sote23

I have to agree with you there in terms of robert linx. It's all about balance with him. most other chocolatiers don't have the right balance, and are using too strong of flavors which overpower the chocolate. I'm not familier with michel chaudun or patrick roger. can you tell me more? Luis

I was wondering what everyone's favorite chocoltier is. My two favorites are La Maison Du Chocolat and Joel Durand. Luis

vanessa, i came across this on the same site. wondering if it would preserve ganaches. anyone have any ideas? http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/pr...roductId=619106 luis

I made 2 ganaches of the same flavor, everything identical, except one i added invert sugar and the other i didn't. the one with the invert sugar tasted completly different.

I agree. I've read that invert sugar doesn't add sweetness to the ganache, but it most definatly does. yes, it does destroy the balance, and changes the ganache completly. I personally don't like using it. i haven't tried invertase as of yet, so i can't comment.

what about buying the frames with the wires already on them, and making your own base?

i looked on the site and could't find it. what is it located under?

Here it is!!! http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=844161 ← thanks kerry

i know i guy that can build anything. he should be able to whip one up.

I was looking at the prices of a guitar and thought to myself, there has got to be a cheaper way to cut ganache. any ideas? i saw the thread on the do it yourself vibrating table, and was wondering if anyone out there has made their own guitar.

I totally agree. ingrediants make a huge difference. i've come across alot of companies that give the impression of being high end and aren't even using high end chocolate. hi christopher, do you charge one price regardless of piece, or does each piece cost a different amount? how did you go about doing an analysis? did you hire someone or did it on your own? I've heard good things about your chocolate. I will be making a trip on sunday to cocoa bella in san francisco, which i understand sells some of your chocolates. Any recommondations on your favorite ones? ← I do charge one price regardless of piece. I did a cost analysis on about 10 of my pieces so I could get a good idea on a range. All of my pieces are relatively close in size but there are a few that are a bit smaller. I figured out the cost of the ingredients but also figured out labor as well. I did this by getting a timer and timing all of the steps that went into production. It is a pain, but I did it for all of the different types (caramels, molded, enrobed, multi layer, marzipans etc...). I added a fixed percentage for utilities, rent, and General Expenses (office supplies, postage). Then I was able to get a fairly accurate per piece price. Once you have this formula, you can change it, for example I am building a new shop and my rent is going to basically triple so I can plug that into the equation. Or if you hire someone at $9.00 and hour instead of $10.00 an hour you can change that as well. I am going to be at CocoaBella next week doing a sampling of some things ( I am not sure what day it is scheduled for yet, probably Friday or Saturday the 2nd or 3rd. You could find out from CocaoBella for sure. Hope this helps, Christopher ← ←

are you renting the kitchen?

hi christopher, do you charge one price regardless of piece, or does each piece cost a different amount? how did you go about doing an analysis? did you hire someone or did it on your own? I've heard good things about your chocolate. I will be making a trip on sunday to cocoa bella in san francisco, which i understand sells some of your chocolates. Any recommondations on your favorite ones? ← I do charge one price regardless of piece. I did a cost analysis on about 10 of my pieces so I could get a good idea on a range. All of my pieces are relatively close in size but there are a few that are a bit smaller. I figured out the cost of the ingredients but also figured out labor as well. I did this by getting a timer and timing all of the steps that went into production. It is a pain, but I did it for all of the different types (caramels, molded, enrobed, multi layer, marzipans etc...). I added a fixed percentage for utilities, rent, and General Expenses (office supplies, postage). Then I was able to get a fairly accurate per piece price. Once you have this formula, you can change it, for example I am building a new shop and my rent is going to basically triple so I can plug that into the equation. Or if you hire someone at $9.00 and hour instead of $10.00 an hour you can change that as well. I am going to be at CocoaBella next week doing a sampling of some things ( I am not sure what day it is scheduled for yet, probably Friday or Saturday the 2nd or 3rd. You could find out from CocaoBella for sure. Hope this helps, Christopher ← christopher, I checked with cocoabella and they said you are scheduled for friday 6-8pm. ← Would love to meet any fellow eGullet members if you are in the area at that time! ← christopher, not sure of my schedule, but I'm going to try to make it .

thanks for the help. that's exactly what i'm looking for. i don't want the flavor changed, but do want an extended shelf life, which this looks like it will provide.

i like that it doesn't change the texture much, but does it change the flavor? when i use invert sugar, it makes it too sweet for my liking.

patrick, 3 months, yuck is right. how much invertase is used typically?

