pastrygirl

re: next-day scoop-ability: I don't think these machines are made with that in mind. Isn't the allure that you can freshly "spin" a few portions at a time and use recipes that don't rely on the usual fat-sugar-solids ratios of traditional ice cream to stay soft?

On occasions when I want to blow heat at chocolate I use a hairdryer, since I only want to heat it up a few degrees, not 600.

Get a stainless basket insert to fit your pot, boil in the basket and lift all the pasta out at once. Would any of these fit? https://www.restaurantsupply.com/town-food-equipment-42940?keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7MGJBhD-ARIsAMZ0eetggMMPe6QEtMSuCn4Q08-B0Q-4P4ToMIDE9_PEazP9gzTbhzfyMV4aAtSKEALw_wcB https://www.lionsdeal.com/stainless-steel-large-pasta-basket-6-1-2dia-x-7h.html?utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7MGJBhD-ARIsAMZ0eetDgDvVImbbiZM7PiirSKcw1ExaTblfevAoOgLJ6F82jM01L0jho6EaAqm4EALw_wcB https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/scanpan-techniq-fryer-basket/?catalogId=79&sku=7487474&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Cookware > Cookware Accessories&region_id=819670&cm_ite=7487474&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7MGJBhD-ARIsAMZ0eet2vIwHzKFrxib04d_yQhzPpyLeRfErTk25jjlJ0S10_CuRZV3KXHMaAvo_EALw_wcB

PacoJets were never $10k, were they? I thought only $3-4k. And it is totally possibly they are grossly over-priced. As for extra canisters, I used to freeze bases in pint deli containers if we ran out of the beakers, they're close to the same diameter. Then transfer the frozen block to the stainless beaker before processing.

😂 oh I have plans … or pipe dreams. First I need a new car, then I’ll get the bigger Selmi with enrobing line for dark and keep the small one for milk.

Oh it's going to save me so much time just in stirring and ladling! I've only had a few sessions with it so far. I have to get used to how fast the chocolate comes out and the size of the bowl. There was definitely more chocolate on the floor than usual, but the temper was beautiful, with the push of a few buttons 😊 I'm planning to keep my main dark chocolate in it and try not to contaminate it so I don't have to clean it too often. I'll still use melters and EZ temper for milk and white chocolates.

@Jim D. lol, I was trying not to be that person who always has to mention "my new Selmi" in every discussion 😂 but yes, it does melt much more quickly than the mol d' art. The stirring arm helps. @Dark side up until now I've used my 6 and 24 kg mol d' art melters, putting chocolate in the night before and letting it melt around 50C (122F), add more choc in the AM to cool it down, then add seed or silk and temper by hand. It's maintaining the temper that's tedious. If you're filling molds and dumping the excess back into the melter, that excess has cooled and crystallized to some degree. That's where the melters fail - I felt like I spent too much time gently warming & stirring my choc every few molds, and it's even worse when the kitchen is as cold as I like it. Adding more warm chocolate as Jim suggested works too.

Fair enough! The max temp is hotter than I would have guessed, 110-120F should suffice for chocolate. Cover the dehydrator with a towel or blanket to contain the heat. I don't know if melters are any more precise, but they are pretty slow, not sure what the melt time per pound or kg would be, an hour per kg? The microwave might be most efficient, I use it at 60% power for 1-3 minutes at a time (depending on volume of choc) to avoid scorching.

Skip the timer and just let it melt overnight, it’s fine if it stays melted til you need it. What is the max temp for the dehydrator?

That's funny, I was concerned that home freezers wouldn't be cold enough. The pacoJet gets a better texture when things are super solid. As for savory, you can make savory shave ices, say frozen mignonette for your oysters. Or make sorbets without sugar.

Mandarin orange Perfect Puree is concentrated juice with some zest. Mandarins are not in season right now but when they are it should be easy enough to replicate.

I wonder where he got his info on balsamic vinegar, and has he tried actual hazelnuts, not just hazelnut flavored products? But it's ridiculous to dismiss all of Indian cuisine as if it was a single ingredient. Go ahead and hate cardamom or cumin or even the vast array of garam masalas, but claiming all Indian food tastes the same is beyond ignorant.

