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  1. New useful shop toy acquired today: a milk frother. This small device is perfect for stirring pigment into cocoa butter when you are making your own colors, or need to mix up ones that have settled. It makes no splatter like a hand held blender and is super easy to clean - just put it in a mug of hot soapy water... I picked one up on Amazon for under $20US with a stand, thinking it might be good, and it was great! Because the cocoa butter has a thicker viscosity than milk, it doesn't froth it, but does an excellent job of blending without the mess.
  2. Hi everyone, I am someone who used to hate milk chocolate (and white as well) because they are always too sweet for me. but recently I got to try Valrhona's Bahibe 46% and it's really good; creamy and not sickeningly sweet. After Valrhona has changed my mind, I'm on a quest to explore the world of milk chocolate. Are there any alternatives as good or even better? what's your preference when it comes to milk chocolate? Thank you.
  3. Hello there everyone! I am a new chocolatier and I am looking for someone who has some time to dedicate helping me set up my new business. I have questions mostly on recipes and equipment. Is anyone available? Thank you Egli
  4. Who here hand dips chocolates, either with their actual hand, or with a fork? I have a side job working with a woman who hand dips everything with her fingers in a puddle of chocolate on a sheet of parchment. She's super fast at it, I tried it but it felt so messy and awkward. I have done a little fork-dipping, so today dipped 300+ cookies with a fork and remembered why I hate fork dipping. So, anyone have any pointers, tricks, or favorite dipping forks that don't make your hand go numb? Today I used a dinner fork, I didn't have my actual chocolate dipping forks, but they have really thin metal handles that are hard to hold onto and horrible. I need like the Good Grips version for people with arthritis and pastry chefs who have done too much piping ...
  5. Posted 1 hour ago My truffles are cracking and leaking even when dipped at room temperature. I am so frustrated! Also some centres are too soft to dip unless chilled or frozen, suggestions? Also anyone have a good butterscotch truffle recipe with no icing sugar or cream cheese involved? thank you!
  6. 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
  7. Hi everyone I am a new chocolatier. I would like to know if anyone sells their bonbons in malls or airports and if they do, do you keep them in a fridge for chocolates? I know that chocolate is very sensitive to temperature especially bonbons...or is the air-conditioning enough?
  8. Hello I am a new chocolatier. I am calculating my costs to come up with a budget for my new business. I need help from you guys. if lets say a box of 12 bonbons costs me 4 dollars including raw material and packaging, how much should your sales price be? Also how much would you charge for wholesale, assuming margin is between 20-40%? How much is a reasonable labour cost per hour?
  9. Hello, I am a new chocolatier. Any suggestions on new products or other sources of revenue one can create to increase business during warm weather? People dont really like to eat chocolate during very hot weather we have here. I need to think of ways that will not give me extra costs. Thanks for your feedback
  10. THE BOOKS ARE SOLD I have Volumes 1 ,2 and 4 of Jean-Pierre Wybauw's Great Chocolate books are for sale. The books are in great shape! There is some tape on the corner of the front of volume 1 that I used to keep it together after a drop. Volume 1 is also autographed by the author (See pics below). I'm asking $150 for the lot OBO. Let me know if interested or if you have questions
  11. Hoping for some help. I accidentally melted an old mould that is very important to us and I've had no luck searching around for a replacement. If anyone knows where I could buy one - or even has one to spare they would be willing to sell - please send me a message. The mould (label attached below) was originally labelled as "Easy as ABC gelatin mould", although we just call it the alphabet mould. Yes there are lots of alphabet moulds around, including new silicone ones, but we need the specific designs on this one to replace the one I damaged. Depending on the cost, I would consider paying for postage internationally (to Australia). Thanks in advance!
