BVWells
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Posts posted by BVWells
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Thanks! I tried it 60 and I liked the effect, but I would have to do multiple passes for the chocolate not to impact the color. I'll try dialing it down a bit and see how it turns out. Thanks!!
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I was just wondering what PSI you all generally use for your compressors for molded bonbons? I'm sure the effect you're trying to get influences how high or low you run the compressor, but to just get a general nice even coat, what PSI do you all recommend?
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On 1/5/2020 at 4:12 PM, pastrygirl said:
Quite happy with the shine on these - airbrushed roxy & rich green sphene and gold, shelled in dark chocolate, filled with rosemary infused caramel ganache.
Those look incredible!! I'm curious, what PSI do you run your airbrush at? I tend to have specking issues, but yours look great!!
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On 11/25/2019 at 2:16 AM, sbain said:
@BVWells did you decide to take Melissa’s January course (intensive)? I have been thinking about someday taking her course too, and wondering if this is maybe the right time for me too.... excited and a little nervous (ain’t gonna lie
). It’d be my first real course
Sorry for the late...really late reply. I did, and the class was great!! How did you enjoy it?
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Thanks for the advice. She suggested her Intensive Chocolate Workshop course, so that is the one I decided to go with. Some people buy shoes, others like gadgets. I'll spend my money on this. lol
Branden
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Afternoon everyone. I know that some of you have taken classes with Melissa Coppel and I am finally going to bite the bullet and take one of her classes, but I don't know whether I should take her "Intensive Chocolate Workshop" class or her "Running a Chocolate Production" class. I hear all of her classes are great, but I'm just wondering which one would be better for an amateur home chocolate maker who is pretty confident in his tempering and ganache skills, but is looking to take that next step. Thanks in advance!!
Branden
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Evening everyone. I have a question about bonbon shell release. I haven't been having any issues with my shells releasing, but it seems as if some release while in the chiller overnight (set at 60F) and some release after filling, capping and being refrigerated (final stage). The ones that release before filling and capping come out a bit dull (the one on the right), and the ones that don't release until the final stage have the shine I'm looking for (one on the left). I would think that if it were an issue with the chocolate not being properly tempered, the ones that stayed in the molds would be the dull ones, but that's not the case.
Any ideas about what is happening? What is causing this?
Branden
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16 hours ago, pastrygirl said:
What Kerry and Jim said.
And then test your temper before using it - dip a spoon in or drizzle some chocolate on parchment to see how it sets up. If you only added a tiny amount of stable crystals, the chocolate may need to hang out a bit and continue crystallizing, or need a bit more agitation (stirring) before it is ready to give you perfect results.
How long do you usually let it "hang out?"
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17 hours ago, Jim D. said:
To echo what Kerry said, the all-important Type V crystals are melting out until you get down to around 93F, so it's the last few degrees that are crucial to providing enough of those crystals. I find it takes very little seed (contrary to the directions of many people), and I don't add it until close to around 95F. But it has to be there (unmelted) for the final few degrees.
So maybe the 5% suggestion by Callebaut was correct. I just have to wait until the temperature gets even lower before adding the seed.
My thermometers are good. I have 3 different ones and they all read within a few tenths of a degree of each other. So they are either all correct or all wrong. lol. I'll give it another try this weekend though.
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Evening everyone. I was wondering if I could get some advice on tempering. When I use the tabling method my temper comes out really nice. Chocolate sets without streaks, good snap, etc. But when I try seeding, it is hit or miss. I've tried different amounts of seed (anywhere from 5% to 35%), keeping the buttons whole vs chopping them up, waiting until the chocolate reaches about 105F before adding the seed (per Callebaut site). I just can't find the right technique to get consistent results. I got so frustrated when making things for Christmas (just for family and friends) that I just tabled the chocolate and it worked like it always does. I would rather use the seeding method, if for no other reason the clean-up is easier, but tabling has been winning out.
Any advice for getting consistent results using the seeding method? Thanks.
Branden
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I've seen so much beautiful molded chocolate work here I decided to come to the experts. I'm still trying to get consistent shine on my molded chocolates (not using colored cocoa butter yet). I typically get a few really good ones, most have some spots with really good shine and some ok shine, and then maybe I have 1 dud (air bubble or some kind of blemish). I'm just wondering, what would you all say are the top 3 tips to getting that consistent super shine?
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On 11/10/2018 at 8:16 AM, Nickos said:
Enjoy the weekend guys, that we can make a lot of chocolates.
Those look so nice!! I'm still trying to get that super shiny finish like yours. Any tips?
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3 hours ago, pastrygirl said:
You might want to try adding a bit of cocoa butter to your white so it is runnier and also see if you can get your kitchen down closer to 65F so the dark and milk set more quickly.
Will do. I have a long weekend so I'll try it and see how things work out. Thanks everyone!
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9 hours ago, gfron1 said:
I know I keep my room colder than most here, but I fill, scrape, 3 seconds of rapping and dump. Perfectly thin and consistent shell every time. In my old kitchen I was working in a much too warm space and yes I had to let it sit for up to a
Ok. I'm thinking it's a combination or room temperature and chocolate viscosity. The white chocolate I use has to be tapped out almost right away, dark chocolate after about 3 minutes, milk about 4!! Crazy! And my kitchen is usually in the upper 60's maybe 70. I use Guittard 72% dark, 42% milk and 31% white by the way.
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I was reading Greweling's Chocolates and Confections and he says that when molding bonbons you may need to allow the chocolate to sit in the mold anywhere from 2-5 minutes before inverting in order to produce desired and thickness and for the shell to be thick enough for the chocolate to contract from the mold, but in all of the videos I see, the chocolatiers invert the molds right away. Is this because the chocolate has sufficient viscosity and doesn't need to sit in the mold?
I have found that with the chocolate I use (Guittard 72%), if I invert the mold right away, the chocolate really doesn't contract enough but if I leave it for 3 minutes I don't have any problems. I'm just trying to understand the theory behind letting the chocolate sit in the mold, why I never see this technique in videos, and how you get thin shells to contract sufficiently from the molds. Thanks!!
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I just wanted to thank Kerry, Steve (lebowits), Rob (gfron1) and Chocolot for taking the time out to answer so many of my questions. I haven't been working with chocolate for long and was running into a number of problems and they were so helpful. After following their advice and lots of practice I finally feel like I am getting the hang of things. Here are today's results. Waiting to be filled, but so far so good. Thank you again and hopefully I'll get to meet you guys at the workshop next year. By the way, there will be TONS of additional questions to come. lol
Branden
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Airbrush PSI
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
I tried it at about 35-40 PSI and got the what I was looking for. I guess it all depends on the airbrush, nozzle, compressor, etc. Thanks all!!