Best Candy Melting Pots

Buying guide for Best candy melting pots

If you like to experiment with making candy or melting chocolate to create your own chocolate fondue, you are probably pretty familiar with the problems one can run into with traditional melting methods. Double boilers can be messy, while microwaves can leave you with a burnt, sugary mess.

What you need is a candy melting pot. These chocolate and candy melters remove much of the hassle from the process of candy and chocolate fondue creation. With a candy melting pot, you can easily create your own unique bark, lollipops, and molded chocolates, or whip up a variety of succulent sauces for dipping apples, marshmallows, strawberries, pretzels, and other foods into.

This guide will help you start your own candy adventure by pointing out everything you need to know to select a candy melting pot. From construction and size to the variety of features that you will run across, we break down what you should be considering when shopping for a pot, and what you should expect to pay. We also offer up our own recommendations for some of the best quality candy melting pots currently on the market.

For optimum versatility in a compact kitchen, try to find a melting pot that will double as a rudimentary slow cooker/food warmer.

Key considerations

Construction

Candy melting pots are generally made up of a powered base and an inner melting pot.

The base of the melting pot holds all the electronics that power it. It should offer rugged construction, and the best will remain cool to the touch, even while running. The power cord should be polarized, long enough to easily use, and able to work with standard 120V outlets.

The inner melting pot holds the melting candy and can be constructed from a variety of materials, including silicone, ceramic, stainless steel, or aluminum. The melting pot should be powerful enough that it can quickly melt candy or chocolate without burning it. An average melt time for this type of product is around 10 minutes.

Size

A melting pot’s size will determine not only how much candy you can melt with it, but also how much space the pot will take up, both on the counter and in storage when you’re not using it. With a larger pot, you can create more candy at a time, but you may also find it to be more bulky in terms of use and storage.

Heat settings

The best candy melting pots will feature two heat settings: melt and warm. As the names imply, the first is your initial setting to melt down the chips or wafers, while the second keeps it all in a warm, melted state over an extended period of time. The melting pot should be able to melt candy quickly and evenly, with little need to stir the contents of the pot.

Is it easy to clean?

The easiest-to-clean melting pot will be one where the removable inner pot can be used in the dishwasher and the outer base can be simply wiped down. You may also choose to wash the inner pot by hand with warm soapy water, as this will result in less wear to it over time. This is particularly true if it is made from a material like silicone. Whatever you do, never immerse the outer base in water or run it through the dishwasher.

Most candy melting pots have two settings: melt and warm. We research the effectiveness of these heat settings.

We investigate various candy melting pots to learn how quickly they heat up, how fast they melt candy, and how well the warm setting maintains a melted consistency.

A spout isn’t available on all candy melting pots, but it appeals to consumers who plan to pour their melted concoctions into smaller containers, bowls, or candy molds. We look for spouts when researching products.

We appreciate candy melting pot handles that are durable and easy to grip. We give bonus points to those that stay cool to the touch during use.

Some candy melting pots come in complete sets with items such as skewers, forks, spatulas, and molds that are useful when melting candy.

We look for candy melting pots with cords of adequate length. The best cords are long enough to reach outlets but not so long that they are awkward to use and store.

We want to know if a melting pot has a light that illuminates during use. The light alerts users that the appliance is plugged in and working.

We look for candy melting pots that are easy to use and that include helpful instructions for beginners.

We research the dimensions of various candy melting pots. Frequent candy makers may prefer a pot with a large capacity, while those with limited kitchen space may opt for a smaller pot.

We look for candy melting pots that are easy to wipe clean. Electric melting pots should never be immersed in water and are not dishwasher safe.

Candy melting pot features

There are various features to keep an eye out for when searching for the candy melting post that will best suit your needs. Here are the features in which you may want to consider investing.

• Handle: The inner melting pot should have a handle for ease of pouring. The handle should be ergonomic and cool to the touch.

• Spout: Having a spout on the inner melting pot are a must if you plan to use it to create molded candies.

• Fill line: Try to find a melting pot with a fill line on the inside, so you can easily tell how much it is over- or under-filled.

• Feet: While not available on all models, rubber feet on a melting pot will help to improve stability and reduce the chance that the pot will slip when you’re using it.

• Light: If you’re worried that you might forget and leave the melting pot running, search for a model that includes a safety light, so you can tell at a glance when it is on.

• Inner chamber: If your pot has an inner silicone melting chamber, you can easily remove any leftover melted candy by refrigerating the chamber and then sliding out the remaining candy after it has set up.

• Serving troughs: If you are primarily interested in making chocolate fondue, find a melting pot that includes handy side serving troughs to hold wedges of fruit, cookies, and other tidbits for dipping.

• Fountain: To really impress at your next chocolate fondue party, go with a  melting pot that also includes a fountain feature.

Whether you plan to use your candy melting pot more for molded candy or chocolate fondue, you can save yourself an extra expense by going with a model that ships with all the accessories you will need. In addition to instructions and recipe booklets, some candy melting pots also include extras like spatulas, dipping forks or skewers, or candy molds.

Candy melting pot prices

The majority of quality candy melting pots will be found in the $20 to $30 range, with a few available at a slightly higher price point. More expensive options will tend to have a higher capacity, a better overall quality build, and offer more advanced features or accessories. As mentioned, you should also factor into your price any additional candy-making or fondue accessories that you will need to purchase on top of the melting pot price.

Tips

• Buy a melting pot with a cord that is going to be long enough to reach an outlet from where you plan to use it, yet short enough that the cord isn’t always in the way and hard to store.

• If you are only using your melting pot for small amounts of candy, run it on “warm” instead of “melt.” The temperature of the latter may be too hot for lesser volumes of candy.

• If a lid is important to your melting plans, be sure you shop with that in mind. Not all melting pots ship with lids included.

• Chocolate fondue can be easily made by combining chocolate chips or wafers with heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Add extras such as chopped hazelnuts, a splash of espresso, Kahlua, or peppermint extract to liven up the fondue.

• If your chocolate or candy is starting to become too thick, you can add a little oil, butter, or shortening to thin it out. Start with minimal amounts and work your way up until you reach the desired consistency.

• For molded chocolates, choose a non-metallic, flexible mold so you can more easily remove the chocolates after they have set up.

The majority of candy melting pots will work with a variety of chocolate types, including white, dark, and milk chocolate.

FAQ

Q. Can you melt cheese with these?

A. While the temperatures of the majority of candy melting pots do not get hot enough for them to be used like a traditional crockpot, they are actually quite effective at melting cheese for use on nachos or as traditional fondue. Be sure to check with your melting pot’s manual to verify that it can be used with cheese.

Q. Is there an easy way to do different colored candies with melting pots?

A. Outside of washing the insert and melting a different colored candy, not really. Your best bet if you want to create candies of different colors is to use multiple inner pots and switch them out. Keep your eye open for melting pots that ship with multiple inserts. Another option is to purchase another insert when you buy the original melting pot; some allow you to do this right from the listing page. A third option: pick up more than one melting pot. Most are not expensive, and if you frequently use them to create candy, it may be worth it to buy more than one.

Q. Can you add chocolate to melting pots while you are using them?

A. Yes. If you find your melting pot starting to run low, you can easily add additional candy chips or wafers to the pot to replenish it. This will allow even a compact pot to pull off a large candy job. When adding more candy, just be sure to switch the melting pot to “melt” (if it is so equipped), then back to “warm” when the candy is fully melted.