pastrygirl

Maybe Lindt bars would be the same across north america and easy to find for both of us?

i do have some belcolade 70% noir supreme … and water!

Yes and yes, but I have not calibrated it yet. I usually use Felchlin and 40% fat manufacturing cream, but can get another chocolate so we have the same thing. 30% fat cream is also an option. What chocolates do you have handy?

That would be awesome if you have time. I bought the Rotronic handheld meter a few months ago so have the numbers, would love more info on practical application of those numbers.

Are their numbers on longevity something you're able to share without violating the user agreement? 0.85 = X days/weeks, 0.80, 0.75, etc ... down to 0.60 or whatever is 'microbially stable' .

I'm aiming for 8-10 weeks, if 0.75 will last that long, that's exciting. I've been trying to get things lower and lower but still pipe-able and soft to bite into, it's hard to get below 0.70.

@DomDeFranco thank you for sharing that, I’ve been wanting more detailed aw info - Wybauw gives ranges so large as to not be useful in his books

Were the molds previously used for chocolate? It looks like cocoa butter to me ... air bubbles are clear. Is this the part of the candy that touches the mold, or the exposed top? Air bubbles rise to the top. Crystallized sugar is opaque like that but sugar wouldn't have isolated crystals, the whole batch would turn.

Agreed, the nature of cocoa butter is to be a pain and need frequent warming, the brand doesn't matter. Your compressor sounds more than adequate, I just switched to a 1 hp 2 gallon and am noticing a huge difference in the amount of coverage I'm getting. Really helps with larger pieces like Easter eggs. I am able to get a splatter when I want it by turning the pressure way down but it doesn't take much pressure to get good coverage. An airbrush artist I talked to recently said it's not so much the size of the compressor but the Cubic Feet per MInute and recommended at least 1 CFM with the Grex 0.7mm.

I happen to have both Chef Rubber and Roxy & Rich golds - here they are side by side in egg molds and on dark chocolate. They are different, the Chef Rubber is lighter. Hope that helps.

It's been a little warmer and I've had better yield - maybe room temp does need to be above 65F? 🙄

Thanks for commiserating. It's been clear & dry the past few days, but maybe room temp is too cold. I didn't take off my long sleeves or my hat all day 🥶 I can accept 5-10% loss to the chocolate gremlins, but more than that really cuts into the profits. I thought the Selmi would solve all my problems. I've turned up the working temp, turned it down ... same. I had a lot of issues in Valentine's production, for me the hearts were all sticking in the top crevice (aka the butt crack). I'd like to blame the shape but know better.

It has been pretty cold, I always thought that was a good thing but maybe too much of a good thing.

it is kinda rusty and moist in the vapor trap or whatever you’d call this🤔

I feel like this is a question I should be answering, not asking, but I’m frustrated … my molds are clean, my chocolate is in temper, but I’m still getting entirely too many tiny patches of color flaking off. Could there be water getting through my airbrush? Is that a thing? or am I still just doing it wrong, despite years of practice, a Selmi, and an ez temper? ☹️

Thanks, I understand. I'm reading up on the risks. After 15 min, are the bananas warm? Would your light melt chocolate or butter? I hadn't thought about how hot it might be. I worry about whatever is floating around in the air while the bonbons sit and crystallize, but sounds like treating the kitchen as a whole when un-occupied would be safer than treating the items directly while I am working in the room.

@Jim D. good points. The doughnuts pass through on a conveyor belt, only getting a brief exposure so it must be super strong? @dcarch can you tell me what you use?

Recently I watched a visit to an Entemann's bakery where they ran all the doughnuts under a UV light to kill mold spores before packaging. A few days later I was at Staples, where they had 'room sanitizing' UV lights on clearance and I'm thinking it couldn't hurt to get one and shine it on my bonbons before I cap them. Also to sanitize the kitchen in general, especially the walk-in fridge. Does anyone have experience with UV lights in a food production setting? Will the cheap one from the office supply store help me at all? thanks!

Chef Rubber will start carrying Felchlin products soon. Looks like they will break cases & sell by the bag, prices are very slightly below Albert Uster's list price but shipping may be additional. Thought this might be useful for the smaller producers and hobbyists who don't have accounts with AUI. https://chefrubber.com/felchlin/

I agree, some fruit flavors get overwhelmed by the other ingredients in ganache. Try Valrhona Strawberry Inspirations if you can find it. It contains 14% freeze dried strawberry. Or add your own freeze dried strawberries.

Can we get a nanny-cam live stream set up at Jo's? Totally for her safety, not at all for our entertainment.

Yes

I've used non-perforated tart rings for cakes, a reasonably thick batter shouldn't run out the bottom. But I'm not sure about the side perforations. I'd be inclined to line with parchment rather than foil.

I don't know if there's much difference between brands. With either I usually go for the jewel/extra sparkly ones. I've switched to Roxy & Rich because I'm often ordering more molds from Chocolat-Chocolat anyway 😊 R&R has some really nice blues, like turquoise, aquamarine, & sapphire, and the fuchsia tourmaline is very pretty as well. List price is slightly higher on the 200g bottles but the exchange rate in our favor evens it out.

Solid bars should stay shiny, just keep them out of the sun. For filled items like bonbons, consider making solid chocolate versions for display. Or hollow, just without the extra fats and moisture that cause problems over time.