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Posted
Kerry

Nice toy, how do you find these things?

I can't recall how I stumbled on to this. Likely a google search for caramel cutter.

Hi! That is exactly what I imagined for ganache-remember?  DO you think it would work on ganache?

I think the ganache would stick in the squares (just like I think the caramel would). I'll test it out and let you know.

  • 9 months later...
Posted

I've spent the last day or so sifting through search results with little luck, hoping to avoid asking a question I suspect has been answered here repeatedly.

I'd like to get some acrylic bars and perhaps even a full frame or 2 made for this year's candy blitz. I emailed a possible supplier to inquire which of their materials were a- foodsafe, and b- relatively rigid. The response answered neither. :blink: They told me that they don't have any foodsafe information and I'd have to do the research myself. Which, if more detailed information were available on their site regarding the material specifics, might not be so difficult! :rolleyes:

So here it comes... where did you get your acrylic bars/frames made? Is there a specific material spec I can look for from my local suppliers? I like the idea of having rulers laser etched, and it sounds like they work well from the posts I've read regarding available materials. There's a Metal Supermarket I plan to pick up some aluminum bars from next week, so I am not completely frameless if I can't find acrylic, but I'm really excited about the idea of one-piece frames for some of the truffles I've got planned for this year. :biggrin:

Posted

Very timely - i'm making my own frame set right now. i ordered 6 1/4"x14"x14" plates off of ebay for $2.25. I started cutting the frame out with the cutting disk of a dremel last night, and learned that the smell of melting acrylic is terrible. the dremel is working, but it's taking SO long. I'm going to try to find another way to do it, but if all else fails, back to the dremel.

Posted

I've got a place close by called P&A plastics. They cut frames for me from acrylic in 1/4 and 1/8 inch thicknesses. If you want perfect square corners the cost goes way up, so I settled for slightly rounded corners that they cut with something akin to a jigsaw.

The whole food grade thing is kind of muddy - the stuff they used for my frames is the same stuff used to make sneeze guards for salad bars and such - but I haven't been able to find any sources that explain what makes acrylic food grade vs not.

  • 4 years later...
Posted

Hi all.

I was wondering if anyone uses a caramel cutter, the long rod with multiple large round cutting disks attached. The reason I'm asking is that I'm in the process of purchasing items for a small business, and I'm not thinking about getting an actual caramel cutter, but a five disk pastry wheel. Now I know that a caramel cutter simply marks the slab into even squares for cutting manually with a knife, but, mostly I'm just wondering if a muli-disk pastry wheel would do just as good a job. I'm just trying to decide right now if the purchase of the pastry wheels is worth it. I use 3/4 inch angle pieces that make up my frame, and I use one of those pieces to line up the cut with a knife so it's straight, but I'd like to do this faster and with a little more consistency. One thing I'm worried about is marking the whole slab into squares, then when I go to cut with a knife, the squares getting a little deformed and thus not very helpful anymore. Overall, I think I make my caramels a tiny bit more firm then most, so it may not be an issue, but it was just a thought that occurred to me. Any thoughts? Thanks a bunch!

Posted

I use a caramel cutter and I use it to cut, not just mark. I have the large 5 or 6 inch blades. I only have about 8 blades on it because that is what I can handle. I have another knife that has 15 blades. It is too heavy and awkward for me. The pastry wheels are not very sturdy. I don't think you could cut caramel, only mark. I like my squares to be even and I think the round knives are the best way.

Ruth Kendrick

Chocolot
Artisan Chocolates and Toffees
www.chocolot.com

Posted

I also have a caramel cutter - I use it a lot, like Chocolot I like my caramels cut cleanly and square. I also have a pastry wheel, and it can not do what a caramel cutter can do. It's an investment that is well worth it.

Posted

Haven't used a caramel cutter, but I have my own cutter, made of 4" dia s/s wheels spaced 1" apart. It will not cut caramel, but I use it to mark.

I make about 3 batches of caramel per week, recipie unashamedly stolen from Grewling's book, so it is fairly soft.

I use a regular Chef's knife to cut the caramel--no greasing or buttering or warming up with a torch, just the Chef's knife.

What is important is HOW you use the knife, I get clean cuts with no sticking by moving my knife back and forth while cutting--mimicing an electric knife. If the knife does not move, it will stick.

