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I’m in for a bowl as well. I am pathetic at dipped chocolates, and I’d love any help to get better. And I sorta collect cool pottery.

No idea which info is wrong. Appears I am getting the tilt version anyways...

Thanks. And interestingly, the website still has the low profile version and allowed me to put it in my cart.

Ok, then put me down for tilting. Said tween has been boarding at a barn with almost no kids since about age 8, so has a better idea of how to behave around a bunch of adults than most kids her age. I think very few sports teach responsibility better than riding, because she knows her pony must always be taken care of before herself.

Re melanger. It appears the difference between the three machines, as far as capacity and weight, is not huge. Regular non-tilting - 8 lb capacity, weighs 25 lb Tilting - 10 lb capacity, weighs 29.7 lb. Costs a little more. Lo-pro (non-tilting, lower profile to fit under cabinet) - 10 lb capacity, weighs 28 lb. Same price as tilting. Neither state minimum batch size, but I would not imagine they would be much different, since capacities are not that different. As long as the tilting mechanism is reliably stable (it looks a little precarious to me, and you are supposed to let the thing run for up to 24 hours when making chocolate), I don’t see a drawback to the tilting, as it’s less than 5 lb heavier. Am I missing something here?

Sent you a PM but Maddie (12 yo) and I are in for workshop and dinner. Me only for both master classes, and Maddie will function as our runner as needed during master classes (and will play computer games on her laptop with headphones when not being told to go get things). She likes being designated helper, so is quite happy with the arrangement. I think having her at the workshop will be great for her. Up to now it’s been me teaching her basics, but she is much more receptive to learning when the teacher is someone other than her mom, and she does want to learn to make chocolates, and she’s pretty creative. We have the same issue when riding our horses together - she is happy to listen when her trainer tells her to do something, but not so much when I tell her the Exact. Same. Thing. So you have one confirmed student for the yearly tempering basics lesson.

At this point, yes, as far as master classes. My friend is not able to make it. As far as my daughter, we are waiting to hear about her school schedule. If she is done with her standardized testing by then, she can come but the schedule for that is not yet published. She would be going to the workshop and dinner. She would not do the master classes but would there be an objection to her sitting around nearby and reading or doing stuff on her computer while I participate? I would not want to leave her alone at the hotel. If she has her computer, she would happily sit and play games (headphones) and be quiet.

Put me down for both classes please. And dinner. Maybe the grinder thing. I need to do a bit more reading on them but I do make quite a few chocolates using nut butters so probably.

I have not had their ham, but when I taught at ETSU medical school, the owner's son was one of my students. He brought in some bacon once and it was wonderful. Nice family, smart kid. Edited to add I guess he's not a kid anymore. This was about 8 or 9 years ago... Time flies.

Second the atta flour. It’s hard wheat so high in gluten. I make pita with a mix of half and half atta and King Arthur bread flour, and it rolls out very thin.

I use one of the inexpensive square air filters that goes in the vent system. It is the same size as a standard square fan. It pulls enough air that I no longer get much cocoa butter in the air, and yes, I see cocoa butter in the filter. I’ll try to post a pic when I get a chance.

I picked up a small plastic storage shed (about 2’x2’x7’) made for rakes and garden implements. You could probably pick one up on Craig’s list if you keep an eye out but I got one on clearance. Installed the included shelf just a bit above waist height. Cut a hole in the back and hung a box fan (backwards, so it’s pulling air from the shed) with a household air filter hung in front of it. It works great, and has a bunch of storage on the lower shelves. Obviously not a good solution if space is an issue - I have this in a corner of my basement, where I have my “craft workshop” with all my chocolate stuff and storage for my yarns. The whole project was maybe $125.

Account to the ad for the mold, 29mm.

The new molds were not great - colors stuck to most of them, but here is an example of the finished bonbon with a stripe.

I also think it would be do-able in a dome, but you would have to go very slowly, so may not be worth it. Was very simple with the half sphere. It was adherent when pressed firmly to the mold, but not so sticky that it would stick where you didn’t want it to. I just ran my fingers over the tape after application. I think this particular stuff is pretty forgiving. I messed with a bit of the tape and do not think it would leave any adhesive on the mold.

The tape I used. it looks a lot like the tape Jim used (Martha Stewart stuff) but I don’t know if it’s the same. This tape is plastic-y, not paper, and slightly stretchy. It is easy to apply, and because of the stretch, you can even do gradual curves with it. I just pressed it onto the mold and made sure it was tightly applied, then sprayed my cocoa butter. Since I used 3 colors, all but the last color were totally set when I removed the tape, but it still came off cleanly.

I’m not sure if this is the right thread to share this, but I have seen a number of people posting in the past about tape that one could use to get an even, sharp stripe on bonbons. I have not seen a solution (correct me if I missed it) but I think I found the magical mystery tape. I spent some time perusing amazon and found a Scotch product called “artist tape for curves” and picked up a roll. This is the result. I’m also trying out these new cheap Amazon molds, so I took the photo before unmolding (I’m going to fill them tomorrow), in case they don’t release well. But the tape did it’s job well.

PM sent.

Do you know the policy on kids in the kitchen? Considering bringing the 12 yo if allowed. She’s getting into the chocolate thing, and I will be visiting some family in Buffalo area.

Was that the gorgeous blue one with the stripe that got everyone obsessing about masking tape? I think this may be a slightly plumper almond, but quite similar.

Almond-shaped mold I’ll play with it this weekend. Just got molds today. They are a bit lighter than the ones I have from the North American companies but no scratches or cracks.

I just bought three of the inexpensive molds made in China from different sellers on Amazon. They ranged from $12-18. Will post once I am able to give them a try, hopefully this weekend. One of them is fairly close to an elusive almond-shaped mold that was discussed here before, as well as a heart mold and a half sphere. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is fun to have a selection of a few interesting molds for making novelty chocolates (like the big dragon or the cute frogs and horse heads), but for the bulk of what I make, I need to choose a few simple shapes and get several molds of each. As as far as suggestions for newbies (for the record, I’m probably one small step above that category - been at it for a while but very limited time to play), if you are serious about making chocolates, as either a hobby (like me) or a business, I would recommend the EZTemper as soon as you can justify the cash outlay. I have always had very inconsistent results with tempering, even when I was meticulous about temperatures. Since getting the EZTemper and getting some reliably sourced cocoa butter for silk, I have not had a bad batch (knock on wood). I would have avoided a lot of frustration by getting it earlier, and would have made a lot fewer chocolates suitable for the “back room” thread.

Jose Andres Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen

I'm making some chocolated for Valentines Da, and so far I've been really happy with how they are turning out (thank you EZTemper). A couple of friends of mine work part time at a local cidery, and they asked me to make some chocolates for gift baskets they are offering for Valentines Day. This one does not photograph super well, it's more sparkly in real life. It's filled with apple caramel. This one is bourbon and dark chocolate ganache. I think this is the first time ever I have had multiple molds in one day without a single chocolate that didn't stick!!! I'd love to take the credit, but I think the EZTemper is responsible. Regardless the people at the cidery were thrilled.

I think it may have been from the previous trip to Las Vegas. I load recipes I like into a program called "Paprika" and didn't note the date. I'll PM you the recipe. Not sure of the protocol for posting...