Chocolate Tool Suppliers?

[u2star]

I didn't see this posted anywhere and I hope it isn't a double post.

Where is a good place for quality chocolate tools such as bench scrapers, dipping tools, tempering tools, polycarbonate moulds, etc..

I checked out chocoley and chocolat-chocolat What suppliers do you recommend for those of you who work with chocolate?

Thanks

Diane

Edited June 16, 2008 by u2star (log)

[sote23]

I didn't see this posted anywhere and I hope it isn't a double post.

Where is a good place for quality chocolate tools such as bench scrapers, dipping tools, tempering tools, polycarbonate moulds, etc..

I checked out chocoley and chocolat-chocolat  What suppliers do you recommend that have worked with chocolate?

Thanks

Diane

←

There are a variety of places I shop from. Take a look at www.jbprince.com, www.chefrubber.com, www.bakedeco.com, and www.pastrychef.com to start off with.

Luis

[Kerry Beal]

Also tomric for the molds, dipping tools etc. Another canadian one is www.dr.ca

Scrapers tend to come from the hardware store, just polish off any rough edges.

Edited June 16, 2008 by Kerry Beal (log)

[prairiegirl]

What is considered the most optimum refrigeration and humidity for chocolate. I am looking at getting a work table with an underneath refrigerator. I know that it is suggested to keep the humidity beneath 50%, but is is the ideal %? I know that the temp should be about 15-20 degrees C. Any inbput is helpful.

Thanks.

deb.

[u2star]

Has anyone used these: Ganache Molds

http://www.pastrychef.com/Candy-Chocolate-...ols_c_33-1.html

Seems like they would save some time and money if they worked!

I have also wondered about these too:

Also wondering about Wybauw's Ganache Cutters. They are pricey but could be fun.

http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/c377998681.2.html

Thanks for all the websites for products. Very helpful indeed.

Diane

Edited June 16, 2008 by u2star (log)

[Kerry Beal]

What is considered the most optimum refrigeration and humidity for chocolate. I am looking at getting a work table with an underneath refrigerator.  I know that it is suggested to keep the humidity beneath 50%, but is is the ideal %?  I know that the temp should be about 15-20 degrees C.  Any inbput is helpful.

Thanks.

deb.

←

Deb, not sure I know the answer to the humidity question, but the ideal temperature seems to be 10º below room temp - so around 15º C is what I've heard.

[chiantiglace]

if you get into flavorings and other specialty products here are two more interesting sites

www.lepicerie.com

www.le-sanctuaire.com

[Kerry Beal]

Has anyone used these: Ganache Molds

http://www.pastrychef.com/Candy-Chocolate-...ols_c_33-1.html

Seems like they would save some time and money if they worked!

I have also wondered about these too:

Also wondering about Wybauw's Ganache Cutters.  They are pricey but could be fun.

http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/c377998681.2.html

Thanks for all the websites for products.  Very helpful indeed.

Diane

←

I know there was a discussion about the ganache molds previously - but I can't find it, and I don't recall if people found them helpful or not. I seem to remember that we all wondered if the ganache would pop out as easily as the manufacturer would lead you to believe.

I have a number of the cutters that I picked up at Tomric, they work quite nicely with a ganache of the right consistency. Trouble is what you do with all the extra bits from around the cutouts.

Here are some pictures of JP Wybauw using the cutters - thanks to David J taking such excellent pictures at the class he attended in November 2006. Go about 1/2 way down the first post.

[prairiegirl]

As far as cutters go, today I used the cap to a small bottle of Safflower oil. I have my piping tips (which I use as cutters, the opposite end!) but they were at the shop so I ran around my kitchen looking for the ultimate circle! I want to make some more beehives and use the tabling method on the ganache, so I needed some bases! They turned out quite well. I use 2 rulers as borders and spread my chocolate in between and use my scraper to spread the chocolate evenly. I get a 2mm thickness (approx).

oh, and I just read David's fantastic report. The temperatures he gave are a big help to me..working cooling final cooling..

