Colored Cocoa Butter: The Topic

[Kerry Beal]

I've had a few bottles get kind of stinky after a bunch of years - but generally the ones that have become seriously overheated. Like Ruth I've had some for a lot of years.

 

[keychris]

I haven't had any go bad, but I have had colours absorb moisture which made them perform extremely poorly. I vacuum seal all my colours after use now.

[pastrygirl]

I think I did have a bit that I decided had gone off and threw away, but it was probably 5 years old and had been melted many times.  It seems to be good for at least 2+ years if stored properly.  And all those good (for chocolate sales) winter holidays are coming, might as well have lots of festive colors!

[pastryani]

Thanks all.  So from these answers can I assume that if you don't reheat the bottle that they'll last longer?  The way I've been using them is to chisel a little out of the bottle and melt in a separate container.  They're kept at around 68-70F year round. 

 

Also, does 2+ years mean that it's likely that sometime between the 2-3 year mark that they're likely to turn?  Or are CB colors like sugar sprinkles, which (in theory) wouldn't ever really spoil assuming you kept them away from humidity and heat?

[Kerry Beal]

I think the sprinkles analogy is correct - properly stored and not abused they last almost forever. 

 

Some of the new natural colors however - while they might not go rancid – change their color over time.

[Jim D.]

4 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

Some of the new natural colors however - while they might not go rancid – change their color over time.

Kerry,

That's intriguing information.  Can you say more about the natural colors?  I had not heard about them.  I have always found the smell and taste of the colored c.b. one buys in all the usual places to be offputting--much stronger than plain c.b.  No customer has ever complained about the taste, but I certainly have noticed it.  I have always assumed those colors were not natural, but in the interests of sanity decided not to pursue the subject too far for fear of what I might discover.

[Kerry Beal]

They are using beet and spinach and such for colour these days. I've had many powdered samples over the years from attending the PMCA - some of them smell even more offputting than regular coloured cocoa butter. But many of them change over time - the colour fades and you tend not to get the intense colours of the 'non' natural colours.

 

 

[carol lang]

How long is colored cocoa butter good to use. Is there a way to know that the colored cocoa butter is no longer usable.

I have some Chef Rubber bottles for more than 2 years (maybe 3) and I am wondering wether to chuck it all and start fresh.

Is there a taste test?  Any way to know?

Even if it tempers properly, I wouldn't want to spoil my hard work with "off" tasting cocoa butter.

The cocoa butter has not been stored under ideal conditions, My NYC apartment temperature fluctuates sometimes unfavorably.

Any advice is welcome

 

[Kerry Beal]

Hey Carol - I think most of us keep it around much longer than we would admit to - I've got bottles that I've had for a lot more than 3 years - I give them the sniff test - if they don't smell cheesy or unpleasantly strong then I use them. The natural colours seem to go off quickly - but it's the colour that changes not the cocoa butter itself.

 

I think the huge number of bottles that I destroyed in the heating tray meets Ikea dimmer switch incident at Niagara College a couple of years ago were on average over 5 years old and they were still fine (before the incident)!

[NWKate]

Can you freeze them?

[RobertM]

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

Hey Carol - I think most of us keep it around much longer than we would admit to - I've got bottles that I've had for a lot more than 3 years - I give them the sniff test - if they don't smell cheesy or unpleasantly strong then I use them. The natural colours seem to go off quickly - but it's the colour that changes not the cocoa butter itself.

 

I think the huge number of bottles that I destroyed in the heating tray meets Ikea dimmer switch incident at Niagara College a couple of years ago were on average over 5 years old and they were still fine (before the incident)!

I was there that fateful day - very sad......

[Kerry Beal]

6 minutes ago, RobertM said:

I was there that fateful day - very sad......

Indeed it was!

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, NWKate said:

Can you freeze them?

I suppose you could - but then there would be condensation issues I suspect.

[Bentley]

For those that do big production runs, how do you keep your CC in temper during the painting process?  If we're doing multiple trays of multiple bonbons, we might need 20 different colors over the course of a few hours.  What do you use to keep your CCB at the proper temperature when you're working over a long period of time painting molds?

[pastrygirl]

 

my mol d' art melter - painting bunnies 2 at a time today

[Kerry Beal]

I know some folks use their Excalibur dehydrators to keep their cocoa butters warm. I sometimes fire up a second EZtemper at a higher temperature but it holds maybe max 8 colors at once.

 I've used the Mol d'art as well and also vintage warming trays that I attach to a dimmer switch to lower the temperature. I usually put an overturned hotel pan on top.

[RobertM]

I have been using a steamer.  I keep the bottles in a hotel pan with a lid over them. I also keep/warm up the airbrush in the pan.  

It took a little trial and error to get the "right" setting for the temp, but, once I found it.....schweet 

[Kerry Beal]

4 minutes ago, RobertM said:

I have been using a steamer.  I keep the bottles in a hotel pan with a lid over them. I also keep/warm up the airbrush in the pan.  

It took a little trial and error to get the "right" setting for the temp, but, once I found it.....schweet 

Picture?

[RWood]

I've found what best works for me is to warm the bottle of cocoa butter in a bowl of hot tap water. I shake every so often, and add more hot water as needed. Then just keep the bottles in warm water as I'm working.  I tried microwaving, but it was always off and I had a lot of wasted pieces.  May not be the most scientific, but I it works. 

[RobertM]

Here is the set up I use, as I mentioned above.  I had to play with the settings to get the proper heat to the water, but, it keeps the colored cocoa butter at a nice consistent temp.  I also keep my smaller bottles of color that connect to my airbrush in there.  And speaking of airbrushed, I keep that in there as well to keep it warm for use.

[ChristysConfections]

Hi All!

 

I know this has surely been talked about, by my search for this information on the forums has been challenging. Would anyone care to share their favourite brand of coloured cocoa butter for decorations chocolate molds, etc? One with a diverse selection of colours. Or do you find it preferable to melt cocoa butter and add a fat-soluable powdered colour?

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

Christy

 

p.S. I was just reading about Kerry's EZ temper and I simply MUST HAVE ONE! Wow! What a brilliant product! Kudos, Kerry!

[Bentley]

I use Chef Rubber colors.  It's a bit of a guessing game because the colors on the web (and bottle lables) don't match what's in the bottle all that well, but once you figure out what the actual color is, the actual product is excellent.  I've also used Roxy and Rich colors with great results - easier to get if you are in Canada.

[Chocolot]

I like Glarus Gourmet. You get an ounce more for the same price as Chef Rubber.

I am a proud owner of an EZ temper and I can tell you it is a game changer. Don't know what I did before I got one.

[Kerry Beal]

On 5/28/2017 at 6:33 PM, ChristysConfections said:

Hi All!

 

I know this has surely been talked about, by my search for this information on the forums has been challenging. Would anyone care to share their favourite brand of coloured cocoa butter for decorations chocolate molds, etc? One with a diverse selection of colours. Or do you find it preferable to melt cocoa butter and add a fat-soluable powdered colour?

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

Christy

 

p.S. I was just reading about Kerry's EZ temper and I simply MUST HAVE ONE! Wow! What a brilliant product! Kudos, Kerry!

Apparently my answer from yesterday disappeared into the ether!

 

I also like the colours from Glarus gourmet - aka chocotransfersheets.com. 

 

The colors from Chef Rubber are also good - most of the other brands you buy in the US will be relabelled Chef Rubber. 

[ChristysConfections]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I appreciate all the options I have to explore! The only company I had never heard of is Roxy and Rich - ironically, the most locally available to me. I have used transfer sheets from Glarus Gourmet before. I should have thought of getting the cocoa butter there as well. I didn't love their transfer sheets though. They seemed to smudge more easily and didn't always transfer quite as well as others I have tried (granted, I think I was being hasty one of the times I removed the sheets, so it was probably my fault anyway).