pastrygirl

@curls thanks I’ll take a look I cleaned out the supplier & have 200 on the way, hoping that’s not enough for holidays deurr has some that look good too

Just learned they are discontinuing stock production and going all custom. Now, to find a different box or storage space for thousands of set-up boxes? Ugh ... 🤬🤬🤬

Colors need to be specifically fat soluble, not sure if those are or not. The pre-mixed ones are just so convenient. Powder color may cost less but time is also money.

I would expect 'gelato' to incorporate less air than the others.

Jim, I'm not familiar with Chocobutter. I think R&R works out to be slightly less expensive than Chef Rubber depending on the exchange rate, maybe I'm imagining it.

@Jim D. You could try adding fat to the caramel, making more of a butter crunch or English toffee. I think that would help.

If it is a liquid, it's not what you need for decorating chocolate bonbons. Color painted into molds needs to be cocoa butter based and solid at room temp. I like Roxy & Rich, sampler sets on sale here: https://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/product/assortments-of-11-pearl-gemstone-cocoa-butters/

It's probably not CB melting from the edges (after all, you're capping with tempered chocolate that should not be hot enough to melt anything), but rather chocolate that has dripped or been forced into the tiny space created when the shell crystallizes and pulls away from the mold. Annoying when you spend so much time decorating, but it happens to most of us.

@no10 did you see the 'artisan series'? https://www.aspecialtybox.com/accessories-artisan_trays.html

You'd want to let the base thaw/melt enough to smooth it back to level before re-freezing. Fruit sorbets should withstand multiple freeze/process/melt cycles, but ice cream with high butterfat may not.

A blender might work but you may have to scrape the sides down often. It can take a while for nuts to turn to butter. Toasting the nuts and grinding them while still warm can speed the process.

Scrambled egg???

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?