  12. Hello everyone, I am in the process of locating a commercial kitchen space to rent in order to produce my chocolates on a larger scale, for retail and wholesale. The challenge is that I have not been able to locate a space that has air conditioning or any kind of temperature control. Even if everything else in the facility is perfect, that's the one issue that keeps coming up. Can anyone provide guidance regarding the feasibility of working in a non temperature controlled space, and if there are any work arounds? I'd have full access to fridges, freezers, etc... Thanks in advance for any help or experiences you can share! Miriam
  13. Has anyone ever worked with or made buttercream candies? As far as I can tell they appear to be simply fondant sugar with the addition of butter. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
  14. Hello All, I am researching colorants for cacao butter with an eye toward 'natural' vegetal derived colorants. My local packaging inspector ( California ) has required me to list ALL FDA approved artificial dyes and pigments, FD&C, Lakes, on my labels. These are equivalent to EU approved artificial colors as E102 to E143, as I understand it. Is anyone else tackling this issue? Per labeling, this is a substantial amount of information as one multi-hued collection can have 6+ colors. Other chocolatiers I have noticed use blanket statements such as 'FDA approved colors' or 'Cocoa Butter with Colors'. I am hearing hints that the EU may impose stricter regulations on artificial colors. Some of these, Lakes for instance, seem very dodgy as they are based on metal (Aluminum) salts to disperse the dyes. Pur is one company that I have found that produces colorants from natural sources on an industrial scale. Their cacao butters include other additives so I am really interested in how well they spray and perform. Anyone have experience using these? Shelf life, color fastness, flavors in the colorants, all these are points of interest. Thank very much.
  15. The basic formula for these cakes was developed by the wife of a mayonnaise salesman in an effort to help him out. I did a bit of research, and have found many variations. Early variants generally involve using less cocoa, which I cannot recommend. Later variants involve using cold water instead of boiling, adding salt, and additional leaveners. I personally do not feel that any additional salt is needed, as mayonnaise and that famous, tangy brand of salad dressing (sometimes the label just says 'Dressing') both contain a fair amount of salt. If you are using homemade mayonnaise or a low sodium product, an eighth teaspoon of salt may boost the flavor a bit. And, of course, somewhere along the way fans who prefer a certain salad dressing over mayonnaise started using it to make this cake. Nowadays, the Hellman's website has a different formula -one with added eggs and baking powder. I have not tried this newer formulation. Some versions of this recipe specify sifted cake flour. This will result in a very light cake with virtually no structural integrity, due to the paucity of eggs in this recipe compared to a regular cake. Cupcakes made this way give beautifully light results. However, every time I try to make a traditional 8" double layer cake with cake flour, I experience collapse. I recommend AP flour or at least a mix of cake and pastry flour. I have never made this with a gluten-free flour replacer. This recipe does not have very much structural integrity and as such does not make a good candidate for a gluten-free cake. I have made this cake many times, the type of sandwich spread you choose will affect the outcome. Made with mayonnaise, the cake has a good chocolate flavor and moistness. Made with that famous, tangy, off-white salad dressing that gets used as a sandwich spread, the cake has a subtle bit of extra brightness to the flavor. If one chooses to use a vegan mayonnaise, the result is tasty but lacking a little in structure; I would bake this in a square pan and frost and serve from the pan. The cocoa you use will also affect the flavor. For a classic, homey flavor use a supermarket brand of cocoa. To add a little sophistication, use better, artisan type cocoa and use chocolate extract instead of the vanilla extract. Supposedly, the traditional frosting for this cake should have a caramel flavor. Look for one where you actually caramelize some sugar first. Modern recipes for the icing seem like weak imitations to me; using brown sugar as the main flavor instead of true caramel. Chocolate Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing Cake makes enough for two 8" round pans, or a 9" square (about 7 cups of batter) 2 ounces/56g unsweetened, non-alkalized cocoa 1 cup/236g boiling water 1 teaspoon/4g regular strength vanilla extract 3/4 cup/162g mayonnaise, vegan mayonnaise, or salad dressing (the tangy, off-white, sandwich spread type dressing) 10.5ounces/300g all-purpose flour 7 ounces/200g sugar 0.35ounce/10g baking soda Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease or spray two 8" round pans or an equivalent volume square or rectangle. Place the cocoa in a medium (4-5 cup) bowl. Add the hot water and stir with a fork to break up any clumps. Allow to cool down a little, then add the vanilla extract and the mayonnaise or salad dressing spread. Beat well to eliminate lumps. In the bowl of an electric mixer or larger regular bowl if making by hand, sift in the flour and add the sugar and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute evenly. Slowly beat in the cocoa mixture. Mix until the batter has an even color. Pour immediately into the pans. If making two 8" rounds, weigh them to ensure they contain equal amounts. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the center of the top springs back when touched lightly. (The toothpick test does NOT work well on this moist cake!) Allow the cake to cool a little and shrink from the sides of the pan before removing. Removal is easier while still a little warm. Good with or without frosting. Good beginner cake for kids to make.
  16. Somehow I had missed that this existed until today. Anyone listening to The Slow Melt chocolate podcast?
  17. I'm late to the game - anyone have any ideas for Father's Day? And I refuse to make to make chocolate golf balls.
  18. I work at a small business with about 25 employees where we make chocolates, popcorn and caramels. In capacity as head chocolatier I have to work with our facilities supervisor to develop a food safety testing plan for the facility. Right now we are developing a plan to do the following: swab with ATP detectors to see if bacterial activity is present, test for Aerobic Plate Count bacteria (APC), and swabbing for the presence of nut proteins to verify our cleaning protocols are sufficient to eliminate nut allergens and test the floor drains for the presence of listeria. Does anyone have any experience with food safety testing in chocolate plants?? If so, is there anything else that you think we need to be testing for?
  19. Anyone have any info on this? Bake Magazine blurb
  20. Can you believe this is our 10th annual workshop? And here we are back in Niagara College in beautiful Niagara on the Lake where it all began in 2009. The view from my room - the pergola down there we will have access to for Show and Tell on Friday night. I had every intention of soaking in a nice warm bath after my arrival - alas not a tub to be seen - and while the shower is quite attractive - it doesn't invite soaking! Those who can't soak can at least drink if they have remembered to bring small specimen bottles of booze. I somehow pictured a nice glass tumbler for my negroni - but alas... Tomorrow morning the whirlwind will begin with a trip across the border to Tomric - hope everyone remembers their passport.
  21. Has anyone taken one of Andrey's classes. I know they've been mentioned in the How Do They Do That thread, but I can't remember if anyone has taken a course. I'm curious because he continues to do methods that are groundbreaking. Not cheap for an online course, but I'm interested in taking his praline course. I just watched his free tempering class and it was good, nothing special but good enough to allay my fears that the Russian to English translation or camerawork might make the class not worthwhile. Thnx.
  22. saw this post and questioned why “in theory, this won’t work”, response so far is “starch in chocolate can be problematic” Ok ... obviously adding a lot of fine dry material will decrease fluidity, and things could get weird if you were going to add cream and make ganache, but how else would milling popcorn into chocolate “not work”? My experiments so far suggest you just need enough warm cocoa butter to keep things moving, how would starchy popcorn be different from fibrous fruits?
  23. Has anyone successfully replaced the power cord on a mol d' art melter? Is it easy or do I have to send it somewhere, and if so, where? Thought I'd check here for DIY info before contacting TCF. My 6kg melter has reached the point where the cord has to be in that just right position to conduct power, and just right can be elusive. I've had it for several years so it's seen some use, am hoping it's a simple repair, i.e. can be done with a screwdriver or passed off to one of my handier brothers in exchange for candy. thanks!
  24. So I've been experiencing cracks on the foot of my bonbons that I've been unable to find the cause of, hoping to reach out to the community to get to the bottom of this costly problem. I work for a small chocolate company that makes our own bean to bar couverture. We use a continuous tempering machine with enrobing belt attachment. The process: ganache is made and then piped into round silicone molds, which are then footed with tempered chocolate before being placed in the freezer until frozen enough to pop out of the molds. They are then set up right and left to thaw and dry out overnight on a equipped with fans aimed at the bonbons. The next day we send the bonbons through the enrober, and then they are transferred to a speed rack to set up, either at room temp (generally around 68-70 degrees F) or in a homemade cooling cabinet (an insulated box equipped with an air conditioner + dehumidifier + fans) that generally fluctuates between 50-56 degrees F (I know, large range). Problems occur with both milk and dark couverture, with bonbons kept at room temp or in cabinet, thickness of foot doesn't seem to make a difference (we've tried thicker and thinner). Crack doesn't immediately appear; it usually takes a couple of minutes after being completely set before showing. It looks as though the foot is popping out, cause a hairline crack between the shell and the foot. I've attached pictures. You'll notice in the photos, that when the bonbon is cut in half, the foot separates from the shell pretty significantly. Thoughts? Suggestions? Similar experiences?
  25. Does anyone have any experience using Knobel depositing machines? My one shot plate is leaking chocolate out of the top and I can't determine why. Any help would be appreciated
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