pastryani

The plate seems to be level and quickly snaps in place, but I don't have anything else to compare to. . Ahh well, will try the painting today and let you know! Thx!

Hi Ruben and fellow ice cream enthusiasts! I haven't delved into making ice cream at home yet but after reading this thread I'm sure I'll be experimenting soon. Ruben I have a question about your salted caramel recipe: is there a reason to not temper your eggs first and mix everything together from the start? Second, is there a way to replace the egg yolks altogether, perhaps with liquid lecithin? Has anyone tried that before and if so, what were the results?

Hmm I'm not sure... It's unmarked which leads me to believe knockoff, but it wasn't cheap. I have paisley molds by the same company and they worked fine. Are you thinking knockoff = poor quality = bad results?

Hi Kerry - the backs are metal. Its so interesting, I thought the metal might've been the problem, but I wouldn't have even thought of the acetate being an issue. I'll definitely try the painting the molds and let you know how it works. Thanks Kerry & Lisa!

Hmm okay I'll give both ideas a try and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestions!!

Hi Lisa - thanks for your reply. No, I didn't paint the molds, I just poured chocolate into them. Would painting result in a more even surface, or are you talking about the swirling issue? My hands may have been in contact with the bottom of the mold, but only very briefly. I should note that the first time I used the mold at room temp (65F), and the second time (thinking it may have been too cold) I warmed up the metallic bottom until it was about 75F - same results for both (uneven top and swirls). Yes I put them in the fridge for 5-10 minutes after casting. Wondering what else to do here - The unevenness is driving me nuts!!

Franci - I have to ask: How long did it take you to bake 55 cakes?!! Guessing you have multiple ovens? And how many rounds of dishes??!

Hi Choco experts - a couple of questions for you tonight: I tried 2 new molds today - 1 magnetic the other a regular polycarbonate mold. When I unmolded the magnetic hearts, the top surface looked 'off' somehow (left pic), I couldn't figure it out. The tops of the chocolates from the non-magnetic mold looked fine (right pic): (Btw - I'm not talking about the swirling, which is another issue that I can't figure out, but one thing at a time. ) I figured out that the surface of the left pic was ever-so-slightly uneven and tested this by rubbing the chocolate against a flat surface: You can see that the flat/level areas of this mold are the outer edges and the center, but the areas in between those are slightly lower. Has anyone experienced this? I know it's a small detail and not as evident when using a transfer sheet but it *really* hits the OCD part of me (and I wouldn't expect that from such a pricey mold). Why isn't it level?!! (The magnetic plate seems level btw). Now onto the swirling... It's most pronounced in the magnetic heart but is also visible in the other heart. I cast these molds twice to see if I'd get the same results, checked the temper twice, and each time and it looked good. But the results were the same. So what gives?!!

Sounds deelish, but why do they need to be covered with boiling water for a minute? Is it just to wet them so that the spices can stick? Or is it just a way to melt the sugar with the residual heat? Would there be any nutrition lost from the skins in the discarded water?

I too haven't noticed protein percentages on the package, but I believe you can call up the company to find out what the protein content is for your batch.

It took me a while to post these, but here's my platter of bonbons from Xmas. Most are mint-white choc ('twas the season!), but the others are rose, mango, orange-dark choc, and mint-dark choc.

Kerry - is there a reason to not add it at 33.5 C when adding to a ganache?

Thanks Kerry for the description and info. Gianduja sounds like a good starting place.

I've skimmed through the threads in this forum on how to cast and attach a double mold together, but I didn't come across any pics of this process. Having never done this before, I don't really know where to start. Is the process different if the chocolate is filled vs. empty? It seems that if it's filled, you could cast both molds, then fill ganache to the tops of each mold and scrape, and then attach the molds together while the ganache is still "wet". But if the chocolate was empty (no filling), I would think that after casting the second mold, you'd have to attach it right away to the first so you still had a "wet" surface that would adhere. Does any of this make sense?!! Next, it looks like there are several ways to attach your molds: (a) Metal clamps; (b) Plastic clamps; (c) Rubber bands; (d) Chopsticks The metal and plastic clamps look like bizarro torture devices. How many of them do you use? I would guess 4, but would it be true that if you use more clamps, you'd get a tighter the seal and less of a seam? (btw- I'm talking about molds that are flat across the surface and don't have a raised lip like some egg molds out there). Thanks!

