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Chocolate Melter/Holder


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I have about 13lbs in it at the moment. It took a couple of hours to get down to where I can seed it.

Good question on using 2 pans, but I don't think it's possible. Maybe someone will know better than I.

Luis

How long did it take to come into temper after seeding?

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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after seeding it usually doesn't take very long, maybe 20-30mins.

I have about 13lbs in it at the moment. It took a couple of hours to get down to where I can seed it.

Good question on using 2 pans, but I don't think it's possible. Maybe someone will know better than I.

Luis

How long did it take to come into temper after seeding?

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  • 4 weeks later...
Does anyone know the minimum amount of chocolate that can be tempered in the 6kg Mol d'Art?

I probably wouldn't go much below 3 kg. It makes for a pretty shallow pool to work with.

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I probably wouldn't go much below 3 kg.  It makes for a pretty shallow pool to work with.

Good point. Hmmm, maybe I'd be better off with the 3kg – I'm only planning to do small quantities for myself and friends.

The 3 kg has a small bowl if you are dumping plates back into it, but for dipping it would be the bomb.

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The 3 kg has a small bowl if you are dumping plates back into it, but for dipping it would be the bomb.

That's what I was thinking. The 6kg would be SO much better for using with molds, but realistically I'll probably be dipping more often. Hmmm. Won't someone buy me both? And find me a bigger apartment so I have space to store them both? :raz:

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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I am going to purchase two 6kg melters from mol d'art. So if there are any other interested buyers please contact me.  I will place the order in about 10 days.

Deb.

Deb, I hope you're considering buying an extra pan. I can't tell you how helpful it is to have a "spare." When I'm done with a batch of chocolate, I line the spare with parchment paper and pour out the remaining tempered chocolate. Next time I need to melt some chocolate, I have a bar that exactly fits my melter.

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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I got 2 6 kg. melters and 2 extra pans. I HIGHLY recommend the extra pans. They are not expensive. When I received my 6 kg. melters I immediately thought - "Oh boy - these are small - should have got the 12 kg." As I've used them, however, I'm finding the size perfect. For those thinking they need smaller, I often work with no more than an inch and a half in the pan and it works great. I don't often work with molds but I didn't want to limit myself either. I'm glad I made that decision as I now want to add bars to my repetoire. Good luck with the decisions!

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.  For those thinking they need smaller, I often work with no more than an inch and a half in the pan and it works great.

Really? Even for dipping? That just seems really shallow... Right now I'm leaning towards the 3kg. I'll probably do some moulds, but mostly dipping. And, again, this is just for me & gifts for friends, so it's not a serious production environment or anything.

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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.  For those thinking they need smaller, I often work with no more than an inch and a half in the pan and it works great.

Really? Even for dipping? That just seems really shallow... Right now I'm leaning towards the 3kg. I'll probably do some moulds, but mostly dipping. And, again, this is just for me & gifts for friends, so it's not a serious production environment or anything.

You can temper a very very small amount of chocolate in the 6kg.

If you plan to do a lot of molds, then the 3kg will be a pain; difficult to work with.

But given your criteria, (mostly dipping, few molds, non-production env.) I think the 3kg would be just fine. Plus it's easy to store in a cupboard when not in use.

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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But given your criteria, (mostly dipping, few molds, non-production env.) I think the 3kg would be just fine.  Plus it's easy to store in a cupboard when not in use.

Thanks John. It helps to have someone with more experience tell me I'm on the right track. I was waffling between the 6 and the 3 for quite awhile. And you're right – storability is important in my tiny tiny kitchen.

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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I'm waffling between the 6 and the 3 again. Any advice would be welcome...

It's for home use only, and I'll probably be doing mostly dipped chocolates (which makes me lean towards the 3), but I do have molds I'd like to use as well (which makes me lean towards the 6), though not as often as dipped.

Thanks everyone...

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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I'm waffling between the 6 and the 3 again. Any advice would be welcome...

It's for home use only, and I'll probably be doing mostly dipped chocolates (which makes me lean towards the 3), but I do have molds I'd like to use as well (which makes me lean towards the 6), though not as often as dipped.

