Frequently Asked Questions
Below are a list of some of our most frequently asked customer questions and answers. If the answer to your question is not in this list please call us at 1.800.231.8154 or send us an email.
Sections | ||
Shipping | Chocolate | Shells |
Powder Mixes | Nut Products | Fruit Products |
Dessert Sauces | Specialties | Cake Design |
Colors | Decorations | Confections |
IcEscape | Savoir Fare | Tools |
Shipping | |
| Q. What is the minimum order requirement for all orders? | A. We have the lowest minimum order requirement in the industry. Our minimum is $195 and includes free second-day shipping. |
| Q. Where are your warehouses located? | A. We have five warehouses around the country. Our warehouses are in Gaithersburg, Maryland; Hollywood, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; San Leandro, California; and Lake Forest, California. |
| Q. I live outside the continental United States, can you ship products to me? | A. We work with distributors in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. Click here to view the list of companies we work with. At this time we are not able to ship anywhere else. We are always looking for reputable companies to work with, let us know if you have a suggestion. If you have an address inside the US that can forward your package to you we are happy to ship to any address inside the US. |
Products | |
Chocolate | |
| Q. What kind of sugar is in your couverture? | A. Our couvertures contain sucrose. The sugar used in Orchid is certified vegan and is not processed with bone char. |
| Q. What temperature should the couverture be before adding the Beta 6 crystals to temper? | A. The couverture should be at 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celcius when adding the Beta 6 crystals. |
| Q. How do Beta 6 crystals work? | A. Bring Des Alpes couverture to the required melting temperature. Once it cools to 91-95ºF (33-35ºC), add 1% Des Alpes Beta 6 Crystals to melted Des Alpes couverture. Stir well. Wait 10 minutes before use. |
| Q. Can truffle fillings be flavored with anything? | A. Yes, the flavoring must be fat soluble. You can use nut pastes, coffee paste, or flavoring oils. We do not recommend using fruit compounds, powders or purees as they are not fat soluble. |
| Q. Are your couvertures Kosher certified? | A.Yes, Both our Des Alpes and Orchid lines are Orthodox Union Kosher certified. Upon request, we can provide certificate for verification. |
| Q. What is the shelf life on your chocolate? | A. |
| Q. I want to cover cookies and fruit with chocolate, what should I use? | A. We recommend using one of our chocolate glazes. If you would like a hard, shiny coating Des Alpes glaze is the best, and it tastes great! If you would like a more matte sheen, with a little more pliability we suggest Orchid, which also tastes great. |
| Q. Do you carry chocolate rolls for a la Girolle ruffle maker? | A. Yes, you can find our Professional Swiss Ruffle Maker "La Girolle" and eight flavors of rolls in the decorations section of our store and catalog. |
| Q. Does the lecithin in our couvertures contain soy or animal fat? | A. The lecithin in all our couvertures is soy based. |
| Q. How do you make ganache? | A. Boil heavy cream and pour over couverture. Stir until melted and smooth. |
| Q. How do you make liqueur filled truffles? | A. Fill a frame with corn or potato starch, make indentations and fill with a mixture of liqueur and sugar. Cover and allow to crystallize overnight then dip in chocolate. |
Shells | |
| Q. Does the plastic cover on your truffle shells have holes for filling? | A. Yes, All trays of truffle shells have holes to make filling easy. |
| Q. Are all of your tart shells bake-stable? | A. No, Our neutral shells are not bake-stable. All other tart shells are bake-stable. |
| Q. Can the basket shells be filled with ice cream and frozen for late use? | A. We do not suggest this. The shells will become rubbery and soggy after they begin to defrost. Try either coating the shells with a hard glaze before putting the ice cream in or scoop the ice cream ahead of time and fill the shells just before serving. |
