Several Interesting Facts Regarding Choco Fountains

By Nicholas Zahra


Chocolate fountains have become a common sight in weddings, debuts and other social events nowadays, but they are not just another way for you to eat chocolate. In fact, here are some very interesting things you may not know about chocolate fountains:

1. The first functional chocolate fountain was invented by Ben Brisman around 1920. Nonetheless, it took seventy years before it became well-known in the market. It was the Canadian company Design & Realisation that popularized the machine when several units of it were displayed during the 1991 National Restaurant Show in Chicago. Another company, Buffet Enchancements International too interest in distributing the machine in 2001.

2. Majority of the chocolate fountains in the US market today are based on the classic D & R design, some new models are slightly modified to include a range of accessories and to adjust to various sizes. For instance, chocolate wastage is avoided by with the "cupped" design.

3. The world's largest chocolate fountain is 27 feet high with the capacity of 2,100 pounds of melted chocolate. Located at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the giant fountain was constructed by Canadian artist Michel Mailhot out of glass and 500 feet of stainless steel tubing. Its features include 6 heavy-duty pumps capable of constantly circulating 2 tons white, medium and dark chocolate, 6 ceiling spouts that dispense chocolate 14 feet above floor level, 25 hand-crafted glass vessels in which the melted chocolate cascades into, and a climate control system that keeps the chocolate in liquid form in and out of the fountain 120 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively.

4. Chocolate fountains use different formulation of melted chocolate. It is not the same as what can be commonly found in cakes or candies. The fountains use couverture chocolate that has large amount of cocoa butter. This allows the fluid to have lower viscosity and makes it free to flow. On the other hand, alternatives such as chocolate syrups can also be used.

5. The chocolate used in large fountains often tastes better than those used in smaller fountains. The pipes in the small fountains are not large enough to allow melted chocolate to flow freely on their own, so caterers usually add some vegetable oil to make the chocolate less viscous and thus flow more freely. However, the oil also tends to give the chocolate a gritty, textured taste.




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