Thanks everyone...

I'd recommend the 3. It's really ideal for dipping, and you don't have temper so much chocolate to get a good pool to work from. I've made thousands of molded chocolates from my 3 - it's a little messy, but it works just fine.

If you change your mind, you can always sell it on eBay and get back most of the value. That's where I got mine!

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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I have a 6. I estimate it's about about 12 molds worth that you have to do each time for an ideal amount of chocolate. This way, it's a good pool that stays tempered, you have enough chocolate left in the pan afterwards to melt and seed and do 12 more molds and repeat the cycle. As said before, if you do less, I don't think yo uhave an ideal pool of chocolate.

If you have a 3, you can still do molds, just dump the excess onto parchment or marble sheet. Or else dump the excess into a really big bowl. Then dump back into the melter being careful of overcrystallization. Or else just reserve the chocolate for later use. This is what I did when I used my ACMC table top temperer.

Edited by ejw50 (log)
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I have a 6.  I estimate it's about about 12 molds worth that you have to do each time for an ideal amount of chocolate.  This way, it's a good pool that stays tempered, you have enough chocolate left in the pan afterwards  to melt and seed and do 12 more molds and repeat the cycle.  As said before, if you do less, I don't think yo uhave an ideal pool of chocolate.

If you have a 3, you can still do molds, just dump the excess onto parchment or marble sheet.  Or else dump the excess into a really big bowl.  Then dump back into the melter being careful of overcrystallization.  Or else just reserve the chocolate for later use.  This is what I did when I used my ACMC table top temperer.

I dump my molds back into the 3. You just have to be careful about it. I work on an angle, then give a shake before putting it on a rack to finish setting. Works fine, and I don't get lopsided shells.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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Thanks, both of you. That helps.

I've only done molded chocolates once, and I'd tempered the chocolate in the microwave, using a large bowl that's probably pretty close to the size of the 3kg. I found it pretty awkward and messy to empty the excess back into the bowl. But I also didn't want to just pour the molds out onto parchment – I thought that would get messy in its own way. But it didn't even occur to me to pour it into another container – like a baking pan! – and then pour that directly back into the bowl. That makes more sense to me. And I like the size and shape of the 3kg for dipping, which like I said, will be mostly what I do.

Thanks! :wub:

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Everyone,

I've been through the forum with a fine tooth comb (Love it! I have learnt so much!) and haven't found the answer to my question.

So, I thought I'd post here to find out.

I'm wondering what the minimum amount of chocolate needed for the 6kg tank?? I am in the proccess of gathering supplies, and the last thing I want to do is purchase too little chocolate.

Many thanks!

Danni

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  • 4 weeks later...

I just got my melter yesterday – thanks prairiegirl!

I haven't used it yet, but I've cleaned it up and gotten it ready for use tomorrow.

I've fiddled with the dial a bit though, and when I turn it on, I don't hear a "click" until the dial reads about 17-20°. Is that normal? Or does that mean my dial is off by about 20°?

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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Emmalish if your room temperature is about 18-20C then I do not think the melter's heater will click in until you set the temp dial to above that temp?

Mine only clicks when the dial is set higher than the melter's current temperature.

When the melter is working above room temperature it clicks in very briefly every so often to maintain the higher temp but even when holding 30C in a room at 20C it does not come on to heat for very long at a time.

That is my experience anyway!

Edited by lapin d'or (log)
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I got my melter just a few days ago from prairiegirl. I was one of the people in the bulk order. I plan on trying it out tomorrow and see how it goes. I've never used a melter before, but having read all the posts on them I'm looking forward to putting all the helpful hints into use.

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I just got my melter yesterday – thanks prairiegirl!

I haven't used it yet, but I've cleaned it up and gotten it ready for use tomorrow.

I've fiddled with the dial a bit though, and when I turn it on, I don't hear a "click" until the dial reads about 17-20°. Is that normal? Or does that mean my dial is off by about 20°?

The other thing that JPW has mentioned in his classes (according to reports here) is that every machine is different. So the temperature isn't absolute, it's relative.

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