape, the type (hollow, 3D, 3-part), the material, and the maker or source if I knew it. I also noted how many I had, how many pieces each one made, and in which box they were located. Three hours later, I was done.
In case you're wondering, it turns out that I have 94 distinct molds and 115 in total. Being able to search the inventory quickly will surely make life easier. The first test of the system occurred just a week after completing it, when I wanted molds for Easter eggs. It was quick and easy to choose and locate the right mold for the job -- and there was no mountain of molds to manage and eventually dodge when they inevitably collapse around (or on) me.
And you know what that means... Production of Easter eggs is just around the corner!
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