pastrygirl

@Rajala think white chocolate but fruit powder instead of milk powder. Same as Valrhona Inspirations. I've made some with freeze dried raspberries and it was delicious but expensive. Freeze dried fruit compacts down to nothing once powdered!

I've been doing a little R&D, and finally succumbed to temptation and ordered the micro-batch grinder last night. For $100 including shipping, how could I not? It'll be nice to be able to make tinier test batches! Thanks to @Tri2Cook for finding it on sale.

Lol, potatoes, so bland and innocuous ... until they go bad!

Looks like they're all the thin hobby-grade, but Kerekes has a Judaica selection. https://www.bakedeco.com/dept.asp?id=1269

Do you mean leave the excess dough around the top edge and instead of trimming it before baking, fold it over the edge of the tin and trim after baking?

I never make things that require blind baking so i don't have to mess around with weights 😊 oops, except for mini tartlets, but I have some smaller tartlet tins that I put inside the larger dough-filled ones instead of messing around with tiny scraps of foil or parchment. They have sloped sides and slip out easily after baking, wouldn't work with vertical sides.

Part recipe, part technique, I'd imagine. As Rajala mentioned, some bakers cut a separate strip of dough for the sides of the tart to make an even thickness and square corners rather than putting dough in and smooshing it up the sides. They also use a microplane to clean up any rough edges after baking. Maybe they use weights and just aren't showing every step? It does seem hard to believe that the sides stay vertical in the oven without support. I've also seen some posts of a tart shell forming and baking machine where you put a blob of dough into each cavity then the top part of the machine comes down and presses it into shape then bakes it.

@Chocolot thank you so much for responding with your expertise. I've yet to make a single fondant cream center so you're right, I'm not about to go down the cream beater and Savage furnace road. If I had a retail shop it could be a fun piece of vintage decor, but I'll pass for now. edited to add: if you come across anyone looking for one, tell them there's one in Seattle (though I did not inquire about price) ... very useful for the right person

@Kerry Beal, I was in the neighborhood so I took a look at it, seem to be in working order, it's a simple machine after all. I totally don't actually need this but I'm still sort of fascinated. There's an electrical plug and switch on one side, does the hopper heat up? I haven't found any other info about this online, must not be too many around.

Aha! Thank you, that will help with research. So for those old school buttercream centers to be dipped or enrobed. Mash it through the holes then cut the discs free with some sort of blade? If it could also be used for cookie doughs that might be handy ... hmm.

A chef buddy just texted me these pics, says it’s to cut confectionery fillings ... or maybe deposit them? Vintage with brass ... Anyone have more knowledge about the use/value of such a thing? Do I need it? Do you? i might go check it out tomorrow ...

Would injecting liquid fat essentially be the same as larding with a solid fat? It won't necessarily diffuse evenly throughout the meat, but you still have little pockets of extra richness and flavor. But then you'd want to be more even and thorough with injections for good distribution, rather than relying on osmosis.

oooh, cool stone walls sounds nice and extra dungeon-esque 😂

What, if anything, are people using to pre-grind the nibs (or whatever) before adding to the melanger? I use my food processor, have seen Champion juicers recommended.

How does it compare volume-wise? Half the large one, or less? I have the tilting 2 liter now.

