Chocolate on the Brain

Since Halloween is nearly here, I have chocolate on the brain, which reminded me of my small collection of vintage chocolate molds. I have a deep familiarity with chocolate because I worked with it as a career for nearly 25 years. I had the good fortune of learning the pastry world from the ground up, first in restaurants and hotels, and later in a fine pastry shop. I even made truffles in my home kitchen for several Christmases in a row and sold them to chocolate-craving clients. Made for a messy kitchen and a crowded fridge, so I eventually had to quit.

But back to the molds.  I've never used any of them and only have four, but they are fun to see, so I thought I'd show them off.   

                          

  VINTAGE CHOCOLATE MOLDS                                                                                           

The largest is French and is made of coated cast iron. Each of the 60 tiny bars reads Garanti Pur, which translates as Guaranteed Pure.

The second largest is also coated cast iron. It contains 28 discs each with the name Wilbur, a 145 year old company still located in Pennsylvania.

The oblong one on the bottom, coated cast iron as well, is German, with three oval baskets. These molds would have been coated with chocolate and filled later as desired. When unscrewed at each end, it opens to release the baskets.

The tin figurine is Santa, also German and  made to be coated as a hollow shell. When the three little tabs, one on top and the other two on the sides, are removed , it too opens to release Santa.    

As a  final note, being a true chocoholic, I love how chocolate is pronounced in other languages. Right click to open a new window and hear it for yourself in:

FRENCH     GERMAN      ITALIAN     JAPANESE       SPANISH