It sure looks like option 2 because of the perfectly round bottoms, but it could also be a little editing magic. Who says touch-ups are only for people?!

Thanks keychris! I thought #1 made more sense but I havn't seen this being done before so wasn't sure.

Resurrecting this old thread to piggy-back on the OP's question: When you see pics like the one below, which of the two scenarios is most likely: 1. That the texture sheet was cut into squares and placed on top of each dipped chocolate (just like with transfer sheets)? OR 2. The chocolate was dipped and placed onto a full (uncut) texture sheet, and then just turned upside down to show the pretty pattern? If it's the latter, you'd really have to tap the excess chocolate off to prevent a wide foot. Also, do you all typically wash the texture sheet between uses? I would think that, like polycarbonate molds, they get shinier with use and washing would mean having to polish after each use. Thanks!

To add to the AV element, you could print out some of the before and after pics in this thread (or your own) and display those in poster form.

Thanks for your detailed responses, Kerry!! Very helpful.

Hi Kerry - I've read through the forum posts and watched your videos but I still have a few questions (okay, more than a few!!) to better my understanding of how to use your machine (you've likely already addressed these questions in one form or another, but it would be helpful if you could clarify). Thanks! 1a. Do you melt all types of chocolate (white, milk, and dark) to 35-45C (95-113F)? 1b. What if you melt to a higher temperature, say 120-140F? Is that detrimental to the process/end result, or does that just mean that you have to wait that much longer for the chocolate to cool down? 2. Do you add the silk to all 3 types of chocolate (white, milk, and dark) at the same temperature of 33.5C (92.3F)? (Or do you add the silk at different temperatures depending on what type of chocolate it is?) 3. After adding the silk, do you have to wait for the chocolate to cool to its normal working temperature to use them in perfect temper? (ie: 84-86F for white and milk, 88-90F for dark?). Or can you start working with it right away? 4. Does the silk extend the working temperature range of the chocolate from its usual working temperature to 92.3F? (ie: does the working temp range for white an milk extend from 84-86F to 84-92.3F, and does the working temp range for dark extend from 88-90F to 88-92.3F?) 5a. To create the silk, do I start with solid cocoa butter? 5b. Does the cocoa butter have to be in temper? What if it is not in temper? 5c. Can one start to make silk with melted cocoa butter? 6a. If the machine is not in constant use and is off for some time, do I just turn it on again and use the cocoa butter that's already hardened up in the jars, or do I have to use fresh cocoa butter? 6b. What is the minimum amount of time before the silk will be ready for use? 7. I know you mention in your video that you can change the incubation temperature by a degree or two depending on your cocoa butter. How do you know that you need to change the temperature from it's default setting? Is there a guide that lists various brands and the temps they should be at to create the silk? 8a. If you put solid (tempered) chocolate in the EZ temper, will it too become like the consistency of the silk? 8b. Can you "hold" chocolate in the EZ temper machine overnight so that it's ready (and in temper) the next day? 8c. How much (volume) can be placed in the machine without overloading it? (Or how many jars can you put in, and can they be stacked?)

Curls - I had other projects going and before I knew it, the choc was partially hardened. It was already in the wee hours so I just re-melted the choc and capped (figuring they were for personal consumption anyhow).

Gfweb - Yes the weeping is coming out from the cracks, but then what's causing those?! (Maybe the untempered choc that was used to back them?) Kerry I've seen it before too, I'd just like to figure out why so I can prevent it!!

Just essential oil, and some bits of candied orange (sufficiently dried). Never heard of fermented flavor in choc before! I just filled yesterday so i'd say no fermented flavor. The only thing I can think of is that my choc when capping may have been warmer than 86F (and certainly out of temper), but (1) could this extra warmth cause slight melting of the exposed area of ganache, and (2) could that melting be connected in any way to the sticky sap-like weeping? Bit of a mystery, eh?!!

Nope doesn't look broken.

Kerry - it's definitely sticky, not greasy. The ganache looked fine (not broken) when I piped it in. KeyChris - I didn't have shells ready for it. The temp in the room was very cool, but not as cool as the fridge, so good point. I've heard that ganache is supposed to set overnight at room temp - what is the longest it *should* stay at room temp to set before being piped, and what's the longest if the ganache has been refrigerated? Thanks!