How many times I have seen this note inside a recipe!
Want my advice? Don't... not until you have become an expert in that recipe!
Why am I thinking of this today?
Because, I just asked a friend of mine to pick some Valrhona chocolate for me from the US.
I have seen many bakers rave about Valrhona bars, especially about Manjari.
Last year, I ordered some expensive bourbon vanilla and Callebaut dark chocolate from USA.
The chocolate did not melt well and didn't go well in my desserts. I read later that it's only to be used for enrobing. What the!!!! There is no literature accompanying the chocolate. I just ordered thinking its a 60% dark chocolate. I search Callebaut website and see that there is a whole layer of complexity to their chocolate varieties. Some are only for purpose X, some are for Y! I, ignorance personified, did not know all this. Just access amazon and order. That's what I did.
Had Callebaut given some literature alone the chocolates, I could have saved the disasters that followed.
I also lost a great deal of money, mind it. It has caused a lot of regret cycles.
About the bourbon vanilla, I could not find anything extra ordinary in it. In fact it was very very similar to synthetic local vanilla. I could not find why so many people raved about it. I was missing something. I donno what.
So what was the lesson learnt?
1) When you're baking - let's say, you may be an amateur baker. Till you graduate to higher levels.. do not use expensive ingredients.
2) Even if you've graduated, when you try a new recipe, do not use an expensive ingredient. Test it with local ingredients and ensure that it turns ok. Make amendments and only when you master it using the local ingredients, graduate to the expensive ones. Each recipe is tricky...if you are a baker, you'll know. One small mistake and your fondant becomes cake. It's not longer a fondant.
3) Don't be a stupid like me. Use expensive ingredients exclusively for special occasions and special people who can recognize and value your ingredient. If you serve Valrhona to someone who loves Cadburys, you'll both end up disappointed. But, the loss is more yours because instead of a 10 rupee Cadburys you ordered a 1000 rupee valrhona. I have done these mistakes too. (I have lost count of the mistakes I commit. My mom always says, "You keep telling that you will not repeat the same mistake, but you find new mistakes to commit". That's me).
As a side thought, why don't people put interesting literature on their labels? Nestle put the chocolate chip cookie recipe. I remembered Ciel Pur. We had a lot of interesting literature involved, behind the soap box, on the front label, the usage of the product, the brochures, even the ingredients list - we went through multiple iterations just for the ingredient list... everything was colorful, beautiful and very well written. If only people had read and appreciated these efforts. I do feel pained that for something so well done, we got washed away due to so many factors, which were beyond our control. Is there a redemption for these things?
Want my advice? Don't... not until you have become an expert in that recipe!
Why am I thinking of this today?
Because, I just asked a friend of mine to pick some Valrhona chocolate for me from the US.
I have seen many bakers rave about Valrhona bars, especially about Manjari.
Last year, I ordered some expensive bourbon vanilla and Callebaut dark chocolate from USA.
The chocolate did not melt well and didn't go well in my desserts. I read later that it's only to be used for enrobing. What the!!!! There is no literature accompanying the chocolate. I just ordered thinking its a 60% dark chocolate. I search Callebaut website and see that there is a whole layer of complexity to their chocolate varieties. Some are only for purpose X, some are for Y! I, ignorance personified, did not know all this. Just access amazon and order. That's what I did.
Had Callebaut given some literature alone the chocolates, I could have saved the disasters that followed.
I also lost a great deal of money, mind it. It has caused a lot of regret cycles.
About the bourbon vanilla, I could not find anything extra ordinary in it. In fact it was very very similar to synthetic local vanilla. I could not find why so many people raved about it. I was missing something. I donno what.
So what was the lesson learnt?
1) When you're baking - let's say, you may be an amateur baker. Till you graduate to higher levels.. do not use expensive ingredients.
2) Even if you've graduated, when you try a new recipe, do not use an expensive ingredient. Test it with local ingredients and ensure that it turns ok. Make amendments and only when you master it using the local ingredients, graduate to the expensive ones. Each recipe is tricky...if you are a baker, you'll know. One small mistake and your fondant becomes cake. It's not longer a fondant.
3) Don't be a stupid like me. Use expensive ingredients exclusively for special occasions and special people who can recognize and value your ingredient. If you serve Valrhona to someone who loves Cadburys, you'll both end up disappointed. But, the loss is more yours because instead of a 10 rupee Cadburys you ordered a 1000 rupee valrhona. I have done these mistakes too. (I have lost count of the mistakes I commit. My mom always says, "You keep telling that you will not repeat the same mistake, but you find new mistakes to commit". That's me).
As a side thought, why don't people put interesting literature on their labels? Nestle put the chocolate chip cookie recipe. I remembered Ciel Pur. We had a lot of interesting literature involved, behind the soap box, on the front label, the usage of the product, the brochures, even the ingredients list - we went through multiple iterations just for the ingredient list... everything was colorful, beautiful and very well written. If only people had read and appreciated these efforts. I do feel pained that for something so well done, we got washed away due to so many factors, which were beyond our control. Is there a redemption for these things?
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