Colored Cocoa Butter: The Topic

[Alleguede]

I personally feel that when you make your own cacao butter colors, I need to make a decent amount. Like 250 g so that it is blended well. Don't forget to strain it well.

You can add some shimmers to it as well or white or dark chocolate. Try to use those colors around 30 degrees.

As Kerry said always try to keep them crystallized. Melt them a little and shake well.

Pcb or chef rubber do have great products and they last for ever.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Alleguede (log)

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

Hello,

I am trying to make colored cocoa butter too I've been succesfull with powdered colors but I am completely new using titanium dioxide, I got some from the store that sells the powdered colors but don't know how much I can use. Many sites states that is not safe in big quantities and really don't want to poison anybody.

I have also read in the FDA that the maximum allowed is 1%

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=73.575

Edited November 8, 2013 by Victor Antonio Padilla (log)

[Alleguede]

That is true but it also means 1% of the total weight of your product.

When you airbrush or paint you most likely deposit much less then 1%

During practice, we made about 200 molds of 28 cavities with about 3/4 of a 200 gr bottle. So needless to say you have room.

Even in my glaze I use 20 grs for 4kg so I'm well under.

Good luck!

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

Thanks a lot for you help. Just to double check you mean 20grs Titanium for each 4KG cocoa butter right?

Will be making some tests today hope i can get them to look half as good as the ones I have seen here.

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

Just to update, everything went horribly wrong. Don't know if I did something that I shouldn't. Yesterday went testing only powdered colors without titanium dioxide color blended well with the cocoa butter. Today the powder appeared to combine but when I added the titanium dioxide altought the color became kind of milky I got some white cast in the surface:

I never got rid of it, no matter how much I blended. I read that maybe with some extra heat It could blend but still no luck. Tired I just let it sit after a while everything started precipitating so it was kind of orange in the surface and pink in the bottom, I tried not to combine again everything just to take a correct picture, blowing revelead the color down the surface like in this picture (half orange, half pink after a blowing, and still with those white lines)

Please help me, I want to know what I am doing wrong. If there is a problem with the titanium dioxide I am using I don't think I will be able to get another brand here in Peru (also importing edible products is horribly dificult, so buying directly from chef rubber is not an option for me).

Is there any other method? can I combine for example 8% powdered pink and 2% powdered (thus making the 10% required) in order to get a similar result?

Edited November 9, 2013 by Victor Antonio Padilla (log)

[Kerry Beal]

How warm is that mixture?

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

First picture is somewhere between 40º and 35º don't remember the exact moment of the picture melted it to 40º added the powder then started with the inmersion blender and added the titanium. Even thought it starting getting colder I always had that white stuff on top.

Second picture is after i heated more just to see if the titanium can join completely, I most probably overheated (Last time I checked I reached 55º or so) the white stuff never dissapeared. I still have it here the colored part has separated with some in the bottom, kind of solid and dark yellow butterish liquid on the top.

[Kerry Beal]

Might want to see if it can be saved by tempering on marble.

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

I will try to do that, thanks a lot for the tip. I actually don't mind starting again, I have more cocoa butter and more color powders (other colors at least).

The problem is, even at low temperatures I had that white stuff on top from the begining as soon as I added the titanium, how may I get rid of that white cast, or is it normal of the titanium dioxide?

As I said, yesterday with no titanium everything went smooth with no white stuff on top altought it was translucent. That's why I am starting to think maybe the titanium I am using is not right for this use (sadly there is no other place to get other brands).

[Kerry Beal]

I'm not really sure what is causing it - I have had some problems with the titanium dioxide that I didn't get from a source that makes it for coloured cocoa butter so I assume that it was not as fat soluble for some reason - but I believe you said you bought this from the same place you got the coloured powders?

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

Yes, it is actually a store that sells all kind of colours not only chocolate stuff. Even the coloured powders they are probably not specific for cocoa butter they just sell them as fat soluble, sadly they don't state anything about the titanium dioxide. I will try it again from the start, if it doesn't work will try to just use white instead.

[Alleguede]

First of all, follow the advice of Kerry. If that doesn't work, add 20 grs of white chocolate and see if it emulsifies. Real titanium dioxide is not the easiest to work with. It has a dilution issue but to its advantage it is as well hydro and lipo soluble but if they sold you chalk. Then you will have a problem.

[Victor Antonio Padilla]

Hello guys,

This is more like a thank you post to all of you. Took all your advises seirously, and got some results, I really think I got it right this time.

Sadly I had to start all over because not even tempering or marble worked saving yesterday's work, and that white thing never got away, so today I starting by calling a lot of people and found another provider for the titanium dioxide, anyway, an image speaks for itself (right one is today's obviously)

Once again thank you.

PS.: I have something else to ask. Some days ago my airbrush compresor died. I want to buy a new one to work with cocoa butter and also change my current airbrush as it not designed for that either (it has a 0.3 tip so you can imagine how much time consuming it is to use it to airbrush molds). I don't have a big budget and what I can say is that I like to buy a syphon suction one (I really prefer them because of how easy is to change colors). If you can give me some advise in what I could buy I'd really appreciate it. I can't physically go to any store in US but can order in webpages and sent them to a freight forwarder I use, so It has to be something I can buy online.

[Mjx]

Victor, head on over to the ongoing discussion of compressors, Air compressor kit for spraying moulded chocolates.

[Kerry Beal]

Here's another with some airbrush suggestions in it too.

Chicago Airbrush Supply here is a good online source of stuff - the store itself is a fascinating rabbit warren - but they have a ton of stuff and their prices are very competitive.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks for the reminder about the colours - knew there was something I had forgotten. Each is with 100 grams of cocoa butter no more than 40º C.

Chocolate brown

8 grams red

6 grams blue

4 grams yellow

Yellow

8 grams yellow

white

10 grams titanium dioxide

blue

8 grams blue

red

8 grams red

3 grams yellow

20 grams dark chocolate

[jaroj]

As said before the colored cocoa from Chef Rubber can be expensive and would like to do the colors myself, can anyone tell me a good source for the pigments in the US.

[minas6907]

I got my fat soluble powdered colors from pastrychef.com

[Kerry Beal]

yup - Chef Rubber carries the pigments as well

[jaroj]

Thanks and will check both leads.

[fandi1]

Hi all....

I think this is my first post but I am a long time reader. I think this is THE best (BESTEST) LOL forum out there and everyone are very helpful. I would like to thank everyone for explaining everything without jumping on newbees. THANK YOU.,

 

I would like if possible to get help with colored cocoa butter. Here is my problem. I got my CCB from http://shop.chocotransfersheets.com/.  I use my CCB on candy molds most of the time. 90% of the time candies don't stick to the molds when they are ready to come out. If they do stick. it's just very little. problem that I have is that even if I let my candies rest if I barely touch them I get a finger marks and cocoa butter melts. I don't even have to hold candy in my hand for this to happen. I think my CCB could be out of temper. 

Now, here is a process of how I make my candy shells prepared for molding.

 

1. my CCB is at high 90F low 100F. I shake well I use two types of air guns (.8mm masters and 1.5mm full size gun) both at about 40 psi BTW. I love use      1.5mm it's fast so if I need to make 5-10 molds of 3X5 it's fast and even.

 

2. Gun is at 90-100F, I spray CCB in to the molds let it crystalize, scrape, clean and let it sit for about 2 hrs. 

 

3. fill molds with tempered chocolate. shake out, clean let crystalize, 1-2 hrs later perfect shell for candy,

 

4. then usual .... fill with ganache, close, take out... done...

 

next day if I touch my candies I get the problem that I am trying to address here.

 

 

ALSO, if anyone interested, I made my own warm box 36inx24inx18in (91cmX61cmX46) that I can keep any temperature constant in for less then $200.00.  And paint booth  for less then $100.00 I can post pictures and how to.

 

I am trying to find out how to post pictures here... I will include  a picture of my candies when I do

Edited March 27, 2015 by fandi1 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Welcome fandi1 - I for one would love to see your paint booth.

 

I think perhaps your cocoa butter is a bit warm - try about 95 F and see if that makes a difference.  

[fandi1]

Thanks to Nancy... I know how to post now LOL

 

this is my chocolate candies that I made and make

 

input would be appreciated

Edited March 27, 2015 by fandi1 (log)

[fandi1]

Welcome fandi1 - I for one would love to see your paint booth.

 

I think perhaps your cocoa butter is a bit warm - try about 95 F and see if that makes a difference.  

 

Thank you Kerry Beal...

I will take pictures of the paint booth and post tonight after I get home.

 

question though.....

i thought that if I'm using a spray gun... air in the gun (kind of ) tempers CCB.  you are saying that there is a greater chance of CCB being tempered if I start from 95F? correct?

 

I was planning to start over and temper my CCB. I just finished my hot box and I was planning to get CCB tempered like dark chocolate one time (do a full temper sickle) let it get hard and then keep CCB in my hot box at about 90F all the time.. guns would be at about 95F (lover rack). what do you think about that?

 

My thoughts about CCB is that lots of people talk about it. There are lots of forums about it. Every one has there own opinion about this matter.

I would like to put this question to rest ones and for all.

I know that here are people who take chocolate making to the next level and I, for one, am working on opening my own business up. However, I am a person who don't have to much money, and would like to make my candies perfect before I open up. 

Edited March 27, 2015 by fandi1 (log)

[keychris]

I personally work with my cocoa butter at 31-32C (88 - 90F) and my gun at 45C before spraying. It might be one of those things that once you have it work for you, you just do it that way forever

 

I leave my coloured cocoa butter solid in my holding cabinet, wrapped in three layers of clingwrap. When I need it, I just take it out the day before and leave it at 45C in my dehydrator overnight, then it's ready the next day to be stirred whilst cooling to 32C.