Chocolate Pro Melting Pot

Decorating By jlh Updated 21 Jun 2007 , 12:38pm by cupcakes

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jlh Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 12:55am
post #1 of 16

I'm interested in chocolate dipping. I' ve seen the Chocolate Pro Melting pot at Michaels. Is it any good? I love Michaels for the "starter supplies" it offers. Is this pot worth the money, or should I look for something else?
thanks

15 replies
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indydebi Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 1:00am
post #2 of 16

You can do just as well with a double boiler or double boiler method, if you don't want to spend the money for a dedicated pot for chocolate. I do a lot of dipped strawberries for my catering buffets (sometimes 200 at a time) and I use the microwave.

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karensjustdessert Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 2:08am
post #3 of 16

I do tons of chocolate dipped strawberries, as well as edible favors, etc.
I use a double boiler on the stove, or the microwave for the color candy melts.
It's easy, and I didn't have to spend any extra money.

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melysa Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 2:13am
post #4 of 16

if you use a double boiler, try to find a bowl that fits well on top of the pan so the steam wont be a big issue. also if you try to keep it at about 120' -not boiling- just hot- you wont have a bunch of steam rising up causing your choc to sieze up. but if it does you can add a little vegetable shortening to smooth it up again.

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mkolmar Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 2:17am
post #5 of 16

I honestly still do the double boiler method sometimes even though I have 2 chocolate melting pots. One of them is the Wilton that I got for free from product testing. It works great! I prefer using it over the double boiler method just because sometimes I get busy and forget about the chocolate (I have a lot of kids) with the wilton melter I don't have to worry about anything. It's always fine. I don't really like working with candy melts because of the taste and after taste. I usually just use chocolate and tint my white chocolate with food coloring. I like the wilton better than my other too just because the pot you melt the chocolate in comes out for easy cleaning. I just add a tiny bit of veg. oil or crisco to make it flow better off whatever I'm dipping. I personally think it's worth the $25 if you dip often or get frustrated dipping.

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karensjustdessert Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 2:31am
post #6 of 16

I just use the candy melts for the little decorations that I need sometimes...I have a bunch of different colors on hand, and don't need to worry 'bout mixing a color in. Not that it's difficult, it's just easier for me to pull out a bag and melt a few discs.

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cupcakes Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 2:46am
post #7 of 16

I really like the choc. pro. Easy to melt. It has 2 settings, to melt and keep warm. It kept the choc. at a very good consistancy for a long period of time. I also used it with reg choc. instead of choc. melts and it did a beautiful job melting the choc. I usually do it in the microwave and this was even easier to get the consistancy I wanted. It was really easy to clean as well. Small and compact for storing. Hey, I am starting to sound like a commercial.

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TexasSugar Posted 9 Feb 2007 , 6:34am
post #8 of 16

I bought mine with a coupon and I really like it. For me it keeps the chocolate at a good consistancy for dipping. I'm considering a second one, so I have one for white candy melts and one chocolate.

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Tricia0312 Posted 10 Feb 2007 , 3:04am
post #9 of 16

I dont know....I use the double boiler normally but I just got the melting pot as a gift and I must say I really like it!

I would wait for a good coupon, like 50% off at Michaels and make the splurge!

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alimonkey Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 12:16am
post #10 of 16

Hi guys -

I know I'm coming into this a few months late, but for those of you that use and like your Chocolate Pro, what kind of finished product do you get when you use real chocolate with it? I'm very curious to know what temperatures it holds chocolate at on the high and low settings, whether the temps are comparable to actual tempering, and if you wind up with a shiny, stable finish in the end.

I'm really considering getting one, but if I get the same result with a bain marie and no thermometer, it doesn't really seem worth it to me.

Anybody know (or willing to test the next time you make candy) the temps it works on?

TIA,

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yellobutterfly Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 2:33am
post #11 of 16

I have the chocolate pro and love it! Mine was a free gift (WMI challenge), so I would definately wait for a 40% or 50% coupon (mostly cause I'm cheap!) but it's worth every penny! I used to use the microwave before I had this, but in the micro after awhile my chocolate would harden (guess it wasn't tempered?)...anyway, lss - chocolate pro is awesome! don't know about the temps (never checked them) but I would guess that it is tempered because it never hardens up on me like it did in the microwave. I don't use candy melts at all - I use chocolate chips and dip strawberries - done it several times in the chocolate pot now and perfect everytime. I would say beware about generic chocolate chip brands - I use Sam's choice (wal-mart) and Nestle with no problem, but once I used HEB brand (a Texas store) and the chocolate never melted properly, it was chunky and did get hard - I blame it on the formulation because this has NEVER happened in the chocolate pro with any other brand. HTH

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disneycakegirl23 Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 2:47am
post #12 of 16

I got the melting pot last friday and it is good but it is not as big as you thing..you might want to think about getting a different, bigger one..its pretty small.

~~cakegirl

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disneycakegirl23 Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 2:48am
post #13 of 16

It is a good melting pot but its not as big as you think..I would try to get a bigger one..

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cupcakes Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 11:26am
post #14 of 16

The great part about it is that even though it isn't very big, you can keep filling it with choc. and it melts so beautifully, that size may not really be an issue. I really like the clean up as well.

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gingersoave Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 11:41am
post #15 of 16

As a Wilton Instructor I had to use one for a demo and I now own it, I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!!!! I have let my friends borrow it and they all love it too. You just throw your chocolate in and turn it to melt, then once its melted turn it to low and it keeps your chocolate warm for HOURS AND HOURS and I know this because I had a 3 hour demo and it stayed soft the entire time and I was dipping all kinds of stuff in it!!! So HIGHLY recommended from me!!!!!!!

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cupcakes Posted 21 Jun 2007 , 12:38pm
post #16 of 16

gingersoave, that is exactly how I was introduced to the melting pot. I did a demo as a Wilton instructor and then said, I have got to have one of these for myself. I am actually thinking about getting another one so I can have a couple going at the same time!!! Okay, I do get carried away but I love when a product works as well as this one!

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