cocoa-lulu

Oh duh, I found all the info I needed at dryice.com. Who would have guessed. Have a good day-

My shipper said "no problem with dry ice". Shipping 2nd day is $100.00, 3rd day is 65.00, i'm trying to save my customer some money, I can get dry ice for .99lb. I just don't know how much i need.

Hello, hope everyone is doing well. I need some help with a shipping estimate. I am shipping chocolate. My box is 1" foam lined 24x18x11, about 18lbs, temps are in the 90's. My question is, How much dry ice should I need for 3 day shipping? I've never used dry ice before, any packing tips would be extremely helpful. Thank you-

You could substitute liquor for the cream.

Would you post some pictures of your molds? ← Soryy, I'm caught up in the holiday mix. I would love to show off some molds. Give me a little more time to get some pics. BTW, Outstanding photos on this thread!

Sorry, i tried to edit and space the pricing but couldn't.

I love kroese-exclusief's selection and it does sound like you got a deal. For future reference the cheapest source I've found for ballotins in the States is through Innovative Packaging Group.They do not make the boxes, but rep the manufacturer. Their number is 1-800-421-9309. You will need a tax i.d. They are wholesale only. Ask for any and all confectionary and chocolate catalogs to be sent to you. I remember in a post long ago someone mentioned how much they loved Woodhouses packaging, One of my catalogs is the company that's does their boxes. Eleven colors of ballotins and a sample of prices as follows. 2pc box....for 50, .29ea...for 200, .22ea. For 1000, .20ea 4pc .45 .34 .31 1/4lb .83 .62 .57 1/2 1.16 .87 .80 1lb 1.43 1.07 .98 custom printed cups, pads, ribbon, stickers, all the bells and whistles, great prices.

Beautiful work! Other than chocolate, antique molds are my obsession. I think many get warped over the years from improper use and storage. I have some that look like someone has tried to clean with butter knife. I found some itty-bitty vise clamps at a flea market that work well to "bring together" the seams on slightly warped molds.

Trish, out of curiosity, how old are your machines?

Well, I could post a rant a mile long about the Chocovision RevX. But Chocvision is in possession of my machine, In fact it has been sent back and forth to the company six times since July. If I stand any chance of ever seeing my machine by December 25th, I should probably watch what I say. Let us know how you like the Mold 'd art.

Kerry, we have a frog mold that we stand up onto a flat 4 leaf clover (the closest I could find that looked like a lilypad) and finish off with a gumpaste waterlily. We sell them as "taking the leap" wedding shower favors. I think I've seen "feet" for those frogs as well, but don't recall where.

Something that hit me by suprise, you may or may not have considered. But worth mentioning is many larger upscale retail outlets pay "seasonally". The idea being products are to be paid for by the consumer first, then they pay you. Say you have a large order that will pay for itself in 90 days, yet most of your supplies will come with terms of net 12-30. Twelve days being the most common for food items. Can you carry yourself through these times and to what extent. The best of luck to you...dreams do come true.

I don't know if this would work for you WTGirl. But www.kroese-exclusief.com/ certainly has boxes to drool over! If anyone has ordered from them please let me know. It is a German Co. and I understand they only accept international bank issued money orders "SWIFT", but was wondering how much time and expense was involved with internationl shipping.

You may be sorry you asked. I don't have help, except a few high school kids. I strongly suspect they have all failed home economics. Starting two weeks past I've done: 2,000 corporate champagne favors (hand labeled) 9 15" champagne bottles 125 wedding favors 450 hand decorated sm.bunnies 3 decorated 21" bunnies 12 big panoramic eggs Countless small custom orders The usual case goods The next two weeks include three more weddings: 650 favors More small orders And desperately catching up on case goods. I know it's wrong to complain about being busy. But, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY! I'm going to spend Easter in a coma-like state, daydreaming of roasted rabbit, drop kicking yellow fuzzy ducks, and violently shaking customers that want to know why it's all that hard to keep "their" truffle in stock. Whew, sorry, I feel better already. Have a Happy Holiday everyone. Guess I'll go make truffles.

Life of the Party mold#AO-50, I bought a few of these and thought they were too big for any use at the shop. But for my kids, I'm going to mold some up and put syrup in them to place on top of their waffles.You might want to search ebay for liquor cup mold. good luck.

I've yet to perfect my caramel making to achieve something like this. I can't get a thermometer relable enough. I'd definately call this a very advanced skill. If you could buy caramel sheets or that 'perfect' caramel it would be easier. How about those caramel sheets they sell for caramel apples.........do they still sell those? ← Peter's caramel loafs are consistently soft and easy to work with and the taste is nearly identical to Hammond's Sweets.

