my injured finger

[TurtleMeng]

Not having enough time to make anything fancy, I started baking some cookies. Last night I did Carole Walker's chocolate chip cookies. (BTW, her trick of grinding oatmeal finely with sugar works well. The cookies are soft and delicious and did not spread excessively).

So I said, I would put in some GOURMET chunks. Apparently I had never done this. Took out a fat block of Callebut and started chopping with a chef's knife. Well, I got SHAVINGS. Trying with a serrated knife, then 3 more not-any-better knifes, I sustained a nice <1cm laceration to L 2nd distal digit. I opened a bag of chips.

I know if the room is warmer it would probably be easier. But what are other tricks?

[McDuff]

I always use a rigid serrated knife, always nibble on a corner or a point, not a long edge, keep the palm of my non-knife hand on the end of the blade, fingers splayed up and out of the way, and put a lot of pressure on the heel of the knife where the cutting is happening. Lately at work I've been wearing a kevlar glove, partly because it's a new safety rule, which doesn't apply to serrated knives, but I don't want to be the first test case of getting cut without the glove.

[chefpeon]

Having had to chop a lot 'o chocolate in my life, I can honestly say,

I hate chopping chocolate!!!

My first piece of advice is, if you can buy "chunks", buy the chunks. Even if it costs extra.....in my book, it's worth it! Especially if you do big volume stuff like me.

Other thoughts......

If the bar of chocolate is a bit warmer, it's easier to chunk up with a knife. Too warm of course, then it's worse.

There are chocolate chopping forks to make it easier.

An interesting technique someone taught me:

I was working with 11 pound bars of Callebaut, and frustratingly chopping away, with the bar flat on the table......I'm hacking at it with my chef's knife, and my chef comes up to me and says "Check this out". He stands the bar up on edge (the long side is on the table and the short edge is vertical to the table), and cradles it between his body and his arm, then takes the chef's knife handle in one hand and holds the tip of the blade in his other hand, and shaves down the vertical edge. The chocolate comes off in almost uniform chunks with little or no effort! It's almost like the chocolate has a hidden "grain", and if you cut with the "grain", it works like magic! I love showing this trick to people who don't know about it. They are as amazed as I was. Hope I described it well enough.......it's easier to show than tell.......

Oh yeah, and be aware.......chopping chocolate involves deadly slips of the knife even if you're super careful. Another reason to buy those chunks!

[dexygus]

I second Annie's method with the chocolate slab standing on one end, except you can't do this with the entire block. Once 2/3 of the block is gone, you don't have anymore leverage. Another thing is I'm pretty short, so the chocolate is just tucked under my armpit. Don't worry, there's the chocolate wrapper and the chef's coat between my armpit and the chocolate.

[TurtleMeng]

Thanks, guys...but I don't know where to buy these coverture chunks. It's not a big problem for most part because I hardly do cookies. The grain thing though, is really interesting, but my Calebut is a small fat block, not the 11 lb thing (I'm not @ that caliber yet).

I ended up using some old chips and chopped some much thinner Ghiradelli, no offense, but their chocolate is really....ugh....well, it's old and now it's gone.

[Zen Baker]

I did the same thing! Only I sustained a ~1 cm laceration to the 1st digit and it was extremely painful! I used a serrated knife, but I guess I was tired and not paying attention, and then, OUCH!

[kthull]

I was melting chocolate in a water bath and needed just a bit more. So like an idiot, I take block in one hand, regular kitchen fork in the other and attempt to break off just a smidge. Well, I never figured a plain old fork could go through my finger. Luckily, there was a delay from the puncture and I didn't bleed into the bowl.

[chiantiglace]

Ha, I did that once too. When I started cutting the chocolate I was getting chunks but they were long and narrow rather than short and stumpy. I took my small steel and a malet and banged away at broad areas of the bar. Then when the piece were the size of jaw breakers I threw them into doubled up ziplock bag and beat the crap out of them.

Just an idea, and I got the sizes I wanted.

[rickster]

One solution is to buy the brands of chocolate that come in feves. Much easier to chop into little chunks.

[bkeith]

An interesting technique someone taught me:

I was working with 11 pound bars of Callebaut, and frustratingly chopping away, with the bar flat on the table......I'm hacking at it with my chef's knife, and my chef comes up to me and says "Check this out". He stands the bar up on edge (the long side is on the table and the short edge is vertical to the table), and cradles it between his body and his arm, then takes the chef's knife handle in one hand and holds the tip of the blade in his other hand, and shaves down the vertical edge. The chocolate comes off in almost uniform chunks with little or no effort! It's almost like the chocolate has a hidden "grain", and if you cut with the "grain", it works like magic! I love showing this trick to people who don't know about it. They are as amazed as I was. Hope I described it well enough.......it's easier to show than tell.......

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Cool! Gotta go try that!

I swear, Annie, I've picked up a million tips and tricks over the years, but I think I learn something from you every time I visit eGullet. How much would you charge for a Vulcan mind meld?

[Patrick S]

I would bet that a disproportionate amount of knife accidents occur with chocolate, particular chocolate with high cacao percentages that are a b@#$% to cut with anything short of a large axe. Come to think of it, I wonder how a sledgehammer would do?

