I have reread this thread and have a few questions about melangers. Ever since they became a "must-have" device for many chocolatiers, I have considered purchasing one. But my tight space as well as the apparent difficulty of cleaning the machine held me back. So I have made my praline nut pastes (almond, pecan--I buy Cacao Barry's hazelnut already made) with a food processor. I make the hard caramel first, then grind it in a small food processor until it is as fine as I can get it. Then the caramel bits and nuts go in the large food processor, and I grind away. Needless to say, the paste never gets completely smooth, but the sugar bits are tolerable. But I have never been completely satisfied. Then I found two nut praline pastes (almond and pecan)--made by a very reputable company-- that I didn't know were available, so I ordered some of each (of course it had to be in 5kg pails). Yesterday I mixed up the almond to put it in smaller containers to freeze. The tasting was a revelation--not in a good way. It was bitter (and I don't mean the wonderful taste of bitter almond flavoring) and quite dark. Either the manufacturer left the skins on the nuts (which is not my preference) or roasted them to a degree beyond what I consider palatable. I can rescue the paste by adding some bitter almond (a wonderful German brand that requires only a few drops), but am really unhappy with this expensive purchase and a nut paste that needs further doctoring. I can only imagine the bitterness I may encounter when the pecan arrives. I have learned an expensive lesson: flavor is paramount, texture matters less.
But there is still the lure of the melanger to reach both goals. My question, for those who have used melangers for a while, is whether they would purchase the machine again. Is the result worth the tedious cleaning? Furthermore I have read ominous comments about having to grind everything (caramel, nuts) in advance or risk having the machine seize up. I would appreciate any comments on melangers. I would not plan to use it for anything aside from nut pastes.
