Alright, listen up, y’all. We’re gonna talk about them candy melts, you know, the colorful little things you use to make treats pretty. Now, some folks been askin’, can you use vegetable oil to thin ’em out? Well, let me tell ya somethin’…
I heard some sayin’ you can, and some sayin’ you can’t. It’s like arguin’ about whether the rooster crows before or after sunrise, everyone’s got their own opinion. But from what I gather, and mind you, I ain’t no fancy baker, just a woman who’s seen a thing or two in the kitchen, it ain’t the best idea. You see, that vegetable oil, it stays runny. It don’t get hard like it should.
Think of it like this, you try to set jelly with water, it ain’t gonna work, right? Same kinda thing. You want that candy to harden up nice and smooth, not be all greasy and sticky like a fly trap in the summertime.
- So, what do you use instead? Well, some folks swear by somethin’ called “shortening”. Sounds fancy, but it’s just that white stuff looks like lard. You can find it in the store next to the flour and sugar, usually in a big ol’ can.
- And then there’s this other stuff, “EZ Thin”. Don’t ask me what’s in it, probably a bunch of chemicals you can’t even pronounce. But they say it works good.
- I even heard some say you can use cocoa butter if you’re working with chocolate candy melts. Sounds fancy, right? Like something them city folks use. But hey, if it works, it works.
Now, if you’re gonna use that shortening, or whatever you choose, don’t go pourin’ in a whole cup at once. That’s like addin’ a whole jar of pepper to your stew, you gonna ruin the whole thing! You gotta go slow, just a little bit at a time, stir it in real good, and see how it looks. If it’s still too thick, add a little more. Keep doin’ that till it’s just right, like Goldilocks and her porridge, not too thick, not too thin, just right.
And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t you go puttin’ water, milk, or butter in them candy melts. It’ll seize up on ya, turn into a lumpy mess faster than you can say “jackrabbit”. You’ll end up with somethin’ that looks like a dog’s breakfast and tastes even worse.
Some folks are talkin’ about coconut oil. Now that’s a bit tricky. See, coconut oil, it gets hard when it’s cold, so it might work better than regular vegetable oil. But even then, I’d be careful. It might make your candy too soft if it’s warm out. It’s like tryin’ to build a house on sand, it might look good for a while, but it ain’t gonna last.
So, the bottom line is, if you want your candy melts to turn out right, stay away from that liquid vegetable oil. Use the shortening, or the EZ Thin, or even that cocoa butter if you’re feelin’ fancy. And remember, go slow, add a little bit at a time, and you’ll be just fine. It ain’t rocket science, just common sense.
Now, I know some of you youngsters like to do things the easy way, but trust me on this one. A little extra effort goes a long way. You take your time, do it right, and you’ll have candy melts that are smooth, shiny, and delicious. And that’s somethin’ worth workin’ for, ain’t it?
And one more thing, don’t go blamin’ me if your candy melts don’t turn out perfect. I ain’t a magician, just a woman sharin’ what she knows. Baking is like life, sometimes it works out, sometimes it don’t. You just gotta keep tryin’ till you get it right. And if all else fails, you can always just eat the candy melts straight out of the bag, ain’t nobody gonna judge ya.
So there you have it, my two cents on thinnin’ candy melts. Take it or leave it, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya about that vegetable oil. You’ve been told.
Tags: [candy melts, thinning candy melts, vegetable oil, shortening, baking tips, candy making, EZ Thin, cocoa butter, coconut oil, candy]
