How to handle chocolate for that perfect shine and etc...I have read all sorts of articles on keeping it crisps, molding, blooming, tempering, conching, do's/don'ts on specific chocolates to use. I have already purchased bags and bags of the Nestle chips and hate to lose the money already spent. I have tried finding the info on molding with Nestle's on their site...but the link is no longer available. I have to make 200 large chocolate military emblem disks for a function and the batches I have tried are not working. They look like they have what "bloom" is described as looking like.

Has anyone used the Semi-sweet Nestle's chips before in plastic chocolate molds? I understand that something was added and it is meant to keep the "chip" form...but, I am not sure if it can be done or if I have done something wrong in the warming/cooling process causing the finished molds to look splotchy when they dried. Is there any way to remedy it and still use Nestle's chocolate chips?

Or is there any type of chocolate that is easy to get your hands on and use without having to temper it? I live overseas and can't get my hands on much...suggestions? I heard that Ghiradelli makes a good chocolate that doesn't have to be tempered. I am short on time and the tempering process leaves for a lot of error. Any help/guidance is truly appreciated. Thank you!

Chocolate is already tempered when you buy it, so if you are melting it incorrectly it will bloom. The simplest answer is to melt it SLOOOOWLY and carefully, then it won't overheat and lose the temper.

An easy-peasy way to melt it without the mess of a double-boiler is to just to melt it 10-15 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring it until the last little lumps melt away. If the melted chocolate is warm when you touch it to your lip, you've already overheated it. It should feel "barely there".

As for chocolate chips, they tend to have less cocoa butter content in them....which is why they don't really melt out of shape too much. Block chocolate/good quality chocolate has the fluidity you're looking for with this job, something chips might not be able to achieve for you.

Do you have a thermometer? One that you could use to take the temperature of the chocolate? It's really only a matter of keeping your chocolate in particular zone, and a thermometer is all you really need.

you can also add a bit of shortening to the chocolates when melting them and they will have a little more liquidity...but beware if you use the microwave because it will cause spark if you have the power too high.