Hey JCHO, I been thinking about your situation and some of the things you've said. You are thinking of buying a 6" coater? The Hilliard's is about 10,000.00. I'm not sure of your production expectations. But a few notes on the coater.It is fairly easy for a new employee to use the machine, but I am able to hand dip faster then the machine. Machine enrobed centers require cooler room temps and air flow than hand dipped centers. You should call Hilliard's and ask for them to sell you a manual first. After Easter I won't even use my 6" until next season or for extra large orders. During the summer I can get by with a 10 pound RevX and two Hilliards 6 pounders. The daily routine is easier with the smaller machines. Though not complicated, the 6" is not a pleasant machine to clean and switch coatings. You might want to consider another 10 pound bowl, about 2,000 dollars depending on type. Then save the rest of your money and spend the summer looking for a used 6" machine. Just a idea, good luck!

I've never tried makig them this way, but it looks simple enough. i'm not certaian of the rules about posting recipes. Let me know if i need to pull this post. This is a Roger Geerts' recipe. I'll post in metric and converted. I'm not so hot at converting so double check. 1500 gr sugar 0.5 L water 150gr alcohol 150gr liqueur i think converts to: 3 lbs 5 oz sugar 2 cups water 5 oz alochol 5 oz liqueur pour spirits into a 4L or a gallon pot. bring sugar/water to a boil , washing down sides pour sugar syrup into alcohol mix and cover for 15min, now pour the mixture into another pot, back and forth, until compleely blended. DO NOT stir! Allow alcohol syrup to cool to 85 degrees. The next step is to place all your chocolate cups as close together as possible. It is important to fill the cups 4/5ths full in a continuous uninterupted flow. The directions call for an adjustable liqueur funnel, but I think one of those large red tip squeeze bottles would work fine. Takes at least a day for enough of a crust to form so you can top seal with chocolate. The cocoa butter seal works so well. I don't know if all this work is worth the bother, let me know if you try it.

We use a hollow ball mold and cocoa butter to seal the hole. I have some recipes using chocolate cups and an alcohol and sugar syrup that crystalizes and forms a seal. I can post later if interested.

The window units are plain ole' window units. I attached the remote to the wall above my tempering machines. Here is one from walmart. www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3387597&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A133032%3A133026

The Dallas Market showroom Goetz, Inc. had those at the last show. Market is the end of this month and if their minimum isn't too high I'll order them and put on ebay at wholesale price. I think I saw a few knock offs as well but don't know where you could find them at retail.

Good for you! You must be really excited. I was able to started with a blank slate (floor plan) as well. I have a six foot table that is visible to my customers, but I kept my machines and other tables off to the side. To be honest, I don’t want to stop and wipe down my machine every 30 min. especially after working 48 hours straight two days before Valentines. For me at least, there are always busy moments when the whole process isn’t so glitz and glamour. Just be careful of how much your customers can see. Nothing wrong with a bit of mystery. My entire building is only 40 x 40’ and my kitchen space is 10x 40’. The front or retail section is climate controlled. But, there are no heating or a/c ducts in the kitchen. Instead we installed remote controlled window units at each end. Basically, I’m working in a large cooling tunnel and the layout has worked really well. I wanted climate controlled windows, but found it too costly. Instead, I’ve had to get creative using dummy boxes and antique molds. I keep my chocolate and chocolate displays farther in the back away from direct sunlight. We are a gift store as well. Like HalloweenCat said, we carry plates, bowls w/chocolate sayings. A big seller this year has been pink and black coffee mugs with monogram initials on them. We fill with requested chocolate then bag and bow. We also carry Mocha bubble bath, lotions, candles, tea, coffee, cards....anything we can tastefully tie into a chocolate theme. Kind of like Red Envelope, all things luxurious that could only make chocolate eating better! Of course it’s a trap, people don’t come in to buy a gift without buying a piece or two for themselves. All part of my evil plan (insert menacing, if not annoying retailer laugh) Change can be tedious, just remember you’ll have all the kinks worked out well before the chocolate season. Best of luck to you! Lulu

Heavens to Betsy, i'm hungry! thanks for the pics.

Right, the same reason a frozen truffle center dipped into untempered chocolate will set. "cold cone technology? Negligible residual heat?" I am intrigued....that wouldn't happen to come in a table top unit with minimal assembly required.

Busy day, so I'm not sure I've read all the previous posts correctly. I may just be yacking to myself. But somebody might find it of use. Never "Setup" fudge in the fridge or chocolate in the freezer. In both cases the temp is too cold and actually halts crystallization. I believe someone mentioned "sticky" chocolate and think this is most likely "sugar bloom" not to be confused with fat bloom. Where humidity or moisture is pulled into the chocolate and dissolves the sugars and redeposits on the open surface. Until you can get a dehumidifier. If your kitchen is warm and you need to "set" your bon bons or any other open faced molds, place a sheet of wax paper over them before placing in the fridge. Let them return to room temp before removing wax paper and unmolding.