i see, then it wouldn't be good for a ganache then. if you use a smaller amount, will it stay solid? ← Sote - i use it in ganache all the time w/out it causing a significant texture change. that could, of course, be due to the fact taht the ganache rarely sits around for more than a week 8-) ← that's great to hear. my only other concern is if it's safe? are there any harsh chemicals in it? ← Invertase is a natural enzyme whose only action (so far as we know) is to break down sucrose into fructose and glucose (which happens to all the sucrose you ingest anyway). It is naturally present in honey, and I'm not aware of any health risks at all associated with its use. ← thanks patrick.i will give it a try.

how does one air brush stencils on to chocolate? i would love to hear more about it, as well as the large stencils for transfer sheets.

hi christopher, do you charge one price regardless of piece, or does each piece cost a different amount? how did you go about doing an analysis? did you hire someone or did it on your own? I've heard good things about your chocolate. I will be making a trip on sunday to cocoa bella in san francisco, which i understand sells some of your chocolates. Any recommondations on your favorite ones? ← I do charge one price regardless of piece. I did a cost analysis on about 10 of my pieces so I could get a good idea on a range. All of my pieces are relatively close in size but there are a few that are a bit smaller. I figured out the cost of the ingredients but also figured out labor as well. I did this by getting a timer and timing all of the steps that went into production. It is a pain, but I did it for all of the different types (caramels, molded, enrobed, multi layer, marzipans etc...). I added a fixed percentage for utilities, rent, and General Expenses (office supplies, postage). Then I was able to get a fairly accurate per piece price. Once you have this formula, you can change it, for example I am building a new shop and my rent is going to basically triple so I can plug that into the equation. Or if you hire someone at $9.00 and hour instead of $10.00 an hour you can change that as well. I am going to be at CocoaBella next week doing a sampling of some things ( I am not sure what day it is scheduled for yet, probably Friday or Saturday the 2nd or 3rd. You could find out from CocaoBella for sure. Hope this helps, Christopher ← christopher, I checked with cocoabella and they said you are scheduled for friday 6-8pm.

i see, then it wouldn't be good for a ganache then. if you use a smaller amount, will it stay solid? ← Sote - i use it in ganache all the time w/out it causing a significant texture change. that could, of course, be due to the fact taht the ganache rarely sits around for more than a week 8-) ← that's great to hear. my only other concern is if it's safe? are there any harsh chemicals in it?

hi christopher, do you charge one price regardless of piece, or does each piece cost a different amount? how did you go about doing an analysis? did you hire someone or did it on your own? I've heard good things about your chocolate. I will be making a trip on sunday to cocoa bella in san francisco, which i understand sells some of your chocolates. Any recommondations on your favorite ones? ← I do charge one price regardless of piece. I did a cost analysis on about 10 of my pieces so I could get a good idea on a range. All of my pieces are relatively close in size but there are a few that are a bit smaller. I figured out the cost of the ingredients but also figured out labor as well. I did this by getting a timer and timing all of the steps that went into production. It is a pain, but I did it for all of the different types (caramels, molded, enrobed, multi layer, marzipans etc...). I added a fixed percentage for utilities, rent, and General Expenses (office supplies, postage). Then I was able to get a fairly accurate per piece price. Once you have this formula, you can change it, for example I am building a new shop and my rent is going to basically triple so I can plug that into the equation. Or if you hire someone at $9.00 and hour instead of $10.00 an hour you can change that as well. I am going to be at CocoaBella next week doing a sampling of some things ( I am not sure what day it is scheduled for yet, probably Friday or Saturday the 2nd or 3rd. You could find out from CocaoBella for sure. Hope this helps, Christopher ← christopher, yes, that is very helpful. i appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. i will contact cocoabella and see what date it is. i will see if i can make it. by the way, you have a very well done website. i'm just in shock how many really bad websites there are out there. Luis

thanks for clearing that up. Luis

I believe that David J. may have said he was going. ← cool, i will check with him.

i looked it up, it's the 7-9 of November. I'm seriously thinking of going. anyone else thinking of going to this? It would be great to meet some forum members in person. ← I was going , but I have decided that go to visit my family has the priority at this moment , and cant afford both .Maybe next year hopefully , I am looking into a class with Norman Love as well , I sent them an email and told me that they will let me know when the next classes are.Good luck , I am sure you will have a lots of fun ← maybe next time vanessa

I have no experience with white chocolate at all. I know white chocolate is not technically chocolate, because there is no cocoa in it. my questions is, since there is no cocoa, does white chocolate have to be tempered?