Showing posts with label Tools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tools. Show all posts

What Tools Do You Need To Start Fruit Carving Business

>>  7/19/2017

Let's talk about what tools you need to start your fruit carving business. This question arrised from a blog's visitor. I will answer it and put my thoughts and recommendations here.

If you want to make some money from your fruit carving hobby, or you feel you are ready to turn it to a business, you need to make some investments. The main investment items for your fruit art business are:

* TOOLS and SUPPLIES

* SKILLS (will talk about it in the next article)


TOOLS AND SUPPLIES FOR FRUIT CARVING BUSINESS

I suppose that you already have tools and knives for carving. The question is about picking good tools those will serve you well. Because you will have to do lot of carving works as soon as you become receiving orders. The knives must be well sharpened and made of good metal, with a convenient handle. In other words the tools should be for professional using.

Tools producer

I recommend you to choose the professional tools I myself started with  in 2007, Triangle Tool Set. The "Triangle" company is Germany based family company specialized on kitchen knives and supplies. Now they are known in Europe, Russia, the USA and Japan. You may come across the famous carving artists who use the Triangle knives for work, for classes and  for fruit carving demo at the FOOD EXPOs. Some of my fruit art colleagues in the world have been contracted by the company to present the Triangle tools on TV and Internet. 

Triangle carving tool set



I use Triangle tools and knives from the beginning of my fruit carving career back in 2007. I use the tools for making my fruit arrangements. To me, the Triangle tools give lots of inspiration and possibilities to create. I implement a teaching method based on the tools usage. 

THE RESUME: With the Triangle tools you are able to create worth watermelon carving designs, nice and neat fruit and vegetable carving centerpieces at the money-making level.

Types of knives

I will give you a list of tools and knives you need for fruit carving business.

1. Thai knife. This is a name for a specially designed type of knife used for Thai carving. Thai knife is a basic must-have tool.

2. U-knife and V-knife. The knives are called after the shape they have. These knives do U and V cuts on a watermelon or other product, usually used for carving different types of flowers and designs when combined. These kind of knives is produced in different sizes. Can be wavy as well. Must-have knives.

3. Melon baller. This is a name for a tool that looks like a ball spoon for icecreame, but smaller. The tool carves balls out of watermelon, melon, papaya, apples, kiwi, vegetable, butter and many other products you can try this tool on. The tool is produced in different size ranges. A must-have tool.

4. Crinkle (or wavy) knife. The tool cuts wavy slices of whatever you use it on. Must-have tool for plating art and fruit buffets.

5. Paring knife. A big paring knife is necessary for cutting massive fruits as watermelon, melon, pumpkin. I recommend you to have a big and small paring knives for different types of fruit.

6. Peeler. A must-have tool to skin fruits and vegetables and make simple garnishes. 

7. Toothpicks and skewers. You will need them to provide a secure attachment of the details in your carving displays, fruit bouquets and other edible arrangements.

This is the list of the must-have tools in my kit. If you look through the blog posts with my fruit carving displays you will find the notices about using tools for the certain carving designs.

There are more extra tools you may want to have and of course you need them too, are slicers, spiral slicers, cookie cutters etc.


Supplies For Fruit Carving Displaying

Depending on your fruit carving business idea you will need a number of kitchenware supply. To understand what kind of kitchenware you really need for your fruit business I would suggest you to think about two things:

How you are going to present your fruit creations

Where you can get the enough amount of the supplies 


fruit bouquet maker may need a number of baskets and flower pots to arrange fruit bouquets in.

If you make fruit carving arrangements for events as wedding receptions, baby showers and birthdays, and your fruit creations are supposed to be displayed at the head table or fruit/candy bar, you may need to have glass or wooden stands, vases and kind of fruit holders, in order to set up things nicely at different heights, and to save space on the table. 

When you do food catering and give fruit carvings to garnish a fruit buffet or a chocolate fountain, you may need a range of bowls, platters, stands for finger food and fruit kebabs presentation. 

A stand for pick food - Restaurantware

 I know that it's good for business to have the necessary things available any time when you need them. I also know that fruit carving business depends on many things like a season, market demand, economic situation, and finally it depends on your entrepreneur skills and your wish to be in the business.

I don't think it's a good idea to buy a large batch of the kitchenware in the beginning of your business to make a provision for years. I recommend you to find a solution with kitchenware suppliers, shops or stores where you can buy a small amount of the suitable platters, vases and holders at good price.

For example, I used to use the special watermelon plates with pins for watermelon carvings and fruit sculptures. The plates allows a secure transportation of the fruit displays. Later I found another solution and started using cake stands for watermelons and disposable cake cardboards for fruit platters. 


The Final Word

A good professional tool set helps you create professionally looking carving displays and garnishes.
A good knife is your reliable business partner.
Be wise in spending money, buy good tools which you will use for years (I use my Triangle tool set for 10 years already).
Have some extra new tools to sell at the exhibitions and during carving demo. It is a good business. 



