Chocolot

Just a curiosity--Did TSA in STL open your checked bag? I know they opened mine and one of Kerry's. Ever wonder what they think when they see what we pack?:)

Are you having to do it backwards?

I’m on board in Salt Lake heading to STL. Anxious to see everyone.

Don't stress out about what to bring. In the past, there has been plenty. Also, it is a time to experiment. I know I have brought less than beautiful because what I tried didn't work. I think we stress because you think everyone is judging you:). Just bring what you want and don't worry.

They are just under an inch. With chocolate, they are at least an inch. The caramel just pops out. They don't deform unless I have undercooked my batch. They are from Chef Rubber and about $100 each. There are three of them in the pix. They are also great with meltaways. There are 88 pieces per mold.

I also use silicone molds for my caramel. I just pour the caramel into the molds, then using a wide sheet rock scraper, scrape the caramel into the cavities and at the same time, clean off the top of the mold so there are no trails. Using a funnel would drive me crazy having to release the flow for each cavity. The funnel gets real heavy at arms length. This isn't the best example of scrapping, but I have gotten better.

https://www.snapware.com/ I use snapware. It is water tight, therefore air tight. I put my finished bon bons in layers, refrigerate for 24 hours then freeze. No need to FoodSaver anything. Been doing it this way for 10 years without an issue.

I use freezer butcher paper and peel off before cutting.

I'll go with whatever the group decides.

Did they warm to room temp before closing?

Love it! Couldn't be better. Great job Doc.

Pipe contrasting stitches across the cracks and call him ER Bunny.

I use Shopify. It works well for me.

As you have found, caramels are challenging! You have the best thermometer, and your altitude is low enough that you shouldn't need to make adjustments. It is hard to say exactly what the problem is, but you might try cooking the espresso batch a couple of degrees less and see if that works for you. Also, milk solids can aid in stand-up quality. Greweling has a lot of good info on the subject, and he has several formulas using different milks and cream to compare.

What is your altitude? Do you have a quality thermometer?

Try Bakers C&C. https://store.bakerscandc.com/chocolate That is who I use. if you don't see what you want on the site, call them.

Had fun today with marbleizing. Is that a word?

Do you have any self control? Some of us don't. If you do, you can do as little or as much as you want. It just makes you want more toys, especially when you see how much easier it is with some equipment. Some, like Kerry, set the bar very high for us mere mortals.

How about a pan of rice?

Modpac carries the window boxes.

This is certainly not a great confection, but my reason for posting is:). I found myself today needing a quick treat to take to some nurses. I decided to just make some krackle bar. I had both dark and milk melted, but neither in temper. I prefer milk with my rice krispies, so I opted for milk chocolate. The melted chocolate had been sitting in my melter for several weeks, at about 95. I poured out about 3 pounds, and checked temp. It was 96. I stirred gently for a minute until it was at 93. This was somewhat thick, chocolate that probably had all kinds of wild CB crystals in it. I added about 2 teaspoons of EZ Temper silk and stirred it in. Added Rice Krispies and poured out and spread thin. I am amazed that this is the temper I got! The nurses were crazy about it. No point in wasting my good bon bons when they are happy with this:). My point? I think the EZ Temper is changing the tempering rules. I never would have thought I could get this kind of shine out of "old" chocolate that was literally just sitting there for weeks. Anyone else have this experience? Thanks, Kerry for your wonderful little machine.

As i remember, you brush the wax in the pan, then the pieces pick it up. I might be totally off base here, but that is what I remember from class.Seems like he added something to the wax to make it brushable?

The Thermapen has a micro switch that can be changed to keep it turned on until you close it. I use the Thermapen for 90% of my needs.

Ditch the corn syrup. Use salted butter. Mix the sugar and water and add butter. Cook slow at first to get the sugar to dissolve. When it is boiling and no sugar grains remain, turn up the heat to finish cooking. After about 260F, it won't separate. Good luck.

Better late than never:). I finally have a moment to post some of our pix from the class. Lunch on the first day. Chef Donald fixes everything for us while we are working. GWBYLS and Kerry. Keegan Gerhard from the Food Network joined us that day. And of course, Paul Young. Amy Guittard stopped by. (White shirt) GWBYLS and Kerry enjoying lunch. Kerry contemplating her afternoon plans. Bob and Paul Ruth (Chocolot) and Paul Kerry hard at work Kerry and new friends, Bob, GWBYLS, Tamara and Tandem Chocolates.