pastrygirl

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.

I don't make as many cakes as, say, @JeanneCake, maybe she can weigh in. I've painted on fondant by thinning gel colors with alcohol. I think if it is a fairly firm, dry glaze, the cocoa butter would be fine. Agreed, a test run sounds like a good idea. Let us know how it goes.

My main concern is what is the glaze made of? Is it water and gelatin based, is it a ganache? I'd use cocoa butter to paint on solid chocolate, but depending on what the glaze is, you might do just as well with the pigment dissolved in alcohol or some sort of neutral glaze.

Are the rules & regs on edibles established yet? Here, those bars would have to be sealed in heavy plastic before going into those boxes. Also, I believe the max per wrapped piece is 10 mg, so even though the bars break up you could only add 10 mg thc, not 90 or 100. So from that perspective, and if they’re after the US market (though state rules vary), they might want to consider smaller tasting bars or bonbon size pieces, as well as allowing clearance for an extra layer of child-proof wrap.

Do you need something that will be shelf stable? Opinions vary on whether that’s possible.

Sure, give it a shot. If it has started to crystallize already, it may be best to add a bit of water to dissolve any sugar then re-cook to temp.

I also use cellophane. I don't think patty paper is heavy enough or waxy enough. Use something meant for candy.

Isn't Walmart notorious for demanding lower and lower prices from their suppliers? If Walmart wants it for 10 cents less or they're going to drop you, then you get rid of the two cent cardboard and use 8 cents less of cacao butter in order to keep them happy. Too bad the resulting inferior product doesn't keep the customer happy as well.

I've had so many thermometers with the probe on a leash that crapped out suddenly, I'm wary. Not that my luck with stem thermometers is that much better 🙄 I like a long stem thermometer for caramel and hot things that spatter, might have to give this one a shot. Is the Thermapen extra special in some way or should all their offerings be equally high quality? https://www.thermoworks.com/RT610B-12

I think one of the keys is to have everything, including the melanger base and wheels, nice and warm. I've had incidents of adding too much dry stuff or cool stuff or cool dry stuff and having to chisel a hard mass out and re-melt it. Major pain, but once everything was warmed together and runny enough to keep moving in the machine it was fine. We temper on stone because it cools the chocolate quickly; granite grinding wheels will do the same. Put them in a low or warm but turned off oven, or warm them with a hair dryer. Start with the warm cocoa butter then gradually add the warmed FD fruit powder and sugar, making sure the machine can handle it before you add more.

I liked the white outfit.

Room temp according to three thermometers the other day ... I feel your pain and might have to upgrade too!

Ha ha, no, just one nephew and one niece, 5 and 2. I do spoil them with ridiculous birthday cakes but I'm not at Grandma-level spoiling. How fun it would be to get a chocolate egg bigger than your head!

That's weird, maybe Tomric sells pairs of molds so you get 4 halves or two complete eggs? I have to admit, the pricing on these boggles my mind - as much as I love having all the toys, I can't yet rationalize a $300 chocolate mold!