Chocolate Fountain Chocolate

hemc

we are having two parties at the weekend the first for 14 9 year old girls tomorrow and the second a family bbq for 21 on the Sunday
my question is can I use the fountain twice?
whatever sets can it be left and then reused the next day when i turn the fountain on and then just top it up?
Or do I need to strip it down and wash it saturday?
I am thinking from a hygine point of view this is best but my friends keep telling me that all the buffet resteraunts leave it for two nights!!
whats your opinions?
c X

Maggiesunshine

Hi there - dont know if you will pick this up now cos the thread is quite old ... but I was wondering if the choc you all used - with the oil was a success?? I have sim query now .... but also I was wondering if you remembered how many skewers worth of choc you used say - in one hit of choc - 900 g?? We are having a church fete and I have been asked to proved this facility (!!) as we have a fountain .... but I am concerned that if I use Thorntons choc - spec choc - it is going to be very expensive and we wont make much money - on the other hand, I dont want to put people off by using cheapo choc! So if you do read this, would be glad of a reply!! Thank you very much

Gingernutmeg

Hemc - my advice would be no, you can't let it set then turn it back on. From a hygiene point of view it's not that bad (unless people are double dipping lol) but the heaters in the domestic fountains aren't great and once the choc has set in the pump bit it'll take forever to melt again. Since the heaters are in the bottom of the unit and not the actual 'fountain' bit, I can't see how it'll melt up there again without a load of faffing. Better to spend the time and clean it twice, rather than risk damaging the machine.

edit: sorry, just realised this was too late to help you. Hope it all went well!

Maggiesunshine - the oil works fine, you need it to keep the chocolate flowing smoothly. I can't say exactly how many skewers we got from the kilo and a half we used, but there were about 20 people using the fountain and everyone came back a good few times. The problem is that it's impossible to say exactly how much you'll need as remember that you need a certain amount to keep the fountain going - you can't just put 900g in there and then it goes till it's gone, after a certain amount goes the fountain stops flowing so you have to keep it topped up. I personally wouldn't use expensive chocolate, as you will get a lot of wastage. I wouldn't use scotbloc, but if you can get hold of a good quality cooking chocolate with a good proportion of cocoa then that will honestly be fine (we used Callebut cooking drops as that's what we have in the bakery, but anything of a reasonable quality will be fine). Most people don't really care about the taste that much anyway, it's the novelty of melted chocolate and dipping stuff in it!

Maggiesunshine

Gingernut - I am sorry that I am so late in repylying - we have been away and I have only just picked this up! Thank you for all your advice. The fete is now just 2 weeks away .... and I have bought a lot of Cadbury's choc ready - when Woolies was selling it for £1 for 230 g!! Also - I have bought Tescos as well to ensure that we have lots cos I take your point that the machine needs to have a lot to start with to keep the blinking thing running!! I have got about 15 blocks of 230g - and we anticipate about 200 skwers with 3 things on, or as I have seen sold in the shopping centre near us - a guy who sells single ones, 3 for a quid - 600 (and he said to just dip in and out very quickly - and like you said - people just like the look of the dripping choc etc!!) I think I shouldhave enough - but I am going to keep a tally so if anyone else wants to know I will have the answer! We are just going to do strawbs, marshmallows, little donughts and choc browines fron Sainsburys - that is what sells the best so guy in Touchwood said! Thank you again. MaggieS