Airbrushing cocoa butter on a budget; equipment information

[Becky R]

In case there are other folks like me, just getting started with molded chocolates, (or if others want some inexpensive back up tools that actually work) I figured I'd share some feedback on equipment I've tested.

 

I have a Grex TG7 with a .7mm needle as my main brush, but quickly became frustrated with how slow it was to change colors and decided I needed more brushes to work with multiple colors.  Clearly I wasn't going to buy very many of these as they are expensive!  Happy to report that the Neoeco SJ83 Airbrush ($40 on Amazon) does a really nice job with CB with its .5mm nozzle. (it comes with a .1mm and a .2mm also but I think those are too small for this project.  For newbies, the Grex has a couple of fan nozzles for wider areas, whereas these inexpensive brushes just have round, but they are dual action so you do have air for patterns in addition to a nice even distribution of color.  Both are simple to heat with the heat gun if the CB becomes less fluid.  The only issue is it is recommended to use the included stainless steel (or plastic) cups with the Neoeco, because many reported that their main colored cups chip off at times and you certainly don't want that mixing into your CB.

 

The Vevor spray booth is very powerful and works great for chocolate molds, you'll just never fit a large cake in it.. but it is fully worth $82 to get started!  I also took a chance on their compressor - 4.8 Gallon, 900W 2.2 CFM @90PSI 70 dB Ultra Quiet Oil Free.  It has a tank, is small and is pretty quiet for under $120.  It has more power than you really need, but that's kind of comforting.  The larger tank means it doesn't come on very often.  Their chocolate warmer is inexpensive also and comes in 1-4 (maybe 6) cavities.  I'm having a little bit of difficulty keeping the temperature consistent, but will report back if I figure it out.  So far, I just use it to keep CB and airbrushes warm, as I've been working with smaller amounts of chocolate until I figure out what I'm doing.  I have the three 1/3 pan version so each compartment would hold a lot of chocolate, and you can certainly stack various containers of colors in there to maintain temperature; it's just not quite as precise as I'd like (probably user error). My bread proofer/fermenter does a nice job of keeping things warm as well and has a nice consistent temperature. 

 

My other favorite thing to use is the Oxo squeegee to scrape the molds.  Since it is silicone, it really cleans them well without feeling like you are scratching the surface.  It is also super easy to remove residual chocolate, and since it is not metal, you don't have to worry about keeping it warm during use.  The chocolate doesn't tend to cling to it at room temperature.  I just grabbed a few more so that I have a few shots before having to stop and clean any blades, as for me, trying to get the molds emptied and clean is still quite the juggling act.  I'm good at making quite the mess!

 

Hopefully this will help someone else! I'd love to hear about other tools that folks find particularly helpful.  Since this post is not just about guns/airbrushes, I hope it is appropriate to have started it as a new topic.

 

[Dark side]

Did you se your set up over the busy christmas season? Still feeling good about your equipment??

[Becky R]

I am SO sorry I didn't see your reply!  Once I did, I wasn't able to reply until a system change was made that was keeping me from being able to respond to anyone!

 

The equipment worked GREAT.  Ironically, the only thing that I didn't really use that much was the chocolate warmer.  It was much easier to just have large bowls that could be reheated quickly in the microwave, and I did add a fold up warming pad (again Vevor) that had fermentation settings that would go as low as 35 c to help keep the chocolate and cocoa butters in temper and at working temps.  The chocolate warmer has now been repurposed as a food warmer for when we do large outdoor parties, so all is not lost.  I found great covers for these large bowls, so when I'm done, I just cover with cling wrap and then throw the big cover on to store the chocolate right in the bowl until the next session.

 

Again, in case it's helpful to anyone, 4 Oxo squeegees ended up being the correct number for the speed in which I work.  As you cycle through them, by the time you need the first one again, the chocolate has hardened enough to just scrape off with a small offset spatula.  I quickly learned to just do this onto a parchment to remelt later rather than putting it back into the bowl and risk causing lumps.  The other day I managed to fill 20 molds and completely finish and cap 4 of those, so for a novice, my system seems to work reasonably well.  This year sure is different since I have most of the equipment and am past the tempering learning curve finally.

 

This year I'm learning a few other tricks, and my new discovery is that my smoothie maker (much to my surprise) actually DOES make completely smooth peanut butter from roasted nuts!  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C1DJNR2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is a great hack for someone who can't justify a melanger.  I'll report back once I try a few other types of nut pralines.

 

[Jim D.]

@Becky R, interesting information.  Can you provide a link to the Oxo squeegee you use?

[Becky R]

Sure!  I'll link some of my other favorite things also.

 

Oxo squeegee OXO Good Grips All-Purpose Squeegee (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

They are nice because they are flexible, so the hardened chocolate just cracks right off, or as I've said, a small offset spatula will just peel it off in a single motion.  I got tired of fighting metal tools for scraping since tempered chocolate stuck to them so quickly.  This way, you can recycle what you crack off of the squeegee.

 

This specific bowl is a good size as a mold can be set on top to drip while you clean off the next squeegee  https://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?itemid=65573

I would love to find a silicone liner that would hang over the lip... that way as chocolate hardened you could lift the liner to break it off rather than having to try to scrape tempered chocolate with an offset spatula.  I'm trying to make one but my silicone skills leave a lot to be desired!

 

The folding warming trays I use (I have two) are on clearance https://www.vevor.com/countertop-food-warmers-c_10614/vevor-electric-warming-tray-18-9-x-10-2-portable-cold-rolled-sheet-heating-tray-with-temperature-control-35-100-perfect-for-catering-house-parties-events-entertaining-and-holiday-white-p_010522850085

SO easy to clean... you increase the temperature and wipe off any chocolate.  Most warming trays don't go low enough for chocolate work.  These start at 35 C.

 

Spray booth https://www.vevor.com/airbrush-spray-booth-c_12211/vevor-airbrush-spray-booth-portable-hobby-airbrush-paint-spray-booth-kit-with-4-led-light-powerful-dual-exhaust-fans-turntable-and-6-ft-extension-hose-for-painting-models-arts-crafts-cakes-p_010903467342

I've used this for both cocoa butter and this year's newest project.. fancy air brushed cookies.  I have found that the hose isn't needed.. while it efficiently pulls colors away from you, nothing gets through the filter.  It also has a nice bright light to help with visibility and folds up for easy storage.

 

Another tool that has turned out to be really nice for caramel and other centers is this mold.  I'm trying to get better at enrobing this year. 64-Cavity Square Caramel Candy Silicone Molds (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Adjustable work area light (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

More related to cookie and cake work, but these little projectors are really cool if you want to trace a particular image onto a surface AKASO WT50 Mini Pocket Pico Projector (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

This dehydrator has been extremely useful for many things.  I liked that you could detach the electrical components to thoroughly clean the cavity if needed.  LOTS of room and priced better than the popular brands.  I took a chance and it is really nice Commercial Large 10 Trays Food Dehydrator (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

My compressor.  It has been great.  https://www.vevor.com/air-compressors-c_10039/vevor-air-compressor-4-8-gallon-900w-2-2-cfm-90psi-70-db-ultra-quiet-oil-free-p_010407889079