This is a conundrum indeed. Of course you want a cute little shop, inviting and high-end with beautiful displays. The planning and dreaming is half the fun. You want to paint and make it your own and have nice things. But will these nice things actually make you money and if they don't, is there a re-sale market? For years, working in restaurants I wondered why chefs always seemed so tight with a dollar. Then I quit my day job and realized that a dollar is harder to make and to keep than it seems. I mean, you might want to spring for another melter and some new molds but you probably don't need a $20k Selmi at this point. Unless you're independently wealthy ... I think it's not that small businesses fail exactly, but that people get tired of just breaking even. We do it because we love it and try to make it work, but how many of us will be able to retire on all the money we made? Another chocolatier in town opened a cute little retail shop, then because that didn't really support itself they did a kickstarter campaign and opened a second with a super fancy espresso machine to drive business. And they have a 3rd rent to pay on kitchen space ... that's a lot of rent to pay plus the cost of the build-out. Will they end up like the eclair lady who shut down after 2 years and is trying to sell her high end toys like a pasteurizer and a depositor? They spared no expense outfitting the production kitchen plus had a cute little storefront downtown, could have done high volume but I think it just never really happened. People didn't understand, or didn't want to pay $6 for an eclair. That's why you start out with DIY and used equipment Chocolate is an easier sell but yes, you'll still have people who would be just as happy with Cadbury. But, hopefully you'll be open in time for the holidays and you'll be busy all winter and loving it.

Most small businesses I know use Square for their POS. I've used it for years just on my iPhone, would get a tablet or terminal if I needed to upgrade. Likewise, the website templates like Squarespace and Wix make it easier. You still have to do some input - write copy, take pictures & upload them - but the shopping cart is built in and you can put something together without knowing how to write code.

Something I wonder about but have yet to attempt ... i usually make Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream with egg whites. Occasionally I make egg yolk buttercream if I have excess yolks. Is there any reason why one couldn’t make whole egg buttercream? Whole eggs whip up plenty fluffy for genoise, what if you added hot syrup and cool butter? 🤔

It might be different if it's the local neighborhood residents out for their daily stroll, but I've found that senior citizens tend not to be great customers, except when buying cute holiday things for the grandchildren. My take is that fixed incomes plus health or dental issues get in the way, plus older clientele often want more plain or classic flavors. It'll take some time to see who wants what. Re:packaging ... uuuuuuuuggggggghhhh. How much does 'all out' cost you? How much of the retail price do you allow for packaging? I'm working on packaging again, or still, and it's so frustrating. How do you make money, just charge more? I could probably charge more anyway 🤔 My packaging goal is to streamline the process and increase margins ... not to hijack, if OP is in a few stores already, hopefully their packaging is already sorted out.

ya think? I still don't understand the appeal of 'stories' over regular posts to your feed

Cool, so it sounds like you've already gotten some exposure in your area, and nice that the landlord is doing the plumbing. I feel like sales & marketing is the hard part for a lot of makers. Good product alone isn't enough 😕

That's exciting! I don't have a retail shop but still have dreams. It all seems so expensive and un-attainable! Part of that is high cost of living where I am, part is that dealing with contractors and construction intimidates me. So I'd love to follow along with your adventure. I don't recall where you're coming from, so can you remind us of your story - Where are you & how long have you been working with chocolate? How much business experience do you have? How much build-out do you have to do? What do you see as the main challenges at this point?

Yes, cheesy things need to rest if only for safety! Some baked goods need PCT - proper cooling time If you cut into a loaf of bread straight out of the oven it will let the steam out and affect the crumb, and fruit pies need to cool and gel if you want a neat slice.

I came across a company that reminded me of this post. They're not making couverture exactly, but they are making truffles by combining cacao powder and cacao butter with other ingredients. They are based on an island near Seattle that is a hippie enclave, so while they could get any organic, non-gmo, ethical, vegan, soy-free etc chocolate they want, they don't. I think combining cacao butter and powders makes it sound more like health food. If you use cacao powder it's a super-food, but if you use chocolate that's candy and candy is poison.* Or something? I know there are "chocolate" recipes floating around paleo, raw, and other special diet forums that usually involve agave syrup and coconut oil and other "healthy" trending ingredients. Here's their ingredients page https://www.themightytruffle.com/ingredients-c21e4 So yes, some people do choose not to use prepared couverture even though they could, and at least OP is not alone. * I don't even like calling my products candy, it sounds cheap and for children. Confections are high quality treats for adults.

Carver Kings is on Netflix, I quite enjoyed the show. Impressively detailed work! Recommended if you enjoy watching people make stuff, even if it isn't food.