Kerry Beal

I rub the molds across paper towel - if it has set I warm the paper towel either with a heat gun or by laying the paper towels on a warmer like this (only cheap and bought from a thrift store). I don't hit the mold with a heat gun as it wrecks the finish inside the mold.

Thanks @Tri2Cook and @patris - I have a bit left here - was just going to get a fresher stock (mine's probably over 10 years old - but still works fine).

Interesting observation - I don't think I saw anyone wearing gloves - but I did see a supply of them. I'm thinking I'll pick up some invertase from someone at the RCI as long as I give them a little warning.

Yup - totally agree on the reheating!

Now I need to sit down and write up a report - I suspect it will take a couple of days to get everything in there I want to say about what I observed and what I feel needs to be done for improvement. I'm annoyed with myself - planned to liberate a bit of invertase (which they buy in gallon containers) while I was there and forgot.

Hearts from yesterday. Joe - massaging his nut clusters. This is one of very few vintage nut cluster machines. Joe squeeqiing his nuts Finished clusters. Sponge beginning. Adding the gelatin. Beating after the addition of the bicarb. This should almost double by the time it stops rising. Went for a tea filling on these - had no earl gray - so orange pekoe! Raspberry bites from Greweling. Wasn't there to tell them to whack those molds for bubbles. Interfered with the enrobing line for mint oreos. Enrobing our cookie butter gianduja. Some steak spice bark. Lunch down at the harbour. Attached to a hotel I think. Honey mustard chicken sandwich. So a little over 3 hours later and I made it safely home. Have had a cup of tea - now it's off to bed!

Dinner tonight at Crackerbarrel. Beans and greens for me. Breakfast for dinner. Catfish and all the other stuff that came with it!

Cookie butter gianduja. A stop on the way home at an interesting restaurant supply that I had seen on the drive out to their house yesterday. Left without any purchases. Some interesting items among the used stuff. Original Hobart. A little cuppa - my size!

So it was the business owners birthday today - so he got to take myself, his wife and 3 daughters out for lunch. "You like Chinese?" they asked? "Indeed" I replied. Very satisfactory food (in spite of most of the menu being Japanese). I had red thai curry. the rest of the pics are a random assortment of everyone else's lunches. How quickly they learn - that the sooner I get my picture - the sooner they can eat! Birthday boy gets ice cream, brought by singers and a drummer!

Off to the shop we go. I suggested a Fuji airbrush and that we would need something to keep the Fuji and perhaps cocoa butter warm. Also that a spray booth would be helpful. We got to work - first up some heart molds that we did with gold splatter and pink behind. Apparently I didn't take a picture. Next we made some hand painted then sprayed molds. We also made a transfer sheet that hopefully we'll get to play with tomorrow. I've been thinking for a while that my flattening the top of fillings with cornstarch is perhaps not a good idea in view of labelling issues with allergens like corn - so when I mentioned this to the women I was teaching - they came back with - tamping down with a chocolate covered finger works as well as cornstarch - so I put them to work proving it. I played a bit with some little round stamp like sponges.

Greeted this am by another daughter's animals - 17 year old pug, 18 year old cat. Daughter has been buying the small bags of dog food for 3 years now!

Indeed - @Alleguede and I have been communicating throughout!

I think it has it's share of chains - beyond that I'm not too sure.

I'm down in Buffalo fairly often to visit @patris - I've had beef on a weck in a few places - not Schwabl's as I recall. Not a huge fan of the weck bun itself for some reason - love the beef though.

Or a heat gun/hair dryer.

Apparently my answer from yesterday disappeared into the ether! I also like the colours from Glarus gourmet - aka chocotransfersheets.com. The colors from Chef Rubber are also good - most of the other brands you buy in the US will be relabelled Chef Rubber.

French - the mastiff, Jasper - english bulldog Gizmo from next door - after supper when his owners had taken him home - he wandered back over through the hole in the fence - stopped in for a bite of leftover pasta - headed back home out the dog door. The newest addition - didn't catch the name. Refuses to think of himself as little! I'm sitting on the bed with my computer, back propped against pillows - can hear snoring in the hall. Won't be surprised if Jasper is in my bed tonight.

Damn good! Ate way too much and I'm suffering for it now - but I avoided the cake, fruit salad, ice cream bars and anything else that was offered after dinner except a cuppa. Pot too heavy to lift!

Two years ago @Alleguede and I stopped in at a chocolate shop in Erie PA, while we were on our way to the PMCA, at the request of the owner. He and his daughters had recently taken over this shop that had been an Erie landmark for about 80 years. I have been providing suggestions, advice and the odd recipe via phone call and e-mail since then. I was asked to come down again for a couple of days to teach some new techniques to the staff, perhaps work on some recipe development and to help rewrite their recipes in such a way that all staff members have the same information to work with (to say they are cryptic would be an understatement). This came with the invite - "Lastly, I would like to extend to you the offer of staying at my home if you would so desire, but keep in mind if you want peace and quiet for your stay this might not be the answer - 150# French Mastiff, 100# English Bulldog that craves attention, 20# French Bulldog(lives next door) that visits every day is extremely obnoxious and full of piss and vinegar, an 18 year old pug who visits as he lives just across the street, 4 grandsons, & 5 granddaughters - can be pretty hectic so the choice is yours, we would love to have you." "P.S. There is also my Aunt (89 Years Old) and her companion(90+ year old top of the line Surgeon in his day) that often visits since they just live across the street." How could I possibly turn down an invitation like that! I stopped in Buffalo to have breakfast and do a little last minute shopping with @patris. We had breakfast at The Howling Rooster. The waitress, when we finally caught her eye, mentioned that the kitchen was 'in the weeds'! And they clearly were. Potato pancakes for @patris Taco omelet for me.

Indeed - but you know me - everything is a nail!

Wonder if you just preheated steam for a while then turned it off when you put something in to proof?

Can it proof at a lower temperature than 100º?

Hubby thinks it might be an electrical conduit fitting.

@Alleguede got a couple of used refrigerated displays from this place in Montreal. He's not terribly impressed with them however.

Anna and I went and looked at a used Dedy with cart in a shop that is closing - woman expected to get as much for it used as she would new (which would mean more than she paid for it way back when).