Hello all,

I'm hoping that there maybe an industry terms/definitions document somewhere, that you could point me to.  IE. I'm looking to have a reference or guidance sheet to make sure I know I am thinking the same product as everyone else.

I'd like to see entries that would say:

Modeling Chocolate - a substance that is made with...  (giving the basic components or a recipe) often used for.....  Can be used instead of __________.  Or not to be confused with ___________

Actually, I am thinking about this because I don't know if I have a clear idea of, if Modeling chocolate is the same or different as candy clay.  Is candy clay the item made with candy melts?  etc., etc....  

I think a nice addition would also be a summary of all of the '_ _ B C ' references. 

Fingers crossed you will tell me that I did not do a sufficient search on this site. 

this is a very interesting post -- over the years of caking I have heard tons of either evolving, interchangeable or just plain wrong terminology --

just yesterday i heard norman wilton call gum paste 'candy clay' on an old video so all these terms go all the way around the block up the alleyway and back and forth -- plus add in the different countries and their specific terms, gets very confusing --

i'm interested to see if someone has a terminology list--

but in the meantime 'chocolate' can now be made with vegetable oil rather than cocoa butter which is in all chocolate but it can't be called chocolate hence 'candy clay' which is exactly like modeling chocolate except for the type of fat in it --

and all that to say the government however has very specific rules about what can and can't be called what for example on product labeling so there's that too

great question

but then again modelling chocolate was called candy clay previously when it was made with all cocoa butter chocolate when it first came out to the public here in the states or at least when I first learned of it through wilton yearbooks

fundant1 -- First, thanks for actually doing a search first!!!  Second, the reason you didn't find anything definitive is that it doesn't exist in one place.

I've been hobby baking for 5 years in California in the USA.  Exactly like you, I encountered many different terms for the same thing.  The best way is to google the name you know already,

modeling chocolate + also called

This is what came up on wikipedia when I googled the exact phrase above:

"Modeling chocolate, also called chocolate leather, plastic chocolate or candy clay, is a chocolate paste made by melting chocolate and combining it with corn syrup, glucose syrup, or golden syrup."

Now, depending on your location in the world, you may or may not recognize the terms, corn syrup/glucose syrup/golden syrup.  So you do the same thing again:

golden syrup + also called

and just keep going and taking notes.

Good luck!

Buttercream is definitely a mixed bag depending on who you ask and where they're from.

Buttercream can be used generically or specifically to a whipped shortening, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, salt mixture.  Some say you can't call it Buttercream if it has no butter, others say it more refers to the creaming process rather than the ingredients. I don't really know... I just remember the first time going to a cake supply store and seeing a bag of "Buttercream" on the floor and being horrified.  So I'll just leave that one alone!

ABC: American Buttercream - Butter, powdered sugar, a bit of milk and a pinch of salt

IMBC: Italian Meringue Buttercream - the meringue is made with raw egg whites and a very hot sugar and water mixture is slowly incorporated and then the butter, vanilla and salt is added.

SMBC: Swiss Meringue Buttercream - the eggs whites and sugar are cooked to temp (anywhere from the sugar just being melted to 160°F for safety) and then whipped to meringue, butter added and then flavoring and salt.

FBC: French Buttercream uses the same technique as Italian Meringue but with egg yolks instead of egg whites.  It can get confusing because some reference French Buttercream as the cooked flour frosting.

Ermine aka Cooked Flour aka Boiled frosting aka French Buttercream - flour and milk are cooked on the stovetop until a thick paste is made, once cooled the butter is whipped in much like the meringue frosting then the flavorings are added.

Anyone please chime in to correct or add - these are my understandings.

yes what pastrybaglady said and here is Duff Goldman's french meringue buttercream which uses uncooked egg whites 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/french-meringue-buttercream-recipe.html?vty=recipes/french-buttercream-recipe.html  

Book titled The Pastry Chef's Companion by Glenn & Laura Rinsky

Some 4,500 terms & a lot more 

Thank all for your thoughts and references!  I certainly will be looking to find a copy of the Rinsky book.