I know this may sound stupidly obvious, but it bears repeating: always cut away from your body, particularly when you're working with something like chocolate that requires a lot of force.

[EllenC]

I have a really big carving fork - I mean tines like nails. I push it down (whack the end with a hammer if you can't get it all the way in) then turn it just a little. Works every time.

[Hest88]

Not the most refined method, but I first take the bar in the wrapper and whack it against the counter a few times to get it started. Then I put it in a bag (or if I'm really lazy, just not unwrap it and risk the paper tearing) and whack it further with the a meat mallet.

[ivan]

It helps to use thin chocolate bars, too.

Edited March 17, 2005 by ivan (log)

[ivan]

Not the most refined method, but I first take the bar in the wrapper and whack it against the counter a few times to get it started. Then I put it in a bag (or if I'm really lazy, just not unwrap it and risk the paper tearing) and whack it further with the a meat mallet.

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Last night, a brief discussion of this topic caught my young progeny's ear, and he suggested we simply "pulverize it with a mallet". Of course, that's his solution to most of life's conundrums.

Edited March 16, 2005 by ivan (log)

[choux]

Smacking a block with a rolling pin works too.

[chefpeon]

Oh yeah.....that reminds me......

I worked in a shop once where the chef climbed on top of the walk-in (we had a lot of storage up there, and it was also pretty high off the ground.) He put the chocolate bar in a big plastic bag and dropped it on the floor. Works pretty well, but the first time he did that he didn't warn me and it scared the bejesus outta me! It was LOUD!

I swear, Annie, I've picked up a million tips and tricks over the years, but I think I learn something from you every time I visit eGullet. How much would you charge for a Vulcan mind meld?

Hey, if I could figure out the mind meld thing, I wouldn't charge you at all! I learn quite a bit from you too.....as a matter of fact, on the sugar flower thread I learned that you can set the color by steaming the flowers. Shee......I've never done that. But, my color has never "fallen off" either.

Actually, what I'd like to learn is that Vulcan Neck Pinch. I could really use that on some annoying people in my life!!!

[culinary bear]

I avoid personal injury while chopping chocolate by the simple expedient of getting a commis to do it. :)

Seriously though, Annie's leverage method works really well.

[crouching tyler]

An interesting technique someone taught me:

I was working with 11 pound bars of Callebaut, and frustratingly chopping away, with the bar flat on the table......I'm hacking at it with my chef's knife, and my chef comes up to me and says "Check this out". He stands the bar up on edge (the long side is on the table and the short edge is vertical to the table), and cradles it between his body and his arm, then takes the chef's knife handle in one hand and holds the tip of the blade in his other hand, and shaves down the vertical edge. The chocolate comes off in almost uniform chunks with little or no effort! It's almost like the chocolate has a hidden "grain", and if you cut with the "grain", it works like magic! I love showing this trick to people who don't know about it. They are as amazed as I was. Hope I described it well enough.......it's easier to show than tell.......

Oh yeah, and be aware.......chopping chocolate involves deadly slips of the knife even if you're super careful. Another reason to buy those chunks!

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I would love to see a photo demonstration of this - I think I would be much less likely to injure myself in the attempt if I could just see it.

[TheUnknownCook]

I have tried the 11 lb.(5 kg.) block in the plastic bag technique--throw it onto the table or floor. Remember not to cross-contaminate the cutting board by transfering the chocolate to another clean low-density polyethylene(plastic) bag. Take a rubber(or metal meat) mallet and pound the rest of the chocolate block(in the bag) into the desired-size pieces on top of the cutting board. Never cut nor pound anything directly atop a baker's bench--treat it with respect.

Another technique is to score the chocolate block and insert a dull large straight-edge French knife(at least 10 in., or 12 in. is even better) or double-handled cheese knife(14 in.) and pound on the back('spine') of the knife blade with a rubber mallet and break the chocolate block into the desired-size pieces. Yes, a serrated knife is better for "chopping" chocolate blocks, but I have never used any of my serrated knives for chopping chocolate blocks.

I have separate knives specifically for pastry work which are intentionally left unsharpened as they came from the factory. I have used both techniques at work and have never lacerated, avulsed, nor contused any of my fingers. I have never tried the cradling the chocolate block under the axillary area and carving it with a knife technique. I would be interested in witnessing a demonstration. An alternative is to buy chocolate pistoles instead. Work safely.

[*Deborah*]

My mum got me one of those fork things that looks like a garden tool, and it works very well for me with the smaller Callebaut blocks.

I am also a huge proponent of the put-substance-in-a-plastic-bag-and-whack-or-rolling-pin-it-into-submission method.

[BettyK]

My mum got me one of those fork things that looks like a garden tool, and it works very well for me with the smaller Callebaut blocks.

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That's what I use too. Got to watch those fingers too. A pierced finger is not fun either.

[stovetop]

I use a parmesan wheel cutter, it works wonders, no injuries.

steve

[chefpeon]

I use a parmesan wheel cutter, it works wonders, no injuries.

So is a parm wheel cutter one of those two handled knives?

[TurtleMeng]

I use a parmesan wheel cutter, it works wonders, no injuries.

steve

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where can you get one of those?