Callebaut "chips"

[ElainaA]

Although I have made chocolates for years as holiday gifts, this is the first year that I have purchased Callebaut callets rather than a 5 kg block. On various web sites I have seen various labels: Callebaut "chips", Callebaut callets, Callebaut baking callets (or "chips") and Callebaut "chips/callets. Chips is always in quotation marks.

Are these all the same thing? On Callebaut's own site I see no mention of chocolate chips. The milk chocolate callets I purchased look like smooth discs. The bittersweet callets (that is what they are labelled) are smaller and do look more like flattened chips. I want to use this for both molded and dipped chocolates. So, I guess my second question is, will this chocolate work for my intended purpose?

This seems the obvious place to turn for advice...............

[pastrygirl]

Do you know the percentage? I get what my supplier re-packs as "Callebaut semi-sweet pistoles" which I think are 54%. They look like and work great as chocolate chips for cookies, but I don't think I have ever used them for molding. If you get them in their original packaging, it should show the range of fluidity in droplets, I believe 3 or 4 is best for molding and dipping.

[Lisa Shock]

Yeah, they have a range of products designed for different uses. You need either the exact name or the number of drops to know for certain.

[ElainaA]

Thanks for the replies. What I have is 56.8% - labelled as Belgian bittersweet callets. The Gygi website says they are Callebaut 815NV which is 3 drops on the Callebaut site. What unsettled me was their appearance - much more chocolate chip-esque than I expected. So I opened the bag and melted a handful of the little suckers - they melted beautifully. So I believe that I have my couverture for holiday candy making - and a plate of mendiants for immediate consumption. I am especially relieved because the price and service at Gygi were both very good so I really wanted everything to be as advertised so I can buy there again.

[belreal]

I do have to make chocolate mousse for about 100 poeple. Before my wife departed last month, she used I think Nestle chips. But I noticed there were 3 varieties: milk, semi-sweet and dark. What do you recommend? We usually included a bit of orange peel in the receipe.

If I go Callebaut ( or another you might recommend) what percentage? Where can I get it on Long Island, NY.

Thank you!

[belreal]

I had to remember these good times...

Edited November 16, 2012 by belreal (log)

[jrshaul]

Thanks for the replies. What I have is 56.8% - labelled as Belgian bittersweet callets. The Gygi website says they are Callebaut 815NV which is 3 drops on the Callebaut site. What unsettled me was their appearance - much more chocolate chip-esque than I expected. So I opened the bag and melted a handful of the little suckers - they melted beautifully. So I believe that I have my couverture for holiday candy making - and a plate of mendiants for immediate consumption. I am especially relieved because the price and service at Gygi were both very good so I really wanted everything to be as advertised so I can buy there again.

I just received 22 pounds of 815nv from Gygi, and was terrified that I'd recieved something unsuitable. Thank goodness!

[xxchef]

I use Callebaut Callets all the time for our chocolate work. Started using them "temporarily" in place of the blocks about 8 years ago after an injury made chopping difficult and have never looked back. I make chocolates (no molding but lots of dipping) seasonally and go through about 1800 lbs of Callets in 3 months October - the end of the year.

[Kerry Beal]

That's a lot of chocolate to chop - glad you found the callets! I used to chop too when I used the Callebaut - cause the formulations I liked were only available in blocks.