Transfer Sheets: Tips, Techniques & Care

[alanamoana]

so i stressed and stressed and ended up using texture sheets for the one piece on the left.

this is what 1600 pieces of chocolate for wedding favors looks like. thank goodness for an extendible dining room table!

i'm glad that's done. i just hope fedex gets them to minneapolis without melting them all.

[John DePaula]

Oh My Gawd! That's a lot of work!!!

very beautiful

Can I ask how long it took you to make all of that?

so i stressed and stressed and ended up using texture sheets for the one piece on the left.

this is what 1600 pieces of chocolate for wedding favors looks like.  thank goodness for an extendible dining room table!

i'm glad that's done.  i just hope fedex gets them to minneapolis without melting them all.

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[Kerry Beal]

so i stressed and stressed and ended up using texture sheets for the one piece on the left.

this is what 1600 pieces of chocolate for wedding favors looks like.  thank goodness for an extendible dining room table!

i'm glad that's done.  i just hope fedex gets them to minneapolis without melting them all.

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It boggles the mind!

I hope you made a fortune.

Gorgeous by the way.

[alanamoana]

thanks kerry,

actually, i did it for food cost and shipping. she's a friend of mine.

besides, i need the practice! as a (unemployed) pastry chef, i need the practice. this was a great experience with planning time, working out of my home kitchen, trial and error with the chocolate itself...as the transfer sheet situation shows...i definitely learned more about things which i had taken for granted before. i'm not 100% satisfied with how everything came out, but we are hardest on ourselves, right? on the plus side, i can do it again and do it better.

one day...if i get the motivation, i'll start my own business. i just have to figure out which niche is just right for me.

best,

alana

[alanamoana]

john,

it took one week. but, as i mentioned to kerry, i could have done it faster/better. the first two days were sort of a bust because i got so frustrated with the tranfer sheets and the chocolate i was at my wits' end. the next three days sailed by easily, especially once i figured out working in the morning and in the evening with the air conditioner on was the way to go! so, i think i could have done everything in 4-5 days at the most.

i know what i'm doing in a pastry kitchen, it is just working with chocolate that i had to change my thinking a little bit.

the shipping was $370 via fedex. the packing was another adventure and i hope it gets there okay!

doesn't it make you feel good when you see a table full of chocolate?!

[sote23]

so i stressed and stressed and ended up using texture sheets for the one piece on the left.

this is what 1600 pieces of chocolate for wedding favors looks like.  thank goodness for an extendible dining room table!

i'm glad that's done.  i just hope fedex gets them to minneapolis without melting them all.

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so this is the project you had trouble with the transfer sheets. looks good.

[jturn00]

How did you pack them up so they didn't bounce around? Did you use boxes / plastic trays? (I am always wondering the best way to transport my chocolates to a party without them bouncing around).

Also what are the chocolates on either side of the jess and eli chocolate? It looks interesting. I like the look of the long table with all the chocolates. Did you temper by hand or with a machine?

[alanamoana]

jturn00,

the favors are five to a box (clear plastic boxes from glerup.com). i put a piece of cardboard down with a tape x underneath it, extra tape hanging down...then i started stacking 18 boxes at a time with foam sheets between each 18. when i had about 112 boxes stacked, i lifted the extra tape up and around so i had a tower of chocolate boxes which i then packed into a cardboard box with padding on the sides.

then, i took this cardboard box and packed it into a larger cardboard box which had ice packs and foam pellets and bubble wrap.

trust me, nothing was moving! sorry if i'm not too clear in describing this process...it took a while to figure out!

the chocolates on either side of the jess&eli are a version of rochers...on the left, it is feuilletine, milk chocolate and toasted almonds...on the right, it is fueilletine, white chocolate and toasted coconut. these were the easiest as i just spread it into a sheet pan and when it was almost (but not completely) set up, i cut it into squares. after it sets up, just flip it over and break into squares.

everything was tempered by hand and i used a heating pad, hair dryer and microwave to do it. very basic. i'm not happy with the lack of shine on the molded hearts, but i realized too late that i was making the shells too thick (more for transportation reasons) and they took too long to set up which doesn't let them get shiny enough.

the jess&eli discs i custom ordered from americanchocolatedesigns.com

[Desiderio]

Alana I know you might not be satisfiyed 100% , but thye really look good , thats a heck of work!

And remeber one thing ,you are working form a home kitchen with the limits of one ,I work form my home kitchen atm as well and its hard to pop out 1000 chocolates for the weekend , but I think we do have a little craziness inside otherwise we wouldnt be here right?!

Great work thank you for sharing

Did you use special insulate packagins?I was looking into it they are very nice a bit expensive when you dont have a business though .Well like you said maybe one day, maybe soon.

Good luckk

[pastrymama]

Your chocolates look fabulous. I like the different shapes and textures. And I'm sure they taste just as great. What a wonderful friend you must be to go through all that labor etc and how great for the guests to be able to receive them. I hope you put business cards in, you never know who may see them and what opportunities may come from it. Great job.

