pastrygirl

yeah, totally Natural fruit pigments might be less stable over time or susceptible to scorching when heating but for example Chef Rubber has CB with natural color or freeze dried fruit, so it must work? (I have not used either product line) https://chefrubber.com/cb/ 30-50 grams per color should be plenty to start playing with

I rinse to remove any factory dust or contamination, air dry, then polish with cotton balls. Polycarbonate molds are virtually indestructible in a home setting - your hot water should not be coming out of the tap above 60C - just don’t put them in a dishwasher with a high heating cycle or harsh detergents.

The trick is finding the sweet spot in between 'doesn't set' and 'sets really fast'. It should set pretty quickly, and you do need to work quickly. It takes practice. If you don't remove the excess seed it continues to be seed and leads to over-crystallization. Plus it gets in the way. You might be able to work around chunks if you're dipping, but you really don't want chunks when molding. It will take much more color to tint white chocolate since it is already opaque white from the milk and sugar. You can do it, but I don't think you'll get bright colors.

Welcome! Yes, that's normal chocolate behavior representing less or more crystallization, having to warm it back up is totally normal. Yes, do remove any unmelted seed. Any color added to chocolate or cocoa butter should be fat-soluble. water soluble colors may not mix in properly.

Yes. "recyclables need to be clean, empty, dry and unbagged" https://ecology.wa.gov/Waste-Toxics/Reducing-recycling-waste/How-to-recycle/Recycle-Right

Task I irrationally hate: cleaning fatty residue out of jars before recycling. Peanut butter jars, chili crisp jars, olive oil bottles ... ugh! Host's note: this began as a discussion in the Kitchen jobs you hate beyond reason topic.

lower the oven temp a bit

I'd try American buttercream, it might be a little easier to work with than royal icing and will crust over with a matte finish.

Seems like a good place to share this: The USDA has added sesame as the 9th major allergen that must be declared on food labels, effective 2023. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies

Ouch, so disappointing I think humidity does play a role, especially when the room is on the warm side. 65F and humid might be ok, 70 and dry can still work, but 70 and humid is much more challenging.

To confuse you further, corn starch is called corn flour in some places. Corn starch is pretty common in shortbread recipes, since it has no gluten it makes a more tender, crumbly cookie.

I think that counts as wine if you're in prison 🙃

In this scenario, how high is your melter set? I think melters heat too slowly/gently. You're going to be standing there stirring for a looong time.

Though if it's just syrup for italian meringue that's only 250F. I had an issue once making pate de fruits or caramel or something really hot and long-cooked. How big is the copper pot? I'm guessing the spout is an important feature? Maybe something here: https://www.magneticcooky.com/saucepans-with-pour-spout-induction-ready/

Flambé first then add the cream. I don’t think the brandy would light after being diluted with cream.

I dont know, but I would make sure your induction burner can handle the high temps of candy making. Sometimes they automatically shut off above a certain temp.

Less than half a gram of fat per serving can be considered fat free because it rounds down to zero.

Have you tried pre-coating them? It may help to put a little tempered chocolate on your hands then give each piece a quick roll to coat with a thin layer.

Absolutely! 😂 Definitely a gray area because it's custard, but one could convince themself that the eggs were cooked past pasteurization and if you left a block of cream cheese out overnight it would not be off by morning. She could brulee the top to kill any surface bacteria if that helps with peace of mind. I'd probably serve it with a caveat so anyone with a delicate system can opt out.

Do you want to maintain the gooey marshmallow texture or just the flavor? I've torched white chocolate to simulate marshmallow, also toasted marshmallows then melted them in cream.

I have the Selmi full of 60% dark, which is what I use the most of, and am trying to keep it free of allergens other than milk. I don't do any hand dipping, I make molded bars & bonbons plus some slabbed truffles that are dusted in cocoa powder. I still use melters for milk chocolate or if I'm using certain allergens. I don't think my process has changed a whole lot, but I feel like it's sped up with less time spent tending to chocolate and maintaining temper. My 24 kg melter heats unevenly, takes hours to melt that much chocolate, and has to be frequently stirred and re-warmed if I'm shelling and dumping molds. My kitchen gets pretty cold in the winter, which I like because chocolate crystallizes quickly but it's also a constant struggle. I had been a little concerned that the Color would be too small, with only 12 kg capacity but so far it has kept up. I probably tempered 100 kg of chocolate with it last month? I have room on my marble slab for 4 frames of truffles (using 6 kg tempered choc), if I re-fill the Selmi it's melted and ready to temper by the time those are crystallized and cut. A lot of the little movements add up, not having to constantly switch between ladle and scraper, not pausing to bang the bubbles out of each mold by hand ... Now I need to find the right height chair so I can sit and lean against the vibration table for a nice back rub at the end of the day 🤪

I got the Color EX, and yes, of course! Chocolate melts quickly, tempering only takes a few minutes and I'm happy to have the vibration table. It beeps when it's ready and makes cute little compressor sighs. I'm also enjoying the volumetric dosing, it's helping me be neater. On the other hand, it does put out some heat and I haven't tried to clean the screw yet.

I'm curious how sustainable pistachios are - almonds take a lot of water, is that true for all nuts? But based on price alone, I have to laugh at the idea of substituting pistachios for just about anything else 🤑

praline gianduja?

Mine does! 😂 Like so much with chocolate, gotta adjust the pressure juuuuust right. Made these yesterday: