How to keep chocolate from melting.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Ben, thank you so much for the information. I will read 'em all
Hi Ben, thank you so much for the information. I will read 'em all
Hi Miguel. There's several discussions here on the Chocolate Life that may be of help to you. Here are a couple of them:
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/selling-at-farmers-markets-in
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/group/startupcentral/forum/topics/chocolate-in-the-summertime
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/outdoor-market
Try searching for 'summer market' or 'outdoor market' or similar.
Hope this helps!
-Ben
Hello, at the beggining of January I stated my interest in creating chocolate at home, I was given a lot of information and advice from some great members in this website. I've been able to make some improvements to the point that I can make acceptable chocolate and people likes it.
I will be participating in a small fair for Valentine's day, however I'm really concerned about the chocolate temperature and preventing it melts, because the fair is outdoors.
Do you guys know of any cheap, effective way to keep chocolate cool without causing too much humidity?
Hi all, I ordered some Airbrush colours from chocolate world (see link below) thinking they were coloured cocoa butter but they are not. The product is in liquid form, no need to temper and can be sprayed straight away on any mould. It dries quickly and are so easy to use.
First off I'm interested to know if anyone is using the product and secondly even though it is labelled food safe, the product contains ethanol - should I be concerned?
FYI I have attached an image of a sprayed chocolate using this product.
Thanks for your help.
http://www.chocolateworld.be/fotos/COL3803AF.jpg
Stephen:
Is that 100-200kg per hour? 100-200kg per day? 100-200kg per week? And this is for installation in Uganda?
Hello Friends, Happy new year. I have not contributed a post this year.
Am looking for a new or used bean to bar production line ( 100kg-200kg) please send me a quote and pictures to steve@pinkfoodsindustries.com
Regards,
Stephen Sembuya
Oh would like I to be able to go just to learn and understand more and this will be a future goal
Yes I am putting it out there
This is an archive copy of the email newsletter for those who do not get the newsletters. For comments and questions, contact the organizers directly or post on the Event Listing on TheChocolateLife .
Hello from the depths of Winter here in the New York area:
I am excited to be able to share with ChocolateLife members some advance program details for the upcoming Chocoa Trade Fair, Conference, and Festival in Amsterdam at the end of March, 2014. News that warms me up - and that I hope will warm you up, as well.
Chocoa was founded in 2013 to promote sustainable cacao and chocolate. They have set the goal that all chocolate in the country will be sustainable by the year 2025. But the cacao and chocolate trade is larger than any one country , even though Holland plays a central role as a major producer of semi-finished and finished products as well as serving as one of the largest ports of entry for cocoa beans from around the world.
That's why, for Chocoa 2014, we have organized programs for the international community during the first Chocoa Trade Fair and Conference (to be held March 27-28). One of the features of the Trade Fair that I am especially excited about is the focus on connecting chocolate makers - especially craft producers - directly with growers, and vice versa.
We are looking for your support and participation:
IF you are a chocolate maker who is looking to connect directly with growers , then Chocoa 2014 provides you the opportunity to meet one-on-one (with translation support)with growers. You will be able tosample beans and ask questions of the farmers about their trees, farms, post-harvest processing practices and more. Over the course of the Trade Fair you can meet many growers from many different parts of the world. While you may not wish to conduct business or place orders during Chocoa, you will have made connections that will guide your trips to origin making them more productive and fruitful.
IF you are a grower (or broker working with small farms) who is looking to connect directly with chocolate makers and other processors of cocoa , then Chocoa 2014 provides you the opportunity to meet one-on-one with chocolate makers from around the world. You will be able to share your beans, cocoa liquor, and your story with them and get them to come and visit the farm and factory so they can gain the first-hand knowledge they seek about their sources.
IF you are a chocolate maker or grower looking to connect with importers, distributor, brokers, and agents ,then Chocoa 2014 provides you the opportunity to meet one-on-one with key contacts from around the world.
If you are a company that provides products or services to chocolate makers or growers , then you can have a stand and have a presence at the Fair as well. Chocoa is actively looking for Sponsors to help support all of the events being organized for Chocoa this year. Sponsors will be able to raise their profile to a targeted professional audience not just at the Trade Fair, but also the Conference for professionals, the Festival that is open to the public and to the participants of an exclusive master class for chefs. Sponsorship rates are very reasonable for the value and exposure provided.
For chocolate makers, growers, and sponsors alike, the Chocoa Conference program offers the opportunity to meet and learn from stakeholders involved in all aspects of the cacao to chocolate supply chain. There will be representatives of banks, logistical firms, and more to help you meet the challenges you face growing your business, especially with respect to securing your cocoa bean supply. The Chocoa Festival provides the occasion to share your work and your passion with thousands of chocolate lovers from around Holland and Europe.
