Chocolate Classes - what have I learned

[Kerry Beal]

@Chocolot and I are at the annual eG Chocolate and Confectionery workshop and we have been discussing how at every class/conference/workshop you learn a little something that you didn't know before.

 

We thought it would be sensible to start a thread that could be ongoing in which to put the little interesting things that we discover. We both noticed that if you don't write them down somewhere you tend to forget them.  

 

So here goes - I'm going to start - for panning when I attended the PMCA this year they were using this Vortex cooler to cool the pilot sized pan. Currently I use dry ice in a complicated series of hair dryer, cooler with holes and hoses attached... 

 

That got me researching and I found this - the Zero Breeze personal airconditioner which I think could be adapted as well - but a bit more expensive. 

 

So - don't worry if it seems like it's something obvious that you think that everyone knows - if you have learned something put it down here for all to see.

 

 

 

 

[rotuts]

interesting

 

the Vortex uses a compressed air source ?  i.e. a cylinder of air ?

 

""  produces an air stream that will be 70 degrees F. colder than the temperature of your compressed air source ""

[Tri2Cook]

Great idea! Not only does it serve as a notebook for those who attend the classes, it's also really nice for those of us unable to attend. I'm not really free to travel at this point in life... but I'm always happy to learn something new (or new to me, which is a big category).

[pastrygirl]

Fun idea, Kerry!

 

Things I've learned in classes:

 

Hold chocolate molds upside-down to scrape when making the shells so you're not pushing chocolate back into the cavities.  It's ingrained now, but I don't think any of the books I was learning from at the time mentioned that.

 

With slabbed ganache, cut on the guitar then chill before separating the pieces to get cleaner, sharper edges.

 

If you are totally obsessive, you can use rubbing alcohol to clean your molds.  I hate the smell of rubbing alcohol, so I skip that one.

 

For chocolate decor that is shiny on both sides, lay one sheet of acetate/guitar sheet, pour some tempered chocolate, top with another sheet, spread thin, allow to just crystallize then cut into shapes through the plastic with cookie cutters, bicyclette, etc.  Remove from both sheets when ready to use.

 

The microwave really makes it easy to temper multiple colors of cocoa butter.

 

Using acetate/guitar sheets to close molds.  This is not something I do as regular practice because I don't want to use all that extra plastic, but it is helpful when a mold is over-filled and difficult to cap the regular way.

[Chocolot]

We learned at Jin Caldwell's to thin down your colored cocoa butters with plain cocoa butter. This gives a better shine. It also saves money. Melissa Coppel told us colors like the metallics have so much pigment, that they don't shine. Also need to thin them down.

[Tri2Cook]

9 hours ago, Chocolot said:

We learned at Jin Caldwell's to thin down your colored cocoa butters with plain cocoa butter. This gives a better shine. It also saves money. Melissa Coppel told us colors like the metallics have so much pigment, that they don't shine. Also need to thin them down.

Is there an optimal ratio... or am I overthinking it? 

[Daniel D]

On 5/21/2017 at 9:51 AM, pastrygirl said:

Using acetate/guitar sheets to close molds.  This is not something I do as regular practice because I don't want to use all that extra plastic, but it is helpful when a mold is over-filled and difficult to cap the regular way.

 

@pastrygirl this is a great tip, I love how shiny the bottoms are this way. Where do you get your acetate sheets from? Also, can you reuse the sheets?

[pastrygirl]

2 minutes ago, Daniel D said:

 

@pastrygirl this is a great tip, I love how shiny the bottoms are this way. Where do you get your acetate sheets from? Also, can you reuse the sheets?

 

Some people use actual decorated transfer sheets.  Nice but adds to cost.

 

I have some of these, they are a little soft but work ok - https://www.jbprince.com/pastry-tools-and-equipment/polyethylene-sheets.asp

 

The acetate might be worth the added expense if it is less floppy and easier to work with - https://www.jbprince.com/pastry-tools-and-equipment/acetate-sheets.asp

 

You can re-use it once or twice, but you'd have to wipe it down if you want the second use to be as shiny as the first.

[Chocolot]

12 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

Is there an optimal ratio... or am I overthinking it? 

 

Depends on how much pigment is in bottle. Just experiment I guess:)

[Chocolot]

What I learned after watching three experienced and successful chocolatiers spray and shell molds this weekend: Each used a different method of spraying colored cocoa butter, one used an airbrush, one a small gun and one a large gun. They all got great results. Takeaway---There is more than one way to get the results you want. Do what works for you. There is not ONE correct way to do something. The thing they all did, was temp their CB. They all chilled the bottle until it was the correct temp for spraying. They didn't do what i sometimes do and just heat, shake, pour and hope. Another thing they all differed on was how to clean their molds. Some washed, some sprayed with alcohol, some just heated and polished.

