Metal horn

Metal horn

A metal horn is essential for creating your own hollow praline molds, for tabling and for casting hollow chocolate figures. It is the only way to completely remove couverture from hollow molds, marble slabs and other smooth surfaces. The metal horn is an indispensable helper in any kitchen where chocolate is worked with. In addition to chocolate making, the horn can also be used for cutting dough or smoothing cake icing. The blades here are made of stainless steel and are sturdy, which makes this variant particularly suitable for cutting dough.

Chocolate molds 

At the beginning, each chocolate mold must be rinsed with lukewarm water, dried and polished. The indentations must then no longer be touched, otherwise fingerprints would later be visible on the chocolate products. The couverture should also be properly tempered in advance, a Instruction you can find on our blog. On the other hand, tabbing can also be a good method.

Tabling

Tabling is a particularly elegant form of tempering that is also ideally suited for smaller quantities of couverture. First, the desired amount of couverture is melted to 45 °C. The couverture is then tempered. One half is then poured out onto a marble plate or, if available, onto a cool granite tabletop. Using an angled spatula, the couverture is spread nice and evenly on the plate, so it cools down and forms certain fat crystal formations that later give it a nice shine. The couverture is then brought back together in the center with the metal horn. No chocolate residues should remain on the plate, otherwise they will solidify and remain as pieces in the couverture. Therefore, a completely straight metal horn is of great importance here. This process is repeated until a somewhat viscous mass is formed. This is then mixed again with the remaining couverture, thereby also cooling it and ensuring the desired fat crystal bonds.

Perfect hollow

What you need for your hollow praline bodies:
Cocoa butter colors Your choice (optional)
Praline mold of your choice 
BrushTempered
couvertureMetal hornPlace


the cocoa butter colors in a bowl of warm water so that it can melt. Make sure that the temperature of the water does not exceed 45 ºC.
Now brush the praline mold with the liquid cocoa butter colors. You should repeat this process again so that the color application is also nicely opaque. Note that you can also omit this step. The color provides an exciting look to the praline and is therefore optional.
Brush off the excess color on a paper towel and let the mold stand for a few minutes to allow the color to set completely.
Using a silicone brush, brush the chocolates with a thin layer of tempered couverture if you didn't use any color. Then run the metal horn over the praline mold to remove the excess couverture.
Now you can fill the mold completely with tempered couverture. Tap with the Chocolate hammer or the back of a spatula against the polycarbonate mold several times to release any air bubbles. Now turn the mold over and pour the chocolate back into your tempering machine. Again, don't forget to tap it, because we want a nice, thin wall of chocolates after all.
Once the chocolate is completely out, run the spatula along the bottom of the mold to remove the excess couverture. Finally, clean again with a metal horn and then put the mold in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes.
Take the praline mold out of the fridge, cut a generous hole in your piping bag with the ganache and fill the poured praline molds up to about 2-3 mm below the rim. Now let the mold stand like this at room temperature for at least an hour. This gives the ganache a light skin and makes it easier to seal later.
After the "resting time" you can now fill a piping bag with tempered white chocolate, cut off a medium-sized piece of the tip and fill the chocolate onto the ganache. Tap the mold lightly on the bottom so that everything is evenly distributed and then brush off the excess couverture with the help of the metal horn.
Now you can decorate your chocolates and put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Cake making

A horn is also helpful when making a cake. This way you can give your cake a perfect buttercream coating. After you have layered your cake and made a delicious cream to spread, you now take a Piping bag holder, a Dressing bag and the Edge grommet to hand. Cut a hole in the piping bag. This hole does not have to be huge. The spout must only be able to slip through to the bottom, but not fall out. Put the piping bag with the spout over the holder. Make sure that the tip in the holder is slightly bent so that the cream does not flow out again immediately. Now you can apply the cream to the edge of the cake with this large nozzle. Work your way up from the bottom. The surface you can then apply in a circle. The easiest way to spread the cake is to use a rotating cake plate turn. So the mass also comes evenly on your cake. Now the metal horn comes into play. For this you hold the horn in one hand and with the other hand you turn the cake plate. The steadier you hold your hand, the more even the result will be. Smooth the cake until the perfect result is achieved. The hand with the horn is vertical. The stainless steel edges provide the smoothing. Change the position for the surface. The metal horn is now held horizontally. Almost as if you wanted to wipe something off the cake. Note that you turn the cake plate counterclockwise if you are a right-hand dealer and clockwise if you are a left-hand dealer. 

More possibilities with the metal horn

The metal horn is also called a pastry cutter. This term is used in the bakery for bread, cookies or cakes. In the catering industry, the dough scraper stainless steel or the metal horn is used for pizza.