Chocolate Fountains Are Fun, Exciting and Delicious

Warm, silken chocolate, flowing and cascading like a river over rounded tiers. Chunks of fruit dipped into the chocolate and eaten with abandon. Sounds like a great dream, huh ? It's no dream. That scenario is being played out at wedding receptions and gatherings of all types, worldwide. A relatively new phenomenon, Chocolate Fountains have arrived on the culinary landscape in a big way.

So, what is a chocolate fountain ?  Essentially, it is a mechanical fountain designed for use as a Fondue( to melt ). Chocolate flows continuously from a reservoir in the bottom of the fountain, over round tiers, or 'levels', then back into the reservoir again. Most chocolate fountains are constructed of stainless steel and last for approximately ten years. They have a heating element inside which is used to  keep the chocolate warm, enabling it to flow smoothly over the tiers. Usually, Block- Chocolate is melted before being placed in the reservoir of the fountain, because the low- wattage heating element in the fountain would take a long time to melt the chocolate.

A special type of chocolate is recommended for use in chocolate fountains. This is called Coverture Chocolate, which is chocolate containing extra cocoa butter ( 32 % - 39 % ). The higher the percentage of cocoa butter in the chocolate, the creamier the consistency. The extra cocoa butter also adds a smooth, mellow flavor and helps to make the melted chocolate flow easily. Usually, a small ( 24 - 27 inch ) chocolate fountain would use about ten pounds of Coverture Chocolate, to feed approximately 100 people. Although Milk Chocolate is the most commonly used chocolate in chocolate fountains, the use of dark and white chocolates is also practiced.