Chocolate plate

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jini

True Grumbler
Joined
May 28, 2005
Posts
55
Location
Woodstock, Georgia
Hello all,
I have a guest that wants to frame a chocolate plate. The plate part is doable, it's the chocolate part that concerns me. How can we seal the chocolate so that it doesn't melt or become powdery later. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
 
A guest? Are you framing for Target?

I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you. I can't even bring myself to refer to my customers as "clients."

I don't think you can seal chocolate to keep if from melting. I think you have to refrigerate it.

Years ago, somebody (as a prank) asked here how to frame an ice cream bar - and got quite a few earnest suggestions, so maybe you'll get some answers.

Welcome to The Grumble, regardless.
 
Make a cast of the plate, eat the chocolate, paint the plate brown, and frame it.

"Guest"? Did you have a party and someone brought framing work to your home for you? Perhaps the party was at your shop? Was it a kegger crowd or more like a bunch of wine sippers? If they are bringing you work, guess it does not matter.

The chocolate will deteriorate, it will turn white and chalky looking, it will melt, best thing is to eat it. Go to a store and see if you can find a brown plate that looks like the chocolate one.

John
 
Jini, I'm sorry, I did not notice that this was your first post to The Grumble. Expect some ribbing for the guest comment, it is not out of meanness, just fun.

Welcome to The Grumble, your question was a valid one and I am sure folks will try to answer it.

John
 
Welcome to The G. I am interested in the answers you get as I have a sugar coated "B" that was on top of a wedding cake that a "guest" wants to shadowbox. The sugar would probably do the same as or worse than the chocolate. Good luck!
 
Hi Jini, welcome to the grumble! You've asked a very tough question.... I would say the only possible way to keep this thing from melting is your customers responsibility. They will have to hang it in a cool environment of course... especially not over the top of the fireplace!...lol. You may try to find the spray restaurants use to keep their deserts on display looking the way they did when they were first made... I've never used it before but I bet it would work for your project. Good luck! I've never framed food before, but I know it would be a HUGE task.
Angie
 
We like to think that absolutely anything is "suitable for framing."

Here is my short list of items that are not suitable for framing:

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  • Things that were recently alive - including most plants, flowers and roadkill</font>
  • Latch hook rugs</font>
  • Things that absolutely must last forever or as close to it as possible</font>
  • Food</font>

I did not include Thomas K****** prints on my list because they are certainly frame-able. They just look silly when they're done.
 
Do you mean a plate that is made of chocolate, or a plate for serving chocolates? If it's the latter, I would suggest that instead of affixing real chocolates to the plate, go to a shop where they sell good quality refrigerator magnets. I'm not kidding. I collect fridge magnets, and have a number of them that look exactly like very realistic chocolate candies, complete with little brown paper separators. Under glass, no one would be able to tell they weren't real.
:cool: Rick
 
Chotolate is worse than sugar or bread or cookies (all of which I have framed). Plain sugar will keep for a long time, so long as it is dry. Cookies and bread can be varnished.
Chocolate has oils in it that will separate from the other ingredients. Chocolate "crawls" if you try to varnish it. It will shrink if you get it too dry.
Chocolate cannot (and should not) be framed.

Best idea is to copy or photograph the chocolate in some way. Maybe just put it on a scanner or color photocopier and see what you can get. Then, eat it, before it spoils.
 
My Grandmother used to decorate little sugar cubes with icing flowers. I never tried to frame any of them but they seemed to last for years! But they had to be kept dry! In my house they'd end up in a puddle!

I framed a gingerbread cookie once - ended up dipping it in resin - after 14 coats of spray varnish! It is good as new and I framed it years ago!

Any chocolate that I want to preserve I keep in the freezer - and just take it out and look at it every time I defrost the fridge. (and don't ask why I am doing this - it's sentimental!)
 
There is a museum in Switzerland that has a whole
room of chocolate that they have to maintain...
it could be worse. A completely sealed package,
made of sealing foil, bonded to glass, with
slightly desiccated mat board to keep it on the
dry side, might be able handle this problem, but
mounting the plate should be quite tricky. If
the plate is set in a sink, with a window that
covers its edges, it might not abraid from contact
with the mount. John's idea of making a copy is
probably the best bet.

Hugh
 
Hugh, once again you beat me to the punch. The chocolate will not really go bad, but the cocoa butter will separate and come to the surface. (which gives it a chalky appearance) JRB was right to suggest making a mold, and replacing the plate.

'Sides... no one in their right mind would frame good chocolate, instead of eating it! :D
 
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