chocolate pump

[pastrygirl]

Has anyone used the chocolate pump that TCF offers?  https://www.tcfsales.com/products/c115-mol-d'art-melters/

 

I'd like to increase both production and efficiency, so I'm looking at a 20-24kg melter, the pump, and possibly an EZ temper as an upgrade from a 6kg melter, a bunch of bowls and a ladle.

 

What do other chocolatiers think?  I doubt I'll jump right into 24kg at a time, but I figure might as well have the capacity since it is the same footprint as the 12kg melter.  The pump would save a lot of time with molding, provided it doesn't clog up or over-temper the chocolate - is a stray chunk going to cause havoc?  And if it is a full 24kg, that's a lot of chocolate to hand-temper, so much heavy stirring.  Would the pump be able to mix in EZ Temper silk and make tempering virtually hands-free?

 

thanks!

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

Not to be a downer and hate to interfere with a sale for Tom - but the guys at Chocolate World were not impressed because it's not warmed.

 

Wonder if you could find a way to warm it?

[pastrygirl]

1 minute ago, Kerry Beal said:

Not to be a downer and hate to interfere with a sale for Tom - but the guys at Chocolate World were not impressed because it's not warmed.

 

Wonder if you could find a way to warm it?

 

Fine to be  a downer, that's a serious consideration.  The kitchen is pretty cold in the winter and I wouldn't want to struggle with chocolate build-up.  How do you like the TF20 with molding wheel from DR?

[Kerry Beal]

Not a big fan of wheel machines myself - they get overcrytallized so easily.

[pastrygirl]

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

Not a big fan of wheel machines myself - they get overcrytallized so easily.

 

So just a melter and an ez temper? 

 

Are people melting at 60c overnight then waiting until the chocolate cools to add silk, or melting lower like 35 or 40?

[Kerry Beal]

Not necessary to go 60 then drop - just melted then drop to 33.5

 

 

[Daniel D]

@Kerry Beal if I have hardened untempered chocolate, are you saying I dont need to melt out all the crystals (by taking it up to 48C) if I’m using EZ temper silk? I only need to make sure my chocolate is fully melted before bringing it to 33.5?

[Kerry Beal]

That is correct -  as long as it gets above 34 then any of the crystals that would interfere should be gone.

[Jim D.]

9 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

That is correct -  as long as it gets above 34 then any of the crystals that would interfere should be gone.

I realize that is technically correct (and the Chocolate Alchemist, for one, emphasizes that all the crystals are melted by then), but why do most people go higher, most tempering machines go considerably higher, and all packages of chocolate I have seen call for going even higher (for its Maracaibo dark, Felchlin specifies 118F/48C)? I always assumed it was just to be absolutely certain, and that assumption was based on the experience of (1) having tempered chocolate accidentally go several degrees above 93.2F/34C and still test as in temper, or (2) having some reserved chocolate I wanted to be definitely out of temper to use for diluting over-tempered chocolate, but it still tested as in temper.