If you are a chocolate maker, grower, or a potential sponsor interested in participating in Chocoa 2014 , contact the organizers at tradefair@chocoa.nl for more information as well as to ask for registration forms. The organizers are working with Dutch government and private organizations to provide assistance to get Visas (where necessary) and expedite the shipping and customs clearance of bean samples to make participating in Chocoa 2014 as easy as possible.
I hope to see many of you in Amsterdam at the end of March,
:: Clay
I've had good luck by just mixing a little vegetable oil into the melted chocolate. I've used this for a stracciatella gelato. Try playing with that.
Does anyone have an idea on how to make chocolate toppings for soft serve ice cream? We would like to include a chocolate dip on our menu, and perhaps maple, caramel, vanilla, etc., but we don't want the hard waxy shell from the paraffin wax. The chocolate/chocolate compound needs to go on the ice cream between 70-75 degrees (we want to use real chocolate, but can't figure out how), leave a thin coat and firm up enough for a coating, but not a hard shell.
I've got thoughts running around in my head of how this can be accomplished, but I keep coming up with glitches. We don't want to have to buy it.
Thanks!
No slack. Link belt should be tight.
So I reattached the stem to the bowl, its a wee bit of a wobble, but its not like it didnt have one before...
I ended up using a poly-urethane adhesive used in the construction industry, called PL Premium.
I first tried it on a rock and piece of scarp steel. Be darned if I had to chisel it off.
Next i let a small blob cure for 14 days... then heated it in some hot water and chewed it..... I wanted to know if it had flavor or off gassing.....
Seemed not to,,, so I glued the stem/stalk back in, waited 14 days, and gave it a few cleanes with some sugar and a cycle in the oven.
All seems ok.
But now Im trying to figure out the tension with the Link-V belt.... the crappy belt I got from the auto store self destructed before one batch was out. <12hours. I think it was a) too wide 1/2" vs 3/8", b) too short (33") and it was tight!!!!
Before I put the Santha back together, can some one tell me how much slack should be on the the Link V belt?
At the area between the pulleys, how many inches slack should I see?
Cheers
Alan
Alan -
There is a distributor for Santha in the USA now - they are in California in the SF Bay area. (Even though their site is named SanthaUSA,com you're dealing with the company in India.) They are offering spare parts and technical support over the phone.
The site is called HotDishes and they sell a range of products including the Santhas. Their Customer Service page.
:: Clay
Adam,
Thanks for the pic.
I guess I need to know at this point, what kind of adhesive to use for reattaching the stalk to the bowl. I think Im partial to a latex (think liquid nails type). Thoughts anyone?
It does seem the stalk is adhered to the bowl/stone top and bottom, and I melted the bottom...we'll see if I can "git'er dun".
Cheers
Alan
A few weeks ago I was asking about alternatives to the Champion juicer. One of the suggestions that was given was to preheat the bowl/rollers.....
Well in a plan that wasnt quite as well thought out, I left the bowl ontop of a coffee pot warmer for far too long. It melted the base of the main stalk that is in the middle of the bowl. Not a big deal I can gently carve the melted plastic away. It still fits onto the melangeur.
But the stalk stem, what ever its called has come out. Any idea what kind of adhesive its set with? Could someone take a pic of the bottom of their bowl and show me a pic, so I know just how much I melted? Im hoping theres a chance its only the adhesive that bubbled out and smells like a$$, it doesnt smell like a plastic to me, but when its been on the heat for x hours.....you never know.
On a side note, I was looking at the Santha USA site. It looks like the center stalk is now steel, vs the plastic mine has. Any idea when that change happened? I got mine in may and it was sold as a Model 11 (part #9 drum with base , http://www.santhausa.com/MelangerPartsAccessories.htm )
Cheers All!
Hello Amber,
I was wondering if you are still selling your chocolate business and how much you are asking. You can email me directly at jperl83294@aol.com
Best Regards,
John
Hello Chocolate Life Members!
I am a chocolate maker in California and have been in business for three years. I am beginning to put together plans to sell my business this spring, once we make it through the valentines rush (we just had baby #4 and I'm sure you can guess that now things are starting to get a little busy around here!)
We have a nationwide wholesale program and corporate gifting program, as well as solid website sales with a good FB and IG crowd following us, and a great portfolio of major media hits.
Our product list is solid as is but I've always thought it needs a good truffle line from someone creative.
We are hoping to start looking at any interest or offers come March or April, but I am more than happy to chat about any interest or questions before then. We are somewhat flexible with the details of selling, we just want to make it work out!
Also, if anyone has sold a business in the past and has any words of advice, I would absolutely love any!
Thank you!!
Amber
I use a bunch of high quality poly molds. Some of them are carried by Tomric, you can see many in my photos and on my website. If you work them right they are well worth it, some require a great deal of finesse and a bit of a learning curve.
Thank you Clay! The room was low 60s, the pans were stainless steel, and the nuts were about room temperature. I warmed the nuts very slightly, used glass bowls that we also warmed, and the difference was NIGHT and DAY! Thank you! I knew it would be something silly that we just overlooked.
Maggie -
I think that Jim and Pam may both be partly right.
The questions I have are:
1) How cold is the room you're working in?
2) What are the pans made of?
3) How big are the pans?
4) Are the nuts at room temperature (or colder)?
It's easy to over-temper in a Chocovision machine, just as it's easy to under-temper. A machine like that is no replacement for actually knowing how to hand-temper and how to tell if your chocolate is in temper. The default temperatures may not be the best ones for your chocolate.
If the room is cold and you're using stainless steel bowls and they are big bowls and you're dumping cold nuts into the chocolate -- well that would cause it to set up very quickly - especially if you are setting the bowls down on a stainless steel or marble table. Just suck the heat right out of it!
The bowls should be at the same temperature as the chocolate in the temperer, or as close to it as you can manage. You can use a heating pad under a marble slab (or between two sheet pans - this is best!) to create a warm surface to work on.
The nuts should also be as close to the temperature of the chocolate as possible. If you have a small bread proofer that would work, as would an incubator or an oven with just the light on. I would be careful about microwaving as the heating could be uneven and you don't want fat to migrate to the surface of the nuts.
warm nuts in microwave a little
Hi All!
I know this is probably going to be the easiest fix..and most likely something silly we are doing wrong. But, when we try to make Milk or Dark Chocolate Coconut Clusters or Peanut Clusters...the chocolate is hardening SO fast after we ladle in our bowl that we are basically ruining the majority. I told the girls to now use as much, and do much smaller batches (annoying, but zero waste). Is that the secret? Please help!
**I am using all Peter's Chocolate...toasted coconut...and VA EXLARGE roasted peanuts .
Just wanted to let everyone know that I have some Easter Bunny molds I'm trying to move on eBay at a discounted price:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331121031749?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
I found the molds are bigger than I'd prefer (they end up about 130 grams per bunny).
Anybody have a lead on a source for smaller bunny molds? I'm looking for something that would make a 50g or so bunny.
I have the smaller model.
Regarding the Premier Grinder, are you referring to the 1.5 or 2 liter (tilting) model? I just did a 5 lb. test batch on the 2 liter model and it worked like a champ. It certainly could handle more and I'll find out how much in the next few days.
Journey -
There is a US distributor for the Santhas (in the San Francisco area). They offer the same price as on the Santha web site but their prices include shipping. Also, parts are available through them - not from India - and they offer technical support on the phone.
The belt upgrade that Ben mentions is a good idea and not that expensive to implement. LMK and I can put you in touch.
Hi Journey. The only thing that I know of between the 10lb models (CocoaTown or Santha) and the 40+ lb models is the Santha 20. If you're just looking at another smaller machine, there's also the Premiere Wonder Grinder, but it's smaller. I use it for small test batches. Others somehow use it for 8 lbs or more, but the chocolate has spilled through the center shaft every time I've gone over 4 or 5 lbs.
Regarding the belts, I'm surprised yours last 5 months! When I used the provided belts in either a CocoaTown or a Santha, they always broke within a month. The last one (on my Santha 40) broke after 3 batches. Basically, the provided belts are terrible. I believe it was Brad Churchill who first made the suggestion on this and the Chocolate Alchemy forum to replace the original belts with a PowerTwist fiberglass link belt. I've done that on all of my machines and have never had a belt break or need adjusting. I believe the smaller machines use 3/8" belts, while the larger machines use 5/8".
Madre Chocolate's cacao boot campis now happening on O'ahu Hawai'i Feb 25-Mar 1, 2014 during the same week as theHawaii Chocolate Festival,Hawaii Chocolate & Cacao Association, and Kailua Cacao Festival soyou can easily come for all three and have a wonderful time with a full week ofchocolate! Evenexperiencedchocolate makers will get a lot out of this by participating hands on and learning to tune the cacaofermentation process so you and the cacao growersyou work with can tune the entire process to get the tastesyou're looking for from fruity, nutty, chocolatey, floral to spicy.
http://www.thechocolatelife.com/events/cacao-chocolate-boot-camp-seed-to-tree-bean-to-bar
http://madrechocolate.com/Classes.html#widget13
Experience Hawaiian Cacao & Chocolate Bootcamp on Oahu