| Q. Are your macaroon shells a dry or frozen product? | A. Our Amethyst (589010), Chocolate (589013), and Vanilla (589014) shells are a dry, crispy shell ideal for using as a decoration. The Pink (522016) and Chocolate (522015) shells are frozen, they are light and great for filling for petite four production. |
Powder Mixes | |
| Q. What is neutral mousse Zurimix used for? | A. You can use neutral Zurimix as the base for just about any flavor of mousse. We have created both a Neutral Mousse Flavorings Table and a Sugar-Free Neutral Mousse Flavoring Table. Unlike other mousse mixes which come pre-flavored, you can control the taste with neutral mousse. If you would like to create a savory mousse we suggest you try our Mousse Culinaire, Savory Mousse. |
| Q. How much does 1lb. of florentine mix yield? | A. About 100 florentines of about 1/2 oz each. |
| Q. How do I make butterscotch mousse? | A. Combine neutral mousse with caramel sauce or caramel paste while whipping. |
Nut Products | |
| Q. What are the differences between the two varieties of hazelnuts that you carry? | A. The Akcakoca Hazelnuts are from Turkey, they are an oblong, pointed nut with a lower oil content that works well for chocolate enrobing. The Tarragona Hazelnuts are from Spain, they are a medium, long nut. |
| Q. What are the differences between your Premium Pistachios and California Pistachios? | A. The premium pistachios that we carry are grown in Iran and packed in Germany. They have a vibrant color and flavor and are of a consistent color, shape and size. The California pistachios are grown and packed in the US. They also have a wonderful flavor but are less consistent in color, shape, and size. Both kinds are blanched and shelled. |
| Q. Are nut flours gluten free? | A. Yes, nuts naturally contain no gluten. However, some manufacturers mix wheat flour into their nut flours. Ours at AUI do not contain any wheat flour |
| Q. Are any of the giandujas vegan? | A. Our Akcakoca Dark Hazelnut Gianduja is vegan. The rest of the giandujas we carry have milk powder in them. |
| Q. What is the shelf-life on marzipan? | A. Marzipan will be good for one year if left un-opened. |
| Q. How many tuiles does 1 tuile log yield? | A. Each log yields 75-90 tuiles at approximately 1/16" thick. |
Fruit Products | |
| Q. What is the difference between Apricot Gel and Apricoture? | A. They both seal in freshness and prevent moisture loss. Apricoture is thicker and works better on baked goods like danish and puff pastry. Apricot Gel is thinner and works better for covering fruits |
| Q. Can the Cold Glazing Gel be colored and used for writing/ piping on cakes? | A. It can certainly be colored but it will be too runny for writing on cakes. |
| Q. What is the difference between the frozen fruit purees and the shelf-stable fruit purees? | |
| Q. What is the difference between the fruit paste and the fruit compound? | A. The fruit paste already have natural coloring added so you don't have to. The fruit compound is more concentrated, you only need 3% per pound of product compared to 7-10% of the fruit paste. |
| Q. Can you use fruit paste to make macaroon shells? | A. Yes, but it will effect the texture a little. |
| Q. Can you use fruit powder to make macaroon shells? | A. Yes you can, but the powder will not dissolve completely. |
| Q. Does the rappe taste like real zest? | A. |
| Q. Can the Cold Glazing Gel be frozen after applied? | A. Yes, it will freeze and appear cloudy but will clear once it is thawed. |
Dessert Sauces | |
Specialties | |
| Q. How much Cobasan Whipped Cream Stabilizer should you use for 1 gallon of cream? | A. Use 3/4 oz. of Cobasan for 1 gallon of cream. |
| Q. Do you sell Fluid Flex? | A. No, however, you can contact us to request recipes for making a similar product. |
| Q. Do you sell Trimoline? What is it and how is it used? | A. Trimoline is a brand of inverted sugar. We sell Pastry Ideale Inverted Sugar. It is used to retard sugar crystallization in ganaches, pralines, sorbets, etc. |
| Q. How much will the inedible lacquer cover? | A. It should cover a two foot tall chocolate showpiece. |
| Q. How do Venuance pearls work? | A. Venuance pearls are pre-cooked isomalt. Just warm in the microwave or under a heat lamp to use. |