Edited June 17, 2008 by prairiegirl (log)

[Sebastian]

relative humidity varies by temperature - there's lot of psychrometric charts available on the web that'll show you what you're RH will be at a given temperature. I like to keep my lab around 60% or so - the issues you'll experience will be condensation as you remove from your cooling tunnel, as well as thickening over time as your chocolate absorbs moisture from the air if you're working with an open air batch tempering process.

[sote23]

Has anyone used these: Ganache Molds

http://www.pastrychef.com/Candy-Chocolate-...ols_c_33-1.html

Seems like they would save some time and money if they worked!

I have also wondered about these too:

Also wondering about Wybauw's Ganache Cutters.  They are pricey but could be fun.

http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/c377998681.2.html

Thanks for all the websites for products.  Very helpful indeed.

Diane

←

I too was interested in those ganache molds pastry chef sells, and there are a few on the board that use them, but from what I can recollect, they are fine if the ganache is fairly hard, but if you try to use a softer ganache, it won't come out of the mold.

Luis

[prairiegirl]

I live in a dry and sometimes cool climate which is great for making bonbons. So I have decided to purchase the TUC-72 from True Food Service Equipment. This fridge will cost $2982 + tax. I googled this fridge unit and it is alot cheaper on the web. Problem though, is I would have to pay for shipping from a US destination, and I would also probably have duty and some other fees. The advantage to purchase locally is if I have any problems the local company is liable and most readily available to fix my troubles. I do have a small wine fridge and I will use that for part 2 of my cooling process. The tuc72 has a stainless steel top which will become my work counter. My cousins have a marble shop so I might decide to throw a slab cover on the fridge.

The heat sealer I will buy is the 300Lp L-bar impulse for $475 from PAL distributors. It will be great for a number of applications.

Now I need some caramel cutters. Who is a good source for a quality cutter?

[Kerry Beal]

I live in a dry and sometimes cool climate which is great for making bonbons.  So I have decided to purchase the TUC-72 from True Food Service Equipment.  This fridge will cost $2982 + tax.  I googled this fridge unit and it is alot cheaper on the web.  Problem though, is I would have to pay for shipping from a US destination, and I would also probably have duty and some other fees. The advantage to purchase locally is if I have any problems the local company is liable and most readily available to fix my troubles.  I do have a small wine fridge and I will use that for part 2 of my cooling process.  The tuc72 has a stainless steel top which will become my work counter. My cousins have a marble shop so I might decide to throw a slab cover on the fridge.

The heat sealer I will buy is the 300Lp L-bar impulse for $475 from PAL distributors.  It will be great for a number of applications.

Now I need some caramel cutters.  Who is a good source for a quality cutter?

←

Is this the sort of caramel cutter you are looking for?

[mrose]

The cutter Kerry showed is really used to mark caramel evenly for cutting. If you have a technique to cut all the way through please post it.

[prairiegirl]

The cutter Kerry showed is really used to mark caramel evenly for cutting. If you have a technique to cut all the way through please post it.

←

The cutter Kerry has shown is what I am looking for. I have seen professional cutting machines from Union Equipment but it is more that what I need for now. For now I will be using a sharp knife!

Edited June 22, 2008 by prairiegirl (log)

[mrose]

The cutter Kerry showed is really used to mark caramel evenly for cutting. If you have a technique to cut all the way through please post it.

←

The cutter Kerry has shown is what I am looking for. I have seen professional cutting machines from Union Equipment but it is more that what I need for now. For now I will be using a sharp knife!

←

They appear every once in a while on ebay. Last one was about 1 month ago.

[Kerry Beal]

The cutter Kerry showed is really used to mark caramel evenly for cutting. If you have a technique to cut all the way through please post it.

←

The cutter Kerry has shown is what I am looking for. I have seen professional cutting machines from Union Equipment but it is more that what I need for now. For now I will be using a sharp knife!

←

They appear every once in a while on ebay. Last one was about 1 month ago.

←

Yeah - and I got it!!!!! Thanks for the heads up.