How to Make Chocolate

By Brenda H. Murphy 

This is quite likely the dream project of many children, as well as a few of their mothers! But be warned, making chocolate is a finicky business, and you won't be turning out huge bars of Toblerone.

In fact, it might be a good idea to purchase some inexpensive molds for small, flat decorative chocolate shapes like flowers, animals, and birds. These aren't too hard to find, and are usually available around Easter and Valentine's

The chocolate you make will be pure chocolate, not the chocolates you get in a gift box. That takes even more time and patience than either Mom or the kids may have. Start your project with raw cocoa beans, which can be found through many online sites.

Beans need to be roasted by spreading them in a single layer on a pan, and leaving them in the oven for approximately 30 minutes at 400F degrees. Allow them to cool, and then peel off the husks, which is a really fiddly job.

Next, you'll want to break them up. Spreading them out on a tea towel, placing another over top and using a hammer will work, but possibly too well. A more restrained and easy to control way of breaking them into pieces is with a mortar and pestle.

Once you have pieces, put them in a clean pepper or other mill and grind them. Be careful though, because as the bits get smaller, they tend to liquefy. Grind just to the point where you can put them back in a dish and use the mortar and pestle again for the final mashing.

By now you have a mush. Heat the dish in a pan of water, and then grind a little more in the mortar. It should have reached a fairly smooth consistency after this stage.

Now you can add a drop of mint flavoring, and your sugar. A rule of thumb is 1/2 cup sugar per pound of cocoa beans processed, but you may want to start out with less, in order to see how sweet it gets. Pour into molds, and you have pure chocolate!

Visit http://www.learnhowtomakeit.com for instructions on how to make just about anything you can think of.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_H._Murphy

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Espresso Maker - What About Chocolate Beans?

By Jack B. Blacksmith 

Do you really want to purchase wholesale chocolate beans for your beloved espresso machine?

The Internet is the perfect place to obtain the best deals and the best quality products. However, you are not sure as to how to get those beans through a wholesaler and risk credit card details and identity.

Everyone has read and heard about other people becoming victim to identity theft and finding their accounts completely cleaned out. This is a risk if you don’t understand how to go shopping online.

This should not be a disturbing experience, even if you choose to shop online through a wholesaler. Knowing the precautions from the start and how to use them is the best bet before using your credit card.

You should know exactly what you are getting. Some websites may claim to have the best espresso beans, covered in chocolate, but you should see a complete description and a clear picture. Look at all the fine print and any adjectives that indicate that the product to be sent may vary from what they are offering.

Remember this timely saying: ”If something sounds too good to be true…“. If your potential beans’ price seems low, then you can guarantee the real quality may not be truly what you want.

Next you should be very cautious in how you purchase your potential items. What types of payments does the website accept and how are items shipped?

No website should ask for your personal details - social security number, driver’s license details or banking information.

Personal information should never be given out unnecessarily or in fact at all unless you are dealing with your bank or the government, whose sites are secure and people respect the laws.

Keep a detailed printed record of all your online transactions. This should include all shipping details and email correspondence sent or received.

Record the website’s name, the exact description of the espresso beans, including the weight, and the date, price and time of your procurement. If the website scams you, you will have all the evidence, to take the matter further.

You can alleviate your concerns by looking for an 800-phone number and a business address. All respectable and honest sites will supply this, and they should be clearly listed, not difficult to find.

This way you are able to purchase your orders by telephone. Better still, order a wholesaler’s catalogue and make sure your espresso maker doesn’t remain empty.