Do you find the 2.8 kg batches to be approaching difficult to handle in any way? I think 2 batches of 3.75 kg isn't that much of a stretch from there. I usually make 1 -2 kg of ganache at a time and routinely freeze, thaw, and re-melt the leftovers without much issue. 2 kg isn't even that big a bowl, I think 4 kg would still be very do-able by hand. 8 kg, maybe, though that would be a real arm work-out. Do you have a strong immersion blender?

Cooling tunnels https://www.sollich.com/en/products-en/chocolate-processing-en/cooling-tunnels-en

To clarify, I don't normally leave un-capped bonbons in the fridge overnight, that was the last batch of the day, it was almost 80F in the kitchen, and I was late for dinner. It was surprising that 2 molds still looked un-released after so long. I made other flavors start to finish both Sat & Sun, out of 18 molds I lost half of one due to cocoa butter sticking and most of another due to dropping it on the floor 🤭 When it's above 70F I use the fridge a lot more, in a few months it'll be cool enough to work mostly at room temp (low-mid 60's) You pretty much always have to re-temper for capping, even in a melter the chocolate will thicken over time at working temp.

Oddly enough, I was molding with the CW 2295 today, had a few pieces that looked like they weren't going to release but came out just fine after a few whacks on the marble. I almost took some pics or video but didn't, otherwise I could show you the stages of release. There's no real rhyme or reason - I shelled and filled 4 molds of the flavor mentioned above yesterday afternoon, refrigerated overnight and pulled them out and capped them today. After capping, 2 molds looked mostly released and 2 didn't, so back into the fridge for a while - maybe an hour? By then the other 2 molds had mostly released except for a couple of pieces here and there. I got 100% yield on that flavor but had a little CB stickage on a few other flavors that unmolded more easily. So who knows. Make extra and don't be in a hurry

Not half bad ... entirely bad?

that sounds delicious, is that your own recipe or a classic dish?

La Fruitiere purees are similarly liquid and should be interchangeable for those brands. Perfect Puree can be thicker and/or more concentrated - for example their passion fruit concentrate is much more intense. They're more local to you but I've heard they are having either production or distribution issues so may not actually be easier to find

You may be thinking of wheat bran, the fibrous outer covering. Wheat germ is added for the protein content, not fiber.

I've tried the blood thing - it works!

You start when you get there and finish when you're done. It is very rare to have set or consistent hours in an independent restaurant. Weekends are usually busier than weekdays and you have seasonal ups & downs too, depending on your draw for tourists and holidays. As a pastry chef, I've mostly enjoyed that. The super slow and super busy times are challenging in different ways but otherwise I don't mind balancing a few longer days with a few shorter days. And if you are the head chef or owner there is much more than just cooking. Money management, people management, business management ... That said, there are some sectors that are more stable. Retirement homes, schools, and hospitals should be much more predictable and able to offer a set schedule. Big hotels somewhat too.

How about something like a cider press, possibly in combination with a mesh bag? example: https://pleasanthillgrain.com/macintosh-apple-cider-press-with-stainless-basket?gclid=CjwKCAjwo4mIBhBsEiwAKgzXOAEfC5MK6HtoJ5qEVKEiZLl0pgYwuem_6MhhbNu9znSHmSoeqNkPfhoCKOoQAvD_BwE https://modernistpantry.com/shop/?search_query=superbag#/filter:categories_hierarchy:Gadgets$253ESuperbags or just a juicer that you continuously feed berries into? https://www.webstaurantstore.com/waring-wjx80-pulp-eject-continuous-feed-juice-extractor-120v-1000w/929WJX80.html https://championjuicer.com/

How large are the bars? You can calibrate the machine to dispense X grams at once per press of the foot pedal. Of course a depositor head would be faster since its one step not four, but check the available configurations before you get too excited. Tomric or Selmi or both have video showing the cleaning process. I'd guess it takes and hour or so, depending on your method of making sure everything is completely dry before re-assembly. Solid bars should go pretty quickly, idk, can you fill one mold a minute?

0.7 mm Grex here, fine for small volume of a few molds at a time, though in truth I don’t go for 100% full coverage and settle for decent color on top to save time.