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7 Garnishes With A Classic Melon Baller

>>  3/25/2017

Take advantege of having a melon baller by making easy and nice garnishes of fruits and vegetables.

Here are 7 garnish ideas to do with the classic melon baller:


  • This tool helps to create chain out of carrot and cucumber. 
  • Mashroom with green and red apples
  • Ladybird of red apple
  • Easy flowers from pineapple, watermelon and melons. The baller makes a sphere center for the flowers
  • Baskets of watermelon and melon filled with balls
  • Scoop out a pumpkin to prepare it for a Halloween Jack-o-Lantern
  • Simple balls of cheese, butter or vegetables (fresh ir boiled) to decorate platters and dishes or even some cakes, use fruits for the purpose then.

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Bear Head Pumpkin Sculpture

>>  9/01/2015

roaring bear head carving art
Roaring bear's head carved of pumpkin

3D pumpkin project

The wild nature has became a theme for my fruit display. Can you imagine this roaring bear's head placed on the top of a watermelon? And served to a fruit buffet? I did that :)

Sculptured of pumpkin this bear head has been designed for a birthday party of a man, a lover of hunting. The watermelon design is made in hunting theme too.

The bear head has been carved with Ray Villafane Pumpkin Carving Tools which are loops in different sizes and shapes. Each carving artist should have them. The Ray Villafane's 3-D Pumpkin Carving Tutorials DVD will help you to master the pumpkin art.


hunting theme fruit display watermelon carving
Hunting themed fruit display with the bear head pumpkin sculpture

pumpkin sculpture bear head watermelon design




                   



how to pumpkin sculpture with ray villafane tools
The bear head's sculpture in the process, made with Ray Villafane's loop tools

 

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Valentine's Day Soap Gift Idea

>>  2/27/2015

valentine's day soap idea

The latest soap carving collection made for Valentine's Day. There are hearts and medallions of soap, all item are on sale now.  Each soap art piece is packaged in to a paper box with a transparent window.

Used tools:
thai knife
Ray's loop tools


new soap carving designs
 

how to carve soap
Soap medallion
 
 
tools for soap carving
Heart soap
 
If you want to design a soap like this in the picture use loop tools and the special tool set for soap carving.
 

knife for soap carving design
Use loop tools and soap carving tool set for this kind of soap design
  
packaged soap gifts
 
 
 
 

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Soap Carving - Tool Set or Thai Knife?

>>  3/10/2013

combine U-knife from the soap carving set and thai knife to carve the soap design
combination of geometrical and floristic designs in soap carving


Q.: What do you use for your soap carving, tools or a thai knife?

A student of mine said that tools don't give the fine effect on soap. I was sad to hear that she was dissapointed with soap carving after trying to carve an elegant design using a carving tool set. I understood that she made some mistakes which caused the dissapointment. If you feel the same about soap carving, this article should help you.

Mind the soap texture

Remember that soap texture differs from fruits and vegetables. Don't 'cut' soap. Often you are enough to 'press' a knife in and 'turn' it to make a shape. Choose designs and carving style depending on soap softness and texsture flexibility. I don't carve thin details in my soaps because they are easely broken ( I mean don't carve in acute angle).

Tools and thai knife work in tandem

I combine tools and thai knife in my carvings. Use tools like U-shape knife for making geometrical designs, and thai knife for carving flowers, waves, hearts and other details. 
Ability to carve details in the same size is very important in soap carving art. So tools helps you in the work at your first steps. 

At Malisa school lessons we used a special soap carving tool set like on the picture below. I saw beautiful designs made with the knives from the set. The cutters from the set can add a cute effect to your soap.


cutters and knives for soap carving design
Soap carving tool set,
the knives from the set can add a fine effect to your soap carving work



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Ideas for Nice Food Presentation from Restaurantware

>>  12/27/2012


Finger food served in bamboo boats

I found this idea of nice finger food prsentation at Restaurantware. A cute bamboo boat makes the appetizer look great. If you like cute plates and nice dishes I am sure you will stuck in the website strolling its pages.

Restaurantware is online shop specializing in bamboo plates and cones, disposable dishes, decorative skewers and catering food products. All the plates are useful for nice presentation of Asian and European food. Finger food, one-bite appetizers served in curved plates and bamboo boats look just adorable. 

Mini spoons for one bite appetizer


In my fruit work I often use decorative skewers to fix fruits in towers and cake constructions. Restaurantware.com offers a number of nice bamboo and plastic picks (some of them are really festive).

If you are a catering business take a look at the disposable plates page. The shop has white, black and seagreen tableware collections.

My favorite items are the double cups. Dessert served in them gets unusial look!

Double Walled Cup

Duet Tasting Cup

The shop sells the goods from thier location in Chicago and California providing international shipping to all possible countries. They accept payment via Paypal and credit cards.

Enjoy your cooking and food garnishing!

