I would like to make chocolate decorations with melted chocolate. After searching on the web, however, I am not quite sure I could find acetate sheets. But I can find baking paper.
Would there be any substitute, like baking paper, parchment paper? What is the difference between them?
I want to make melted-chocolate decorations like those around this cake:
Acetate sheets posses a firm and rigid shape, with a glossy coating that assists the removal of decorations such as chocolate decoration. It also can be shaped without being indented at any point which baking parchment most frequently fails to do.
Baking parchment is very agile, this fails to support decorations as a mould, and would consequently lead to breakage of the decoration should the parchment not retain a flat edge. It could also bend in frequent points, misshaping the chocolate. This is what makes it suited towards cakes, as as it can be ripped off.
I would therefore conclude that it would be most suitable for you to use acetate sheets.
I think generally acetate sheets are used for this kind of thing because they're a bit stiffer than baking paper. They're also shinier, and as a general rule, the shinier the surface that you put the chocolate on, the shinier the chocolate will be. You could use baking paper but the result is not going to be as good.
Like other people said, acetate is clear plastic. You can often get it from arts and crafts stores if there isn't a fancy confectioner place you go for supplies. It's probably easiest to buy it online though, if you don't mind waiting. Make sure you search for food grade acetate. E.g.: http://www.countrykitchensa.com/shop/essentials/acetate-sheets-12-x-18/40/582/617/629475/
