Kerry Beal

I like the look of that

These T-fal pans have been fabulous on induction https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01E3JK6IO/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&th=1

Million dollar question.

E170 is calcium carbonate - used in sufficient quantity to get the same white as titanium dioxide it would be too thick to spray (or likely even paint). So the new white is going to be yellow.

I'll bet you are right. I don't have one of those in my chocolate room either!

LOL - that's hubbies area of expertise and he's he's a little behind on his other projects. I have asked him to do it before!

Picked up a Hotmix Pro Gastro at auction the other day. @Alleguede picked it up after the auction and dropped it on my doorstep - I quickly texted him and got him to take it back to the shop. It's 220 volts and I am not wired for that in my chocolate room and I'm not prepared to use it in hubbies workshop. Need to find a couple of parts for it - the whisk and perhaps the cup that goes in the top (not that I use that in my thermomix. The shipping from Florida for the parts is about twice the cost of the part so I'm hoping that somewhere in Canada sells them.

I feel your pain!

Costco.ca has it for $229 CDN

You aren't a true eG obsessive if you don't try!

What's that thread eG has on degrees of separation - Steve Smith (Red Green) had a big old houseboat he kept at the same place we docked our ketch. He used it to get away from home so he could write uninterrupted - nice guy. I think it's great that you can do your own contracting - "if you want it done right.." I'm sure if you can't find the molding you can set up a router to shape your own. If your hubby is too handsome - perhaps you can do it yourself!

Yup - essentially cream and chocolate - of course it doesn't account for amounts.

Of course I make lots of fillings that have an Aw in the 8's and they still seem to have a wonderfully long shelf life in spite of what the numbers would say. And other's as @pastrygirl says that have a nice low number but sugar bloom or fat bloom make them look like crap in a short time while they are still safe to eat. Here's what I assembled and used in a talk I gave at Tomric years ago. It's not how long things will last - more what things are likely to affect your product. < 0.61 - safe from osmotic yeasts < 0.65 - safe from xerophilic fungi (fungi that grow in low water conditions) < 0.80 - safe from regular fungi < 0.85 - safe from Staphlococci < 0.88 - safe from regular yeasts < 0.94 - safe from non pathogenic bacteria < 0.95 - safe from pathogenic bacteria Then I assembled kind of a general guestimate of shelf life > 0.85 - up to 3 weeks 0.7 - 0.85 - up to 3 months 0.65 - 0.7 - 6 to 9 months < 0.60 - microbiologically stable And here were some examples of various products I put together at the time chocolate and gianduja - aW < 0.3 caramel # - aW < 0.48 marzipan# - aW 0.65 - 0.70 fondant# - aW 0.75 - 0.84 buttercreams# - aW 0.81 - 0.87 ganache no additives - aW 0.9 - 0.95

It's also useful to do a standing study on your pieces - store in different conditions and cut into a piece each week until you determine when they are gone. Not all shelf life is Aw related - sometimes the flavor goes off, sometimes they saponify - still safe to eat but taste like crap. An Aw of 0.75 is theoretically ideal - doesn't take on or lose water to the environment.

You can pick the amount of time?

How long does each reading take?

Interesting - we are kinda all over the place. I'd better retest my 2:1

Also sponge toffee is a great insulator and if you don’t pop it in the fridge for a few minutes after dipping to carry off the latent heat of crystallization the chocolate will throw itself out of temper. Another really good insulator is Rice Krispie squares!

I do my best work with a coarse serrated steak knife. I've got all sorts of lames that I bought and don't find they work as well for me.

I considered testing Miracle Whip - but thought that might cause even more of a divide.

Eggbites! Those suckers freeze well.

I just had a good old read through the earlier thread - I was a bit more loquacious the last time around wasn't I! But quiche was still in there.

Quiche?

I keep mine in the fridge as well - it had warmed to room temperature by the time I tested it