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New Year Apple Garnish

>>  12/19/2012

christmas fruit decorations
New Year apple decorations made with Triangle "Gourmet" carving tools

Would you like to have something special for your New Year party food? Why not try these apple garnishes looking like new year sphere decorations?

You will need:

Red apples,
decorative picks,
a nice ribbon.

How-to:

Take a decorative bamboo pick (various cute picks and skewers can be found at Restaurantware.com) and attach a nice ribbon knot to it.

how to make new year apple sphere garnish
Decorative bamboo picks

Make the pick shorter and pin into a red apple.

apple garnish new year style
Red apple looks like a New Year sphere decoration now!

You can stop at the point or add a little carving work to the apple, it will look much impressive then.
For making the patterns on apples I used riffle cutters from Triangle carving tool set "Gourmet" .


how to carve apple garnish new year style
Carving New Year styled apple

Here we go!

apple garnish how to do
New Year apple carving 

Happy New Year!


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Watermelon Bowl With Swan Sculptures

>>  9/23/2011

Watermelon bowl with swan sculptures on it carved out of daikon radish, made for the budget wedding buffet.

Romantic watermelon bowl  arranged with flowers from vegetable and daikon swans
Set on the cake stand


Wedding ceremony





Remember to send your fruit or vegetable project to Creat n Carve ~ Fruit and Vegetable Event what I host in September 2011. 

I am hosting Create n Carve ~ Fruit and Vegetable Carving Event


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Dotted Apple, Stripy Fruit. Apple Garnishes For Kids

>>  1/03/2011




This carving tool does not look like a knife, but this is a knife. This is one of my favorite tools. It is easy to use and friendly to kids. There are a tone of garnishes you can make using a small melon baller. The main usage is to cut bowls out of melon that looks great in a watermelon basket. And there are many cases to apply this knife to apples, carrots, cucumber and so on.

Let's swap dots and slices.




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25 Pieces Tool Box

>>  6/02/2010



Carving tools usage (all made by Triangle):
Tools For Making Edible Arrangements
Thai Knives
Ballers

I've purchased new carving tools, a Triangle case with 25 different knives. I have used tools by Triangle company before, always being happy with the knives. 

I also got two brilliant books by Ludek Prochazka together with the carving set as a present from Triangle dealer. Ludek Prochazka is a famous chef from Czech Republic, an author of fruit carving books. He organizes Fruit Carving Champs in Europe. If you like to know his art better connect him on Facebook. Simply check out my Facebook friend list for it.









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Tools For Making Edible Arrangements

>>  5/27/2010


More tools usage:


Candles, roses, golden daisy and callas are all made of vegetables like a carrot, daikon (lobo), cucumber, radish and cabbage.


The most of these things are carved with the peeler-decorator as shown below:


I am working now on the tutorial "10 Awesome Things Made With The Peeler-Decorator". Don't miss it! Follow me on Blogger or subscribe via email to stay updated with the latest news.

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Cute Food And Lunch Box Decoration

>>  5/26/2010



Read more kid recipes:
Dotted Apple Stripy Fruit
Cucumber Garnish
Picnic Food Garnish


I made a bento, japanese lunch box with cute food.


I have special molds to form onigiri (rice balls) in a shape of stars, bear, rabbit and so on.


Here are some rice balls onigiri decorated with cheese and vegetables.


3D sausage and tomato hearts made easy.



Use cookies cutters and a melon baller to make carrot flowers.



Pack the ingredients into a box and it's done!



 Bento box books on Amazon.com

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Apple Heart And Apple Butterfly - Valentine Day Idea

>>  1/31/2010

Related articles:

How To Make Apple Vase



I have many people visiting my blog by searching "How to make an apple butterfly"

When I was a child I had a collection with bugs, moths, dragonflies and other flying creatures. The most of the items from my collection were found  sleepy (dead) between window glasses and in some warm places in the balcony. 

In this video I show how to carve a butterfly pattern on an apple. It's not so difficult. You may do that with a knife only. Though some special carving tools will be in help. See this video to understand how to make an Apple Heart for Valentine Day.







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Picnic Food Garnish

>>  1/18/2010

More articles:

My blog post today is about picnic food garnish! I love BBQ all the year round. I love summer picnics with grilled fish cooked by my father and winter picnics with fairy cardinal drink made by my friend. Picnic food is not a simple sandwich. There are plenty of Picnic Food Ideas for BBQ, meat, deserts, hamburgers and cookies what are helpful for kids picnics, romantic, family picnics, gourmet and budget-friendly picnics.

Picnic food garnish should be quick and easy with no special tools requied, but a knife. The best method for picnic food garnish is Mukimono (a japanese method of cutting and food garnishing).



Meet Carrot Knots

1. Slice carrot


2. Make a cut


3. Reverse the slice and make another cut as the photo shows


4. You get "N" letter. Cut it away


5. Hook the ends


6.Carrot Knot is done!




Enjoy easy picnic garnish with me :))

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