Mary F

Congrats Kerry, very exciting! Alana, not bossy..just perfection. (I picture you holding a class with about 10 of us lined up cracking the whip making us dip, dip, dip until we get it perfect!!)

It sounds like his classes are not the exact same each time, that there are little differences here and there. It was worth it to me in that it took me from my comfort zone and forced me to do some different things. He is willing to stray from his set schedule if you have questions about something, as Kerry mentioned. I could take a class from him and just sit and watch (and marvel at the ease) how he does things. He is amazing to watch during the demos, a true master. The instructors from the school were impressive, I would take other classes from the school as well. And, as Alana mentioned the networking was priceless. A majority of the class had lunch one day, and what fun to listen to everyone's stories!

Kerry, glad it helped to use the fork! great idea to split it after dipping, it does look pretty that way. do you have any problems with it softening after you chop it? Prairiegirl, great idea. Where are you located? Hopefully, your product will make it to the Northwest, as my kids are coming in to fundraiser ages! sick of the bad product I have to buy!!

Hi Kerry, I have used a chocolate cutting fork on the sponge toffee and had good luck with getting it to smaller more uniform sizes for dipping. Just a small tap with a rubber mallet does the trick. Of course, there is a ton of crumb waste, but am sure you can find uses for that! Do you use a specific recipe for your jelly beans?

yum...honeydew jelly beans! looking forward to hearing more...

Here is the product: http://cool.cambro.com/product_line.aspx?rrn=1&plrn=22 My pans are about 13'' x 17 1/2" (I can go up to about 20") Maybe Serj would know the fridge name?

Welcome Carol! this site is full of wonderful people, always willing to help answer questions and give support. As you can see, your question inspired many different responses and I am sure helped others wondering the same thing. thanks for joining in!

Looks very similar. I have the s-series version. It is not too heavy, I can carry it by myself. I looked at a cooler and trying to fit it out, but in the end decided the money was worth it for my needs. There is a castor kit option. And mine came with the cooling pack which is nice. Also comes with a thermo barrier so you can keep half hot and half cold. (Like I need hot working with chocolate!)

Hi Kerry, I was just trying to catch up with all the posts and noticed yours. I used a wine cooler in the past, but purchased an insulated pan carrier from Cambro. It allows me to transport some of my local larger orders without any worries. It comes with a plate that you can use to pre-chill the inside (although havent used it yet) but that would eliminate the condensation.

Luis, I have frozen ganache with good results. I used to allow to defrost in the fridge and then some time at room temp, and then enrobe. If I needed it for piping into molds I would throw in the microwave for seconds at 50% power. Now that we are using tempered chocolate for the ganache though, I might be messing with the temper if I do that. But your pieces for enrobing should do well.

Thanks everyone for the great response! I did remember Wybauw saying he froze chocolates, but my mind must have been wandering (bad habit) as I didn't have any notes on it. I do like the pre-fridge to freezer, prev. my thought was just to go straight to the freezer and then defrost in fridge for 24 hours. I will be using everyone's advice and giving it a try.

I had an event this weekend and misjudged the amount of chocolates needed. As my friends and family have been overwhelmed recently with testing, I thought I would give them a break. I plan to freeze the chocolates for upcoming gatherings with friends, but wanted to know if anyone else freezes their chocolates? If so, how do you go about it? Do you freeze the same flavors together? Do you vacuum seal it? And how does everyone feel about it?

wonderful demo Alana, perfection as usual! glad I got to see it from you in person. Also, wanted to point out the spacing between the chocolates in Alana's photos. As Wybauw mentioned numerous times, chocolate is a great insulator. Evenly spacing them apart, as Alana did, allows for air to properly circulate.

I think that the consumers need a bit more credit. They will seek out and buy what they feel is quality chocolate. and if they prefer the Milky Way..so be it. Those who purchase quality chocolate will take them time to read the label. It is our job to sell the product and part of selling includes education. There is not a product out there that sells itself. Not a good thing that its happening, but just one more thing to educate our clients on!

funny, I learned during the Wybauw class I am horrid at dipping with a fork. I had previously dipped with hands for truffles. So as Alana tried to give me tips, I think the biggest one was practice practice practice. As Kerry said, thin layer and bent fork. Wybauw also mentioned wiping the fork clean before each dip to keep that harden chocolate from forming. Hopefully Alana will chime in, as her chocolates were gorgeous!

Serj, I hope you can find time to post more about your experiences at school. Having so many guest chefs come through the school must be exciting. I know I would love to hear more.

Wow! made it though the maze of trying to post pictures:

Peach Pie Marionberry frozen lemonade pie with gingersnap crust Angel Pie with chocolate custard Cherry Pie

Keeps it clean...and we were messy. By the way, thanks Serj.

I will chime in with notes, but also have not had time to sort through them yet. My well known ADD has kicked in...as I am eyeing the brownie thread Kerry started. My pictures are mostly of my new crush, a 70 year old chocolatier who says pizzle and taught us the correct pronunciation of gouda. And really..face pictures not necessary!!

Hi Tammy, please don't stop the posting, I enjoy reading them! I am in a similar situation as yours (a "real job", small children, and trying to move over full time into the confectionary business). The posts make me feel better that others are up until 1 am making chocolates, and the kids are clinging to your legs telling you not to leave. As far as donations go, I find that you have to be selective as people tend to come out of the woodwork asking for a variety of things. A box of chocolates at an auction goes a long way though, as people tend to share with the table after winning (making the other tables jealous!). As long as your name has exposure (as in a auction guide), its a win-win situation.

Choux, those look like they taste amazing! I said it before when Kerry posted that she got her book last weekend, I am sooooo jealous! I really really want my book to come in the mail!

darn..if only I had this info a week ago! I can attest to it being very wet after trying to roll in sugar! thanks for the info though, makes me feel a little better.

I saw the instructors book, seems interesting, but there was no way to order it the site said to check back. Guess I will just pre-order the regular book and hope it comes early like yours!! Have you found any recipes your dying to try yet?

Kerry, did you receive the CIA book? Amazon is still showing that it is on pre-order and not released, where did you get yours from? As you can tell, I am a bit jealous..what a nice weekend present!