pastrygirl

Because inquiring minds want to know and because I made ganduja yesterday (1 part dark chocolate to one part sweetened hazelnut paste), I tempered a little of it and piped it into a thin/hobby mold. I also added a splash of olive oil to a bit of the gianduja to soften it even more and mimic meltaway. The gianduja is softer than straight chocolate but still un-molded fine. The few with added olive oil were a bit stickier but between a brief chill and a whack on the counter, they, too came out fine. So I'd look at those types of molds, there is a lot more variety than silicone and they are much less expensive.

Do you think the meltaway is solid enough or hobby molds are flexible enough to use those thin plastic molds? Maybe if dusted with cocoa or 10x first, or popped in the freezer for 5 min? These look like a nice one-bite size. Hmm, can I steal your idea? https://www.confectioneryhouse.com/molds/chocolate-candy-molds/valentine-s-day-candy-molds/valentine-pieces-candy-molds/bite-size-heart-candy-mold and a couple more - shopping for you is far more entertaining than the work I should be doing https://www.chocoley.com/plastic-sheet-mold-plain-heart-1-25/ https://www.chocoley.com/plastic-sheet-mold-puffed-heart/ https://www.confectioneryhouse.com/molds/chocolate-candy-molds/valentine-s-day-candy-molds/valentine-pieces-candy-molds/deep-bite-size-heart-candy-mold https://www.confectioneryhouse.com/molds/chocolate-candy-molds/valentine-s-day-candy-molds/valentine-pieces-candy-molds/hearts-with-rose-candy-mold https://www.confectioneryhouse.com/molds/chocolate-candy-molds/valentine-s-day-candy-molds/valentine-pieces-candy-molds/hearts-with-rose-mint-candy-mold

Glass might not be much lighter than corningware, but I use glass/pyrex. How about something like this that has a thin lip? The flat bottom would also work with your set-up. https://www.amazon.com/Luminarc-Cosmos-Bowl-Clear-28cm/dp/B003BWZ25W/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1515439389&sr=8-22&keywords=luminarc+bowls In terms of heat safety, if you're not scorching your chocolate you're probably not going to melt plastic. I microwave CB in thin deli containers all the time. How much pouring chocolate from the bowl do you do? I use a 6-8 oz ladle for most applications, rarely pick up the whole thing and pour.

I haven’t camped in a while, but couscous is easy. Boil some water and soak the couscous while you cook something else.

A highly specific tool, but one that I would like to have: https://beryls.com/store/most-precious/drageekiss/ https://www.facebook.com/drageekiss/

"A previous statement said that Goodman had spent “a lot of time” designing a special vegan menu for the party only for one of them to order a pizza topped with mozzarella cheese. However, Gale later admitted that some in the party were vegetarian rather than vegan. " If she was just expressing annoyance at doing all that extra work just to have them order cheese, and did not actually hide any ingredients, then it's too bad it ended up this way. But yeah, be careful what you say on Facebook! I was interested in a local bakery that is for sale and was looking for their website, instead found their FB page with some bitterness about how hard it is to run a business here ... I'm sure it's true, and it doesn't exactly make me want to buy their business!

That's actually why I'm focusing on chocolates for my business. I still worry about shelf life, but at least I have the luxury of thinking in weeks or months, not days. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

I do wish I had kept a few cast iron trivets before I sold all the stuff from Grandpa's collection.

Traumatic memories of Catholic school uniforms? (I wore blue plaid for 8 years)

Darn it, Franci, you were making it look easy! I was looking up to you! Can I ask what investments scaling would require? Is it the equipment, labor, sales & marketing, everything? Scaling is the big question for me in 2018. I sold a ton in November & December, so I know I can produce a lot with limited equipment. Now my challenge is selling more in the off season and streamlining packaging and production overall. I agree with not selling the business. A new owner would not have the same love or skill and won't want to pay for all you've put into it. I have my eye on a bakery business that's for sale, but I don't really want their business, just their built-out kitchen!

