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Acetate Mold vs. Silicone Mold for Chocolate

If you’re wondering what is the best chocolate mold out there, read ahead! We compared the silicone mold and the three-part acetate mold based on 7 different categories. The goal is to show you the pros and cons of each so that you can decide which is the right one for you to buy and use.

Our first category is cost

I compared one of the most popular molds which is the sphere mold that is used to make hot chocolate bombs. 

The most frequently used sizes of spheres for hot chocolate bombs are the 50mm and 70mm.

Most silicone sphere molds are priced from $11.99 to $17.99 for 2 molds of 6 cavities each which will make 6 spheres. That comes to $2 to $3 per sphere.

The plastic mold has 5 cavities. It is priced at $6.49. So, two would be $12.98 to make 5 spheres. That comes to $2.60 per sphere.

So, the two molds are very similar in price so I call this a tie.

Now, let’s look at variety.

You can find a very large variety of silicone molds, especially for making small chocolates. It becomes much more difficult to find much variety for larger shapes.

The acetate molds, on the other hand, offer hundreds of different shapes both small and large.

The acetate molds win this category.

Our third category is ease of use.

I have to say that this is where the acetate molds really outperform the silicone ones.

In order to create a fillable shell with a silicone mold, you have to paint on multiple layers of chocolate with a brush. This is messy and time consuming.

The 3-part acetate molds each have a fill line so you know exactly how much chocolate to pour into each cavity.

Then, the flexible inserts together with the hard 3rd part combine to produce perfect shells very quickly without the mess and excess.

This point goes to the acetate molds.

The next category is the finished product.

Once again, the acetate mold outperforms the competition.

The shells made from the silicone mold are uneven while the ones made in the acetate mold are all uniform.

When it comes to speed, the three-part acetate molds are much faster than the silicone ones, since you don’t need to brush multiple layers of chocolate. All you have to do is pour chocolate up to the mark and insert the flexible parts.

Now, let’s look and cleaning.

There is not much difference in how to clean the silicone and acetate molds. Warm water and a non-abrasive cloth or sponge is used for both. You can use a mild soap on the silicone mold but not on the acetate mold.

After washing and drying, you can rub both with grain alcohol to remove any final residue and to form a protective coat.

The acetate molds require special attention since they can bend and, even, break if too much pressure is applied in the wrong way.

Because the acetate mold requires extra care when handling them, I’m going to give the point to the silicone mold here.

Our final category is storage.

Both forms can last for years and be reused many times. However, they both need to be stored with care.

The silicone mold should be kept flat and with nothing applying pressure in any way. If a mold is bent in any way for an extended period of time, it most likely will not return to its original shape.

Some users fill their molds with something that will help them maintain their shape in storage.

The acetate mold can be stored either flat or on its side. The set should also be stored together just as it came in the package. Avoid allowing any weight to press against the mold since it could cause it to break or crack. 

While both types of molds can last years and be reused many times, each needs to be stored with great care. For this reason, I’m calling this a tie.

Conclusion

The winner is the acetate mold.

While three-part acetate molds are slightly more fragile and require you to be more careful when handling them, they allow you to make perfectly uniform chocolates in a large variety of shapes and sizes much quicker and easier with far less mess. They are more practical overall and will offer you a greater variety of shapes and sizes. However, you can consider all categories presented above when making your choice of mold!

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Hello! My name is Juli and I’m from Brazil.

I started DIY Chocolate Treats because I love to take on new challenges and wanted to share my love for cooking and making sweets in a new way.

I’m not a professional chef but I share from my own experience with a lot of laughter and love.

I really appreciate you stopping by and hope you will join our small but growing group of chocolate treat makers.

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