[alanamoana]

thanks everyone! sometimes i feel like i post on eGullet just to get the boost to the self esteem! it really helps though and makes you realize you aren't working in vain

vanessa,

for packaging, i packed the chocolates like i described in the post before yours. a box inside of a box. i put ice packs and foam pellets and bubble wrap between the boxes. i hope it is okay as this is the first time i've mailed chocolates. everything is a learning experience, right?!

ted,

thanks! i'm always frazzled!

trish,

thanks...one day i'm going to have to drive up to sebastopol and help you out...just so i can learn a few things about production and stuff! if you want free help, let me know...

it is even better when the wedding is for a friend! that way you're not dealing with a bridezilla.

Edited May 23, 2006 by alanamoana (log)

[sote23]

great, let us know how the shipment arrives.i'm also learning how to ship chocolates.

[alanamoana]

friend called and everything arrived in great condition. i shipped via fedex standard overnight. very expensive!

she said the ice packs barely had a chance to defrost...so all is good!

trish,

hmmmm, now foil wrapping is something i have to learn! isn't easter done?! hehehe

and trust me...i can ALWAYS learn something new. especially when you watch someone else do things, it is a reminder that there isn't just one way to skin a cat.

[sote23]

friend called and everything arrived in great condition.  i shipped via fedex standard overnight.  very expensive!

she said the ice packs barely had a chance to defrost...so all is good!

trish,

hmmmm, now foil wrapping is something i have to learn!  isn't easter done?!  hehehe

and trust me...i can ALWAYS learn something new.  especially when you watch someone else do things, it is a reminder that there isn't just one way to skin a cat.

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glad to hear everything arrived perfectly. i can imagine that would of been a bit nerve wracking worrying about the shipping. what kind of ice packs did you use? were they the gel ice packs?

[alanamoana]

ice packs...i ordered are these.

the shipping on them is less because they are so light. you can cut them down to size, soak them in water and then i put them in a ziploc bag. i then wrapped them in paper to cut down on moisture.

seemed to work okay.

also, the company has a ton of different products and their prices seem pretty fair. i checked on amazon.com and they carry some of the same ice packs marked up by different retailers for much higher prices.

Edited May 26, 2006 by alanamoana (log)

[sote23]

where do you buy your pcb transfer sheets? i can find some places that sell some , but not the ones i want.

[alanamoana]

from pcb. they have on-line shopping available on their website. the shipping wasn't too outrageous. i assume if you order more items, it makes it more worthwhile (until it gets too heavy).

[Desiderio]

this site has some , but I dont know if they carry the one you want.

http://yourchocolateshop.com/index.php?cPa...5839b36f2595479

[alanamoana]

wow, their prices are really high!

[Desiderio]

Do you think that they would be higher than if you ordered from pcb??

I mean the euro is very high on the dollar at this moment plus shipping overseas??

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Qzina's prices are a bit better, although I just received a letter from them indicating they are having price increases on some of the items I've bought from them in past...PCB transfer sheets among them.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Do you think that they would be higher than if you ordered from pcb??

I mean the euro is very high on the dollar at this moment plus shipping overseas??

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I've never ordered directly from PCB just because I've always been too much in a hurry for my product to be willing to wait for it. As well, once you factor in shipping and exchange rate, I figure any cost difference wasn't worth quibbling about. But that's on a small scale. I think it matters a lot if you're talking larger volumes.

I'd be curious to hear the experiences of anyone who has ordered from PCB directly. I'd like to know what kind of shipping charges to expect, time frames, etc. Their transfer sheets are simply the best out there, and I really do need to start watching my pennies and planning ahead.

[Desiderio]

I thought the same , I mean honestly I didnt have the courage to order overseas, with the exchange and all , I am a little bit afraid , but again like you said if we can order a big amount on larger scale that wouldnt be a problem.I do think their tranfer sheets are simply gougeus, and I will try the next season , since I dont want to risk shipping in this heat.I looked at the Qzina site often and I dont like the fact that they dont have prices and you cant order online without knowing prices ,I hate buying by phone.

How did you order the transfer sheets ( and other things ) from them?

thank you

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

I thought the same , I mean honestly I didnt have the courage to order overseas, with the exchange and all , I am a little bit afraid , but again like you said if we can order a big amount on larger scale that wouldnt be a problem.I do think their tranfer sheets are simply gougeus, and I will try the next season , since I dont want to risk shipping in this heat.I looked at the Qzina site often and I dont like the fact that they dont have prices and you cant order online without knowing prices ,I hate buying by phone.

How did you order the transfer sheets ( and other things ) from them?

thank you

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Vanessa,

After my box experience, I'm certainly going to build in extra time for anything I order from Europe, unless it's coming DHL, or some other expidited shipping method. (But I doubt I'd ever be paying for that kind of shipping.)

You have to call Qzina to order from them. They don't print their prices because their prices are really dictated by the size of customer you're going to be for them. Like any distributor, you can negotiate prices down if you can guarantee some level of volumes with them over the course of a year. I'm not yet in a position to do that, but hope to be soon. So, my prices with them are pretty much 'rack rate' for the time being. Don't be afraid to call them...they're nice people.

[Trishiad]

Vanessa, I like the convenience of being able to place an internet order at any time of day but I love the service I get when I order by phone. Qzina and Glerup both keep all my info on file. I say my name and they pull up my account. They can answer any questions I have. At both Qzina and Tomric, I always speak to the same woman. I like that I know who I'll be talking to, and that they know me. I also love Qzina because I know when my product will be here. They deliver to my area on Tuesdays. So, even if I place an order at 4 on Monday, my stuff will be here the next afternoon. Give it a try.