Immersion circulators for tempering chocolate

[David J.]

Is JPW's new book out?  I remember that you mentioned he would have one. Is it widely available yet?

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it's at C.H.I.P.S. books, pre-order from Amazon (US) and Amazon (CA) from what i can tell. Amazon (US) doesn't have a price yet. There's a thread started in the cookbook forum.

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I decided not to wait for Amazon to start shipping and bought it from C.H.I.P.S.

The book is due to arrive on the 27th.

[Kerry Beal]

Chocolat-chocolat has it in stock for $95 CDN with a bonus mold.

I'm calling Monday.

[Scout_21]

Has anyone used an inmmersion circulator for chocolate tempering? Not directly of course but a metal pan with the chocolate in a water bath temp controlled by the imm. circ. I've been looking at the Mol D'art melters and for just a little bit more I could be an immersion circulator (or the same price if I'm lucky) which may have many more uses in a kitchen.

Any thoughts or experiences?

[Edward J]

Has anyone used an inmmersion circulator for chocolate tempering?  Not directly of course but a metal pan with the chocolate in a water bath temp controlled by the imm. circ.  I've been looking at the Mol D'art melters and for just a little bit more I could be an immersion circulator (or the same price if I'm lucky) which may have many more uses in a kitchen.

Any thoughts or experiences?

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Actually, yes. I had a mold'art melter, but it melted, came into work one morning and smelled burnt chocoale and burnt plastic.

What I have now is large tank, basically a s/s bain maria very similiar to what you would hold soup in. The temperature is governed by a very accurate thermostat.

This is not a temperer

In order to temper you must melt the chocolate--usually around 45 C and then bring it down to 32 C, you also need a lot of agitation (stirring) and a certain amount of time. The device will hold the chocolate at a very constant temperature, but even when chocoalte is held at this temp, it will still solidify if not agitated from time to time.

[Scout_21]

Actually, yes.  I had a mold'art melter, but it melted, came into work one morning and smelled burnt chocoale and burnt plastic.

What I have now is large tank, basically a s/s bain maria very similiar to what you would hold soup in. The temperature is governed by a very accurate thermostat.

This is not a temperer 

In order to temper you must melt the chocolate--usually around 45 C and then bring it down to 32 C, you also need a lot of agitation (stirring) and a certain amount of time.  The device will hold the chocolate at a very constant temperature, but even when chocoalte is held at this temp, it will still solidify if not agitated from time to time.

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Ugh....sorry to hear about your machine. I know it's not a temperer. I'd rather do it by hand with my marble slab or by adding some seed chocolate. I just came upon these two devices for very specific temp control to better control beta crystal formation. Cheers

[RobertM]

Hi - first time ever posting, so please bear with me.

There are several machines available for what (I think) you're trying to accomplish. Hilliards makes a very good machine, very reliable, as does AMC. Hilliards has several different sizes to handle whatever load you're attempting to use.

I also have looked at a unit by Design Realisation, in Canada, there equipment is designed (like Hilliards) to allow the end user to add on additional equipment as need and/or money allows.

I hope this information helps -

[Scout_21]

Hi - first time ever posting, so please bear with me.

There are several machines available for what (I think) you're trying to accomplish.  Hilliards makes a very good machine, very reliable, as does AMC.  Hilliards has several different sizes to handle whatever load you're attempting to use.

I also have looked at a unit by Design Realisation, in Canada, there equipment is designed (like Hilliards) to allow the end user to add on additional equipment as need and/or money allows.

I hope this information helps -

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They do make very nice machine...just a little bit expensive for my needs. All I really want is something that can hold a precise temp for an extended period of time. I have no problem manually tempering chocolate...just problems keeping it in the right temp zone for extended periods. Cheers

[schneich]

you can make your life a lot easier and use a bain marie set at 30C throw you chocolate in and the next day you have semi melted tempered chocolate, immersion blender and your good to go..

[Scout_21]

you can make your life a lot easier and use a bain marie set at 30C throw you chocolate in and the next day you have semi melted tempered chocolate, immersion blender and your good to go..

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That's what I really want...do you know of a good brand that keeps the temp within 1 degree C or 2 degrees F. The whole reason behind the immersion circulator is that is would keep a well controlled bain marie. The Mol d'Art is basically a waterless bain marie as far as I can tell.

[Edward J]

There's the rub, a bain marie thermostat that is accurate.

What I have is the D+R (design and realization) unit, and as I described earlier, it is just a bain marie with a very accurate thermostat. Most commercial thermostats are only accurate within +/-10 degrees. An thermostat accurate within a 1/2 degree is not so easy to come by, and not very cheap either.

There are other methods to try out though. Electric blankets are one source, they never get hotter than body temp--which is pretty darn close to 32C. Home gardeners employ a "sprouting mat" which is a thin mat, slimilair to an electric blanket, that keeps temperature to around--again 32C. And then there is low-wat electric light bulbs as a heat source and a couple of computer fans to circulate as well.

And last but not least there are insulated double walled salad bowls--flogged by the restaurant supply stores for caterers and the like, guaranteed to maintain tempertures for up to 4 hrs.....

[Scout_21]

Is #1 the machine that you mentioned? Design and Realization Do you have to change or add water often?

Thanks again for the ideas. Cheers

There's the rub, a bain marie thermostat that is accurate. 

What I have is the D+R (design and realization) unit, and as I described earlier, it is just a bain marie with a very accurate thermostat.  Most commercial thermostats are only accurate within +/-10 degrees.  An thermostat accurate within a 1/2 degree is not so easy to come by, and not very cheap either.

There are other methods to try out though.  Electric blankets are one source, they never get hotter than body temp--which is pretty darn close to 32C.  Home gardeners employ a "sprouting mat" which is a thin mat, slimilair to an electric blanket, that keeps temperature to around--again 32C.  And then there is low-wat electric light bulbs as a heat source and a couple of computer fans to circulate as well.

And last but not least there are insulated double walled salad bowls--flogged by the restaurant supply stores for caterers and the like, guaranteed to maintain tempertures for up to 4 hrs.....

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[Edward J]

Is #1 the machine that you mentioned? Design and Realization Do you have to change or add water often?

Thanks again for the ideas. Cheers

Yes, that's the one. You don't have to change the water if you don't move the pans a lot. Every time you remoe the pans, crumbs fall in and dirty the water. Since I have a full size (1/1gastronorm, or for N. America full hotel pan) I have a 1/2 pan of milk and a 1/2 of dark, and thse get contantly moved. So I change the water on a bi-weekly basis. Water doesn't need to be topped up, since the water never gets very hot and the unit is fairly air tight.

This is a big, cumbersome unit, not very portable, but very stable and consistant. It doesn't crack or melt like plastic, and it will take any brand of hotel pan--as opposed to the European units which only take European hotel pans and thse have much tighter radiused corners--N.American (or should I say Asian?) pans will not fit into the molded plastic melting units

[dougal]

There's the rub, a bain marie thermostat that is accurate. 

...

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I really know just about zero on chocolate - BUT -

The cost-concious recommendation from the massive sous-vide cooking thread

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=116617

is to use the Auber controller (or its Canadian cousin), a taller rather than wider water bath (with a 'dumb' heater element), and preferably add an aquarium bubbler to drive a little circulation to equalise temperature within the bath...