Kerry Beal

buffet at hotel

The Matfer you linked to is just a melter I think. I have one of those that has never worked! I notice this one states it should not be used as a tempering machine, just as a complimentary dipping machine. Wonder if taking it back to it's native land (230 volts) might cure it. In europe you can get this melter inexpensively, while it is made for home use - it actually works beautifully, melts quickly, and holds temperature consistently.

Gotta say - now that I've had 43 odd years to get used to Celsius - it's grown on me taste wise!

Celcius of course.

Yes - heating, cooling and reheating will temper totally untempered chocolate. When seeding (heating, then cooling with seed) you don't reheat - so your seed has to be good. The 'wild crystallization' method - (heating, cooling, reheating) would have you take the chocolate up to around 45, down to around 25, then back up again to around 29.

The soft white fondant is cooked to 115º C hence the name. Sorry - should have stuck with soft white.

Invited to join some of the vendors for dinner - at a place called Undermain. BBQ was brought in - we grabbed some a headed on to the roof to eat. Sadly only took video on the roof so can't share. Not much light up here on the roof!

Took a little walk after breakfast - didn't allow for Bhavhani wearing a suit coat in this heat. Do like gargoyles! Soon enough it was time to start again. The hit of the day was the Montreal Steak Spice with Frito bark.

Got em - don't like wearing them.

Yes - seed down to around 29º C for a working temperature I'd say.

Did have that same thought!

Breakfast this am at Ellen’s - accompanied by Bhavhani.

Don’t have those either

Maybe, but we don’t have a spoon

Apparently the health department will be here today. Apparently we need to have people use tongs. This is great sport for us.

That is indeed our @Chocolot

I need to get some of that light soy - your custard is so much lighter than mine!

Couple of pics I missed from our travels yesterday to get breakfast our booth before starting - I took a bunch of other shots but they were video and won’t upload

Actually it was pretty good. They had about 10 huge pizzas each of 5 different combinations.

Pistacho nougat works well for sure. The soft white fondant is 115º fondant if I'm not mistaken - the mixture I make with peanut butter is firm enough that I have to press it into molds, so hand molding will likely work well. No thoughts on flavoring - it all seems to be almond. If I wanted almond I'd use bitter almond oil!

Second this - a great combination.

They may have changed - it was probably 15 years ago I last used them. The President’s Choice bars changed enough that they are useless to temper now. Jo - PM me your address - I’ll send couverture from Texas while Im here

Sure - melt about 3/4 of it. And reserve the rest for seed.

You could do the ones with almonds - I'd skip the ones with caramel. Those I'd bin immediately - the others you can bin after your tempering trials. I don't know about Shoprite but a Walmart will usually have big bars that I believe are French or Belgian - the brand is Waterford or something like that.

I suspect it would help - probably the 1% and then let it get a little cool.