| Q. What temperature do you cook isomalt to? | A. Isomalt should be cooked to 340F/170C. |
| Q. How do you substitute gold gelatin for bronze? | A. Download our Gelatin Summary and Conversion document for easy instructions on converting any gelatin type. |
Cake Design | |
| Q. Which of your color products should I use with Massa rolled fondant? | A. Our powder colors are designed to be used with Massa. Simply mix with vegetable shortening and knead into the fondant. |
| Q. Can I use marzipan instead of white chocolate modeling paste? | A. Marzipan doesn't dry out in the same way as modelling paste so it is not a good substitute. |
| Q. What is the shelf life of Massa? | A. One year if un-opened. |
| Q. Can you flavor Massa with Amaretto? | A. No, it will make the fondant too sticky. |
| Q. Can you refrigerate Massa? | A. Yes, it is more humidity resistant than other rolled fondant. |
Colors | |
| Q. Which of your color products should I use with Massa rolled fondant? | A. Our powder colors are designed to be used with Massa. Simply mix with vegetable shortening and knead into the fondant. |
| Q. What should I do if my luster spray is clogged? | A. Remove the cap and run under hot water after each use. If it is still clogged, use a pin to dig out the dried spray. |
| Q. To color white chocolate, should I use colored cocoa butter or liquid chocolate color? | A. Use the fat-soluble liquid chocolate color. It's more concentrated and less expensive than colored cocoa butter. |
| Q. Will chocolate spray wash off china? | A. Yes it will. |
Decorations | |
| Q. Are chocolate décor gluten free? | A. Yes, they are made entirely of couverture and coloring. |
| Q. Do you carry chocolate rolls for a la Girolle ruffle maker? | A. Yes, you can find our Professional Swiss Ruffle Maker "La Girolle" and eight flavors of rolls in the decorations section of our store and catalog. |
Confections | |
| Q. Are your frozen macaroons gluten free? | A. No, they contain a wheat based glucose syrup. However, you can make your own using our almond flour. |
| Q. Can I choose what truffles and pralines are in my boxed chocolates? | A. No, do to availability of certain pieces our boxes are an ever changing assortment. |
| Q. Can I have my logo, picture, or text printed on my box? | A. Yes! We are able to customize boxes and actual pralines for all of your events. |
| Q. Do you sell any sugar-free confections? | A. Yes, we have a delicious collection of Sugar-Free Petite Pastries and a Sugar-Free Praline Collection. |
| Q. Can I order only one tray of truffles or petite pastries? | A. No, we must have a minimum order of 6 trays for truffles and pralines or 4 trays of petite pastries. However, trays may be assorted. |
IcEscape | |
| Q. Can I order IcEscape products online? | A. At this time it is easiest to order them through customer service by calling 1.800. 231.8154 because of minimum order requirements. |
| Q. What are solos? | A. Solos are a frozen, ready-to-serve dessert. Simply thaw and plate with desired decoration. They are available in eight different flavors or an assortment. |
| Q. Do you ship IcEscape on the weekend? | A. Because they are frozen we cannot ship over the weekend the risk of businesses being closed is too great and we don't want your product to melt. |
Savoir Fare | |
| Q. How are the appetizers shipped? | A. Our appetizer collections are frozen and will be shipped with dry ice like all other frozen items. |
| Q. Do you have any vegan appetizers? How about vegetarian? | A. Yes, our Vietnamese Vegetable Pot Sticker is vegan. The Kanpur Vegetable Samosa, Assorted Quiche Collection, Spanakopita, Mushroom Profiterole, and Mediterranean Salad are all vegetarian options. |
Tools | |
| Q. Can the Ice Cream Mold be baked? | A. Yes, like other flexi molds it is bakeable and freezeable |
| Q. I bought a tool and am not happy with it, can I return it? | A. All of our tools are final sale items, they are not returnable except in extreme circumstances. |
| Q. I am all out of limestone and need it by tomorrow, is this possible? | A. We are only able to ship limestone by ground which could take several days depending on your location. |
| Q. Why add Weinstein Tartaric Acid to Isomalt? | A. It makes it more pliable and easier to pull. |
