pastrygirl

Agreed. I've made agar fluid gels for dessert sauces. You should be able to process it back to something semi-fluid, though if it is super dense your machine might struggle, so add liquid as desired.

When it comes to emulsifying, I think fat is fat. The problem with nut pastes is all the solids ... can you be more specific on what you’ve tried so far and your desired results?

Has anyone tried the dried, candied hibiscus flowers? I don't know if they're new or not, just noticed them today.

Hmm, maybe. I have 6 of these http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/home/chocolate-molds/chocolate-molds-cabrellon/p16407807.html that I picked up from a culinary school, they are pretty close to the domes you linked to. I'd trade for the hearts.

It's rarely much below 50% humidity here, so I make it work - maybe that's why the cooler room temp does work for me - warmer plus humidity is really a nightmare. Besides the frequent rain, my kitchen is on River St. - literally a block from an industrial waterway! I find 60-64F to be a comfortable working temp, both for me and the chocolate. I use more fluid chocolates and try to work fast. I have a part time job where they keep things at 68F and I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt and still too hot. (Meanwhile the other chocolatier is wearing a sweater and freezing). A lot of crappy temper happens in that kitchen too - they do have AC for the summer but no de-humidifier (though we talked about getting one the other day). But they use thicker chocolate that I'm already having to thin with cocoa butter so yes, that would be even harder to deal with if it was cooler. But I have been looking at de-humidifiers. Does yours put out noticeable heat? I don't want to simply trade one problem for another. I don't have AC or even any heat beyond what the appliances put out, it's an industrial kitchen space.

@Pastrypastmidnight there's a link in the guitar cutter thread:

Have you really only broken one? I've gone through two spools of replacement wire - over the course of 8 years, but still!

Wires are gonna break, don't freak out, it's only 2 screws, you can handle 2 screws.* *I mean, of course it's a drag, especially when you break multiple at once, and do that multiple times a day when you don't have time for it, and the ends of the wires are sharp and now you're bleeding and the 15mm frame is the worst because the screws are so close together, but other than that, it's only 2 screws. Should I find my youtube tutorial?

... and that's why I don't buy chocolate at Restaurant Depot 😂 (I go there for fresh squeezed lemon juice but most everything else is mediocre)

@CacaoC I usually use the zephyr for the same reasons you mentioned - good thickness, not too sweet. I use it mostly on ganache and fillings. It’s just that my wholesaler is expected to be out of stock for two more weeks. Guess I’ll wait, I don’t want to have to re-formulate too much.

Speaking of Callebaut, has anyone tried their W2 white chocolate? Not sure if it is a new or longtime formula. My regular supplier is out of my regular white, saw some W2 at Restaurant Depot but it was best by this April so I passed, didn't want to take a chance on unfamiliar chocolate that is also old ...

Yes you can but sometimes the fat clumps together so it looks lumpy after thawing and might not whip as well. But still fine to heat it and add to a cream doup or make ganache.

I had paco jets at two different restaurant jobs. At one, our freezer didn't work very well so it was indeed problematic for ice cream. And everything else! I got so frustrated I bought a small gelato machine with a compressor to spin ice cream the old-fashioned way. At the second, IIRC we had a regular non-commercial freezer and it was fine. Do you know how cold your freezer is? My home freezer wouldn't be cold enough, my vegetables stay frozen but ice cream is always soft. If store-bought ice cream stays hard enough that it'll bend a spoon and you have to let it warm up a bit before scooping, it should work.

I don't believe most home freezers are typically at -20F. I share a kitchen with an ice cream maker who has an expensive ice cream hardening cabinet set at -20, other commercial freezers might be at -5 or -10. Home freezers might be closer to 0. It's been a while since I used a pacojet, but you do want the food frozen solid. Your sugar-free stocks or infused oils might be hard enough at 0, but ice cream could be problematic.

Well then clearly you need to eat them all straight out of the oven Or you could try adding more corn syrup.

That's the problem with handmade, the hands! If it already hurts and you're just starting out, that doesn't bode well. How much pain can you take? I mean, we all max ourselves out at holidays or wedding season, but it's smart to think long term. If it's seasonal, can you spread production out over a longer period? Make some flavors a month or six weeks ahead and freeze them. If you're committed to bonbons, consider a depositor to save yourself piping all the ganache.

When does it turn grainy? Going into the baking pan or after baking?

I think it's better if the dough is either on the hook being slapped around or has formed a ball that is being pushed around the bowl. Dough mashed against the sides might be getting punched regularly but ... I'm guessing your dough is on the stiff side? It could probably stand more water, so try this: after you scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl, add a TB of water. The dough will slide around until it is all gathered on the hook and the water will slowly incorporate in.

The next day was slightly lower humidity, only 55%. I did add silk and those bars did turn out better. EZ Temper for life! My skills get enough practice at my side gig where I have to try to temper super thick milk chocolate cookie chips I add a lot of cocoa butter ...

I have a confession. This batch of bars actually turned out relatively poorly, despite my apparently successful temper test. A lot of dull spots and molding marks on the fronts, though the backs look fine. I wrapped most of them to sell but pulled several for samples because they just didn't look perfect enough. Two thoughts: I have an EZ Temper, why don't I use it every single time? I don't know! And maybe I'll finally join the other chocolatiers here who blame humidity. It was 62F in the kitchen with 65% humidity. 🤔

Second test is looking better after scraping down the sides and giving it a few more stirs. time to stop wasting time and start molding

Couple minutes. im tempering right now. My first test is a bit streaky aka too warm or under- crystallized.

What Kerry and Jim said. And then test your temper before using it - dip a spoon in or drizzle some chocolate on parchment to see how it sets up. If you only added a tiny amount of stable crystals, the chocolate may need to hang out a bit and continue crystallizing, or need a bit more agitation (stirring) before it is ready to give you perfect results.

Exhausting, stressful, and rarely as profitable as you'd like. Running the business is so much more than just writing the menu, soaking up the compliments, and cashing the checks. If you have investors, they will want their money back, ideally at least doubled. There goes some of your creative freedom - if your vision doesn't sell at <30% food cost and get good reviews, you'll be asked to change your vision. Yes, but I think it's a fine line between failing and burning out. Are 100 hour weeks to break even or just to pay your living expenses really 'succeeding'? I have to admit, I'm not really succeeding by that definition. I'm flush with holiday sales at the moment so it feels like it's working but ask me again in August. It really is so much easier to work for someone else. 😆

The usual assortment of snacks, a bottle of frangelico for hazelnut truffles and brown dishtowels for chocolate work - those were requests. And my sister found these cute S&P shakers on eBay - I’m year of the boar and my favorite meat is pork, so I have a little collection of pig things to add these to.