[Daniel D]

3 hours ago, Chocolot said:

The thing they all did, was temp their CB. They all chilled the bottle until it was the correct temp for spraying. They didn't do what i sometimes do and just heat, shake, pour and hope.

@Chocolot I've just been experimenting with tiny bottles so far and use the heat, shake, pour, and hope method as well. What's the easiest way that you've found (or seen) to temper the CCB with greater certainty?

[RobertM]

I learned there is that when making caramel, there is no need to slice and scrape a vanilla bean into the hot caramel.  Just slicing the bean and putting that into the hot liquid while cooking will burst open the bean and release all of its deliciousness directly into the caramel....

[Chocolot]

15 hours ago, Daniel D said:

@Chocolot I've just been experimenting with tiny bottles so far and use the heat, shake, pour, and hope method as well. What's the easiest way that you've found (or seen) to temper the CCB with greater certainty?

 

Someone correct me, but I didn't see any of them temper the cb. They just put the bottle in the freezer for a few minutes until it was at the right temp. 32C ?

Edited May 23, 2017 by Chocolot
spelling (log)

[Chocolot]

If I don't put these down, I will forget. When you have chocolate left in a bowl after scraping, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. That releases the chocolate so you can reuse, but also keeps it from going down the drain. Don't leave in too long or it will pick up moisture.

[RobertM]

4 hours ago, Chocolot said:

If I don't put these down, I will forget. When you have chocolate left in a bowl after scraping, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. That releases the chocolate so you can reuse, but also keeps it from going down the drain. Don't leave in too long or it will pick up moisture.

Also the scrapings of the colored cocoa butter were chilled and then reused in the milk or dark chocolate

[RobertM]

The hardware store can be your friend!   PVC pipe to wrap decorations around: drywall taping knives/spatulas for scraping molds and other tools; heat guns; and so much more

[pastrygirl]

5 hours ago, Chocolot said:

When you have chocolate left in a bowl after scraping, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. That releases the chocolate so you can reuse, but also keeps it from going down the drain.

 

I'm always having to remind myself that chocolate is easier to clean up once solidified - the one exception to 'clean as you go'!

[Chocolot]

Melissa put a piece of plastic wrap on her granite to place her used thermometer, spatulas and such so they didn't get the granite messed up. I think she wiped with damp cloth first so it stayed in place. i also learned that some chocolatiers alphabetize their flavorings:)

[RobertM]

I believe it was Melissa who provided this "doh" moment:   if your colored cocoa butter is in temper (32 C) and you're using a finger to make decorations, your body heat can cause the colored cocoa butter to be knocked out of temper and cause problems when unmolding.....

 

 

 

 

[Chocolot]

You can use a propane torch to clean off cocoa butter and chocolate from marble or granite.

[Kerry Beal]

12 hours ago, Chocolot said:

You can use a propane torch to clean off cocoa butter and chocolate from marble or granite.

Or a heat gun/hair dryer.

[Tri2Cook]

7 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Or a heat gun/hair dryer.

Yep. I don't have any marble or granite surfaces to need to clean but the heat gun seems to work pretty good for getting hardened chocolate off of whatever I manage to get it on. On a bad day, that can entail a lot of area.

[Daniel D]

How about for those folks who paint a lot of molds with colored cocoa butter. Do you clean off the mold before capping? If so, is there a quick and easy way to clean as you go or do you wait until you're done with all colors and scrap it off?

[Bentley]

2 hours ago, Daniel D said:

How about for those folks who paint a lot of molds with colored cocoa butter. Do you clean off the mold before capping? If so, is there a quick and easy way to clean as you go or do you wait until you're done with all colors and scrap it off?

If there is a significant amount of color on the mold (e.g. from airbrushing the whole mold), I let it partially set then scrape it and add it back to the bottle - cuz that stuff is not cheap.   If it's just a little bit (like from splatters and the like), I lay out a sheet of parchment paper and, while the color is still wet, invert the mold and rub it across the parchment paper to clean it.   

[Daniel D]

Good lesson learned from recent experience (whoops!) is to place your acid solution in the center of your frame when making Pate de Fruit. This way you never forget to whisk it in prior to pouring the mixture into your frame.