Posted

I do the same, I cut the caramels exactly how it's instructed to in chocolates an confections, always keeping the bade moving. Mostly I was wondering if a multi pasty wheel could speed it up, but for the amount I'm making (way less then you) I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I think I cook my caramel slightly longer then most. I like them soft, but not ultra gooey, they soften in your mouth, I think they look nice with nice sharp cut edges. Anywho, thanks again.

  • 8 years later...
Posted

I have one of the older caramel cutters with wooden handles that I got from Tomric. I called them because the handles are splitting and was told the company that made the cutter is out of business. They have a new cutter but say the spacers are different. The person on the phone kept telling me to use the website for all my questions. They were really no help at all. If I have to get a new cutter I'm not going through Tomric. 

If the spacers are different it's really going to screw my whole process up. I have expensive frames and everything lines up now. This is a big problem.

 

Has anyone found alternative handles? My first choice is to repair what I have.

Can anyone recommend a company that will actually help me find the right new cutter if I need one? 

Are the Savage cutters worth it?

 

Thank you in advance. I'm frustrated after that call. I was prepared to get a new cutter, the new one on the Tomric website, but they didn't seem interested in talking to me.

Posted

checking the price of new stuff, methinks you could have plastic/nylon/HDPE handles turned and mounted for less money....

or even a DIY approach - split the wood handles completely, remount with epoxy, fill any voids with epoxy and sand smooth.

if you run this thru a machine washer, I'd recommend the HDPE route - wood and diswashers never ends well....

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

Depending on where you live, if there is an Amish community nearby, they can make you new handles and mount them for you.

another option is a school that offers vo-tech training, they could turn a handle easily.  
and, if all else fails, remember, if duct tape won’t fix it, it’s not broken

i have a Savage cutter.  I’ve used it going on 25 years and it’s awesome

Edited by RobertM (log)
Posted
8 hours ago, DJ Silverchild said:

I have one of the older caramel cutters with wooden handles that I got from Tomric. I called them because the handles are splitting and was told the company that made the cutter is out of business. They have a new cutter but say the spacers are different. The person on the phone kept telling me to use the website for all my questions. They were really no help at all. If I have to get a new cutter I'm not going through Tomric. 

If the spacers are different it's really going to screw my whole process up. I have expensive frames and everything lines up now. This is a big problem.

 

Has anyone found alternative handles? My first choice is to repair what I have.

Can anyone recommend a company that will actually help me find the right new cutter if I need one? 

Are the Savage cutters worth it?

 

Thank you in advance. I'm frustrated after that call. I was prepared to get a new cutter, the new one on the Tomric website, but they didn't seem interested in talking to me.

So the spacers are just washers - the correct combination of them will give you the correct distance between blades if that is the issue.  I have a couple of cutters with wooden handles at least one of which was from Tomric. I have fiddled the distance between the blades with washers for different purposes. 

 

I've never had any issues with Tomric but then I always go straight to Brian! 

 

Savage cutters are lovely - but pricy for sure.

 

 

 

Posted
On 12/28/2007 at 2:21 PM, David J. said:

I simply had eight 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bars cut from longer bar stock at a local "Metal Supermarket" that I use for ganache and caramel.

I use Scotch tape to tape them down to a Silpat and don't have any problem with leakage. Pate de fruit and ganache are both thick enough that it's not an issue. The tape lets me scrape the top without causing them to shift around.

I have rectangular bars because I stack them to get dual layer truffles, half pate de fruit or marshmallow and half ganache. At 1/2" wide they are plenty stable and the two 1/4" bars make for a 1/2" tall center for the truffle which works out fine.

Hi @David J., would you happen to known which aluminum alloy your bars are made from?

Posted
On 12/9/2007 at 3:09 PM, Ben C said:

Hi, I wanted to update:

The acrylic bars worked as a flawless substitute for aluminum caramel bars. They're an ideal weight, the don't flex, and the polished surface is perfect for sliding a spatula across to cleanly slab whatever you're working with. So far I've used them exclusively for ganache. And if you work on silpat, it'll provide sufficient friction to prevent the bars from moving around.

I'm working with a self-healing cutting mat and a metal ruler to make accurate cuts. In most cases having a ruler etched into the acrylic as I suggested in my previous post would be useless as the ganache usually works its way onto the bars, obscuring the markings. That, and little ridges cut into the bars would be a pain to keep clean. There are some acrylic fabrication houses that offer laser etching inside the acrylic a few millimeters deep, without marring the surface. This is something I'll look into down the road.

Ben

Hi @Ben C, would you mind sharing where you purchased your acrylic bars?

 

 

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