I've never made no-knead bread and would not be a customer, but here's my 2 cents - The offset handles drive me nuts. I realize that's probably so you can get a grip on them when they are hot and you're using bulky hot pads or oven mitts, but visually I want them to line up. I can't handle those handles! I don't love baking in silicone. I like silpats for certain sticky or delicate things and silicone molds for frozen desserts, but dislike silicone cake pans because thy don't brown the same as metal. Does perforated silicone brown better? I'd want to see the bottom of that loaf. I'm a pastry chef, not a bread baker, but I'm skeptical of your claim that the punch down is unnecessary. I'd want to see side-by-side photos of the crumb. Do the top and bottom nest for storage? The domed lid seems like a great way to collect burning hot steam. Is that shape going to be any more dangerous to the user than a traditional flat lid? And if it is good for steaming but not burning fingers, that makes me wonder if a metal rack or another insert would make it multi-functional. Of course, I never steam food either, and that might be too small to be practical for much. but that's what comes to mind. Good luck!

Clearly you need to plan your cravings farther ahead But seriously, flavor takes time. If you want a baguette 2 or 3 times a week, consider the "old dough" method (detailed by Peter Reinhart, I believe). You keep a little blob of the last batch of dough souring in the fridge and add it to the new batch of dough. Repeat.

Two days, but how much active time? Is it more than maybe a starter, a punch down, and shaping after a night in the fridge?

I, too was thinking a turkey fryer burner or wok burner would be much less expensive. I also found one for home-brewing designed to boil lots of liquid quickly that looked more stable than some of the others. You could probably use it indoors under an adequate hood. But for now, I'd just get a bigger pot. Something like this - Is a triple batch enough for now? http://a.co/03NmrKd

You mean like the large single-burners, like this? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Savage-Bros-20-Candy-Stove-Model-20B-Very-Good-Condition/332476852558?hash=item4d692a294e:g:nyYAAOSwXPNaKFJC

I've found that you really do need to match your pot size to your heat source with caramel, as cold spots can crystallize so maybe taller rather than wider is better. And I don't think a double boiler would get hot enough to cook the sugar to caramelization temps. good luck!

No, if the meltaways are chocolate-based, they need a different fat to soften the cocoa butter that's already in there. Coconut oil, nut oils, clarified butter, etc, will all have a softening effect, making the candy melt in the mouth faster.

Did you check the decoration before filling with chocolate for the shells? Are you sure it wasn't already cracked, either from getting bumped or simply because chocolate contracts?

9 piece box assortment - made 60 of these for a special order of 45 plus some extras to sell, need to make more for another corporate gift of 60 x 12 piece boxes.

I know that makes a better finish, but oddly it's one of the tedious extra steps I haven't managed to adopt. It was a 14 hour baking day for holiday catering and I still didn't finish my prep list, that's why I'm just gonna live with Santa having one giant, awkwardly placed nostril

Here are my latest batch of Santas, I've decided airbrushing the bags & hats first then hand-painting the white details after gives a good result. This mold always seems to get a bubble in the nose, though

It could have been accidentally frozen at some point, that can interfere with whipping. Otherwise, if the issue is simply lack of butterfat (though 35% should whip fine), you can boost that with a little melted butter added to the cream.

So just a melter and an ez temper? Are people melting at 60c overnight then waiting until the chocolate cools to add silk, or melting lower like 35 or 40?

Fine to be a downer, that's a serious consideration. The kitchen is pretty cold in the winter and I wouldn't want to struggle with chocolate build-up. How do you like the TF20 with molding wheel from DR?

Has anyone used the chocolate pump that TCF offers? https://www.tcfsales.com/products/c115-mol-d'art-melters/ I'd like to increase both production and efficiency, so I'm looking at a 20-24kg melter, the pump, and possibly an EZ temper as an upgrade from a 6kg melter, a bunch of bowls and a ladle. What do other chocolatiers think? I doubt I'll jump right into 24kg at a time, but I figure might as well have the capacity since it is the same footprint as the 12kg melter. The pump would save a lot of time with molding, provided it doesn't clog up or over-temper the chocolate - is a stray chunk going to cause havoc? And if it is a full 24kg, that's a lot of chocolate to hand-temper, so much heavy stirring. Would the pump be able to mix in EZ Temper silk and make tempering virtually hands-free? thanks!