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Does anyone here know what the story is with Lumette? I was just at a chocolate event and a local caterer was featuring these chocolates. I doubt that Ewald Notter is working for a caterer in Seattle, so is this a wholesale line he's doing? The website seems to be just a landing page for now. Just curious, it was odd to see the name at a local event.

Is anyone here familiar with Pomati chocolate machines? Kerekes has this tabletop model http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=32951 only 5kg but could be a good step up from hand tempering as I grow my company. They also have larger floor models. Alternately, if there is anyone near Seattle, Portland OR, or Vancouver BC who would be willing to show me your chocolate kitchen and tempering machine, I'd love to come for a visit!

Hi everyone, We are working on an apple cider caramel that is made via a wet method, with liquids split 50/50 between heavy cream and reduced apple cider. We cook to a high temperature, and the caramels are perfectly firm for about 48 hours, we enrobe them, then they start to spread, breaking through the shell. Thoughts on how the acidic fruit cider is causing this spreading? Advice on how to prevent it? Thanks! Heather

Hello. I would like to know if someone has any idea of where can I buy the naked jelly bean centers?

I have been playing with chocolate a lot these days; while I have no particular issues with tempering itself or any other techniques, I never seem to be able to get dipped candies right. The melted chocolate seems to harden too quickly to get anything done properly, and is really difficult to maintain at a safe working temperature without a fancy tempering machine or some sort of warmer. This problem is even worse when the filling I'm using is cold(things like relatively soft caramel/nougat/ganache .etc that are easier to handle when chilled)- the job quickly gets rather frustrating and I often find myself resorting to candy coating then feeling terrible about my culinary skills afterwards. Does anyone else making chocolates at home experience this, or is there something I'm doing wrong?

I am looking for a new display case for chocolates. My current one was bought used and really is not up to the job, it was not made for chocolates, I modified it to work. I have decided to go new and get exactly what I want. I am in Florida, so refrigeration/humidity control is a must. Anyone have any recommended brands or ones to avoid? I have been searching the internet looking at various brands, they all market nice, but finding any reviews about any is practically non-existent. Even though they are cheap, I am avoiding going with no-name China imports. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you,

As a result of a failed attempt at coconut gelato I have a batch of (for lack of a more precise term) coconut paste: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144208-home-made-ice-cream-2013–/?p=2019595 The stuff is wonderfully delicious and at refrigerator temperature about the consistency of ice cream or lard. Like coconut marzipan but perfectly smooth. Any ideas what I can use it for...besides eating out of the pot?

Before I start experimenting, does anyone here have an understanding of how pate de fruits would be affected by fatty ingredients? Boiron has a formula for coconut, but I don't now how fatty their coconut puree is. I recall eating an olive oil pate de fruit somewhere in Australia and wondering how it worked. Is pectin gel formation affected by fat? Would the texture be softer? Greweling does not make any mention of fat in the section on jellies, obviously with most fruit it is not an issue. Berries and cream, pbj, melon with prosciutto... will it work?

As a lot of you already know, Kerry Beal has been working on a device to help the artisan chocolate maker – the EZtemper. I got a chance to see the EZtemper in action this weekend at the eGullet Chocolate and Confection 2015 workshop and it was nothing short of amazing. Dead simple to operate, you basically just load a container with cocoa butter and turn it on. Allow it to work overnight (about 12 hours, I think) and the EZtemper will produce cocoa butter silk i.e. Form V Beta crystals. The cocoa butter is transformed into a mayonnaise-like consistency which can then be used to instantly temper any melted chocolate or ganache. Like Mycryo, you add 1% by weight to melted chocolate at the proper temperature; however, the chocolate silk produced by the EZtemper is superior, in my opinion, because you don’t have to worry about melting out the Mycryo cocoa butter crystals and incorporating it into the melted chocolate. You just have to stir the silk in – much more easy. Not only that, but you can use it to temper your ganaches which we all know produces a product with longer shelf life and better mouthfeel. As if that weren’t enough, it also causes your ganache to set up much much faster. So you can pour out a slab of tempered ganache and move to cutting and enrobing a short while later. I think this device is going to revolutionize the chocolate industry. You should consider it for your confectionery business if you want to save a lot of time and produce a superior product. Take a look at the web site here: http://www.eztemper.com

Anyone have experience re-melting caramel that has been overcooked in it's first round? I keep getting this advice from people, but it's always heresay. Looking for hands-on experience that someone's had with this. For example: pouring out a slab of simple salted caramel cooked to 121C/250F that is too hard - can it all be melted down to start over? Can I use a portion of it in the next round? Thanks!

Help! I'm trying to make an Onion Sugar. Its Onion Juice, glucose, and sugar (or isomalt for a reduced sweetness). Chris Hennes tried this back in 2012 and got the same results I did: very dark, slightly burnt, still slightly sticky and impossible to grind back into powder. Has anyone tried this with success? The sugar needs to reach the hard crack stage so it can be ground back into a powder, but basically remain as clear and un-carmelized as possible. Help me Gods of Glucose, Sultans of Sucrose, Kings of Caramel, Masters of... whatever. Any ideas? Thanks! Seth

I have two pairs of clear polycarbonate 3-d egg molds that I bought last year. These: http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/egg-12-cavitiesities-1-piece.asp I tried them once as whole eggs, and they worked fine but it seems like a pain to have to puncture then reseal them in order to fill them (which I have not actually tried, it just seems like it would be awkward and ugly). I am considering trying to hack off the nubs that align the halves so I can use them as half egg molds and be able to scrape across the top of the mold, filling and closing as usual. There is also a lip around each egg, but I think if I removed the two pins I could manage the lip. Thoughts or experience? Thanks!

Just seen this, I'd love your thoughts on a few things: http://www.odditycentral.com/foods/this-japanese-water-cake-looks-and-tastes-unlike-any-sweet-youve-tried-before.html — anyone tasted it? Flavour? Mouth feel? — recipe that's tried n tested? — best to serve with? — honestly, I'm asking... which course would you serve it? As a sweet course? — does it melt 'to a puddle' or just compress and weep? Looks great though

I am using a recipe from Jean-Pierre Wybauw for beer ganache that calls for sorbitol. I have been searching for information online and with my local shop about whether this is considered a preservative (since I tell everyone I don't use preservatives!). Does anyone know? I'm at a loss! Thanks.

I am attempting a recipe from Peter Greweling's book "Chocolates & Confections." It's the Salt & Pepper Bars. In the recipe you first lay down a layer of salted caramel in your frame, then spray with cocoa butter before laying down the second layer. I don't have an airbrush or any equipment really. Can anyone shed light onto how this is done - I've searched the book and online, but haven't found any sources to help. I get that it's supposed to help with moisture retention, but am not sure how to "spray with cocoa butter." Thanks for any tips!

Every year around this time I candy a bunch of orange slices for use in Christmas treats, and afterwards I'm left with a bunch of very tasty orange syrup. Similarly, after making a bunch of cherry cordials with amarena cherries I'm left with a bunch of cherry syrup. Inevitably, a lot of it ends up getting tossed because there's just too much of it to use in other applications. This year I'd like to try my hand at turning it into some orange marmalade and cherry flavoured marshmallows, but it's hard to match it to a recipe when I'm unsure what the sugar concentration in my syrup is. My question is, do I need to buy a refractometer calculate the amount of sugar I have there or is there another way to approach this? Maybe estimating quantities by doing an initial cook down to soft ball stage and going by volume? Any suggestions?

So Valronha's Blonde Chocolate seems to be a huge hit, but it is pretty expensive and it's very sweet. I wonder if this can be made from "scratch" with cocoa butter, toasted milk powder and sugar (but a bit less). I've found some recipes for plain white chocolate online and it looks simple, but is it really? Has anyone made their own white chocolate? Would love to hear about it if you have and whether you'd do it again (oh, and whether it saved you any money!). Thanks!

I use and love both Edwald Notter's (Art of the Chocolatier) and Peter Greweling's (Chocolates & Confections) books on making chocolate confections. But sometimes I wonder about different advice each of these experts gives. Case in point: the chocolate pre-coating on slabbed ganache before it's cut. Greweling says to slab the ganache, allow it to crystalize and then apply a thin coat of tempered dark chocolate at 86 F on top of that. Notter says to first apply a thin coat of overtempered chocolate - hot (95 F to 100 F) - to acetate, then lay down the frame and pour/slab the ganache. I've tried both, and like aspects of both. Here are my issues. (Note that I use a knife as I don't have a guitar cutter.) I'm attaching two photos to illustrate. 1) Tempered chocolate at 86 F method seems to result in chocolate that's harder to spread (thickens as it cools) and seems to break quite easily when cutting, compared to the overtempered 95-100 F chocolate method. However I've had varying degrees of success with "overtempered" since I'm never quite sure if I've achieved overtempered or just out-of-temper chocolate. The chocolate is easier to spread at the higher heat, but sometimes it gets streaks all over and is just hideous. But when I get it right, it is noticeably easier to cut. 2) Additionally, as I don't have a guitar and I find acetate to be a bit spendy, I slab my ganache on parchment paper. When I used Notter's method of first applying overtempered chocolate to the parchment (he says to use acetate), the parchment kind of warps and doesn't stay flat. Perhaps the combination of shrinkage and heat? I use parchment paper because cutting on the acetate damages it, and it's just expensive to use a new sheet for every batch. It's a bit easier to just apply the chocolate to the top of the ganache, in my opinion, rather than applying it as the first layer (though that layer of chocolate on the bottom does hold the bars down nicely). In my photos you'll see one is nicely tempered (Greweling's method), but it cracks so easily when cutting. And you'll see one doesn't crack, but it's clearly not properly tempered as I was aiming for "overtempered." What's your experience? Thanks!!

I have my first holiday bazaar gig and am very excited. It occurred to me that I have no idea how many chocolates to make for this fair. They estimate 1500 attendance and it's at a private club (golf course, spa, etc). How do you estimate quantities? I did read through an excellent thread on the topic of fairs, but didn't come across formulas or strategies for estimating how much. Thanks.

I live in a household of beer snobs - craft beer snobs to be precise. So there's been some pressure here for me to create beer chocolates. I completed experiment #1 yesterday and want to share for feedback and / or thoughts. I based my ganache recipe off how you'd do a fruit puree-based ganache. However, instead of adding a fruit puree, I created a "liquid" beer gel from a liquid port gel recipe I found on a molecular cooking site. Simply, this combined beer and agar agar. The gel was cooled and then pureed with an immersion blender. I had to add about twice as much beer as the recipe called for because upon pureeing, the gel broke into teensy tiny little balls of gelified beer. Not good. I had to heat/reheat and keep blending and adding beer until I got a more or less pudding like beer gel. Not terribly scientific, but the beer retained most of its flavor (I used a Founders barrel aged ale - so very strong and flavorul beer to start with). I added the beer gel to a ganache that had cream and butter and a 38% milk chocolate base. The ganache recipe I was working from also calle for glucose and invert sugar, which I'd rather leave out if using milk chocolate because the gananche turned out too sweet IMO. However, it has a nice beer flavor and is smooth. I think the beer flavor should be stronger. Next version I'll either omit or reduce the sugar and/or use a 58%ish chocolate base. Maybe also add more of the beer gel (then add more butter?). I have another experiment I'll be working on as well this weekend, and it will involve actually infusing the cream with the ingredients we'd normally use to brew a stout (chocolate malt, roasted barley, hops, etc.). It may end up tasting like a delicious bread truffle, since I can't ferment the ganache! :-) Would love to hear others' experiences or ideas. Cheers!

I've had a few requests for maple syrup caramels. This is a new one for me. Anyone had any successful experiences with this, or words of wisdom before I embark on this adventure? My plan was to replace half of the corn syrup portion with locally produced, grade A maple syrup. Does that sound about right? (I also had requests for a honey-caramel, so I plan to use the same formula- replacing half the corn syrup with honey.) I'm not afraid to try new things, but this could be a costly little experiment if I screw it up. Any help or wisdom you'd care to impart would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks, in advance. Andrea

I have recently started making toffee and I LOVE it! However, I have noticed that the chocolate stays soft at room temp, and I wanted to package it to use as gifts at the holidays. Can anyone suggest how I can make the chocolate solidify so I don't have this problem? I have been just using Nestle chocolate chips that I put on top of the hot toffee after pouring on a sheet pan. I let it sit for a couple of minutes and then spread it out with my offset spatula, and then I chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before breaking up.

Host's note: this is a continuation of the ever-popular Confections! topic; the previous segment is here: Confections! What did we make? (2012 – 2014) Here's something I did yesterday, peanut butter chocolate bars.

Hello, I've been trying to make these liquid center pralines using starch and then covering with tempered chocolate for the las couple of days. I am having problems when I pour the syrup in the starch holes. I've managed to make it in a way that it doesn't penetrate the starch(sometimes), but when I have to cover the filled holes with more starch it just goes trough the liquid, it doesn't stay on top of it. Almost forgot, if anyone has thought in a way to put them in a painted mold (with the chocolate shell already of course) I would like to read your experiences before I start experimenting myself. Hope you could give me some advise. Greeting from Peru P.D.: I don't post much in the forum, but I do read it and appreciate a lot any help you can give me, much of the advise you gave me took me from failing with painting to this: (many thanks to Kerry and everyone that helped me)

I make lollipops for local organizations to sell to made some money. And while I do have a goodly number of hard candy molds, I've been unable to find suitable dog molds and would dearly love to buy some. I've checked a number of online sites and found nothing that I can use so far. Any help out there? Please and thank you. Sorry. Should have been more specific. Hard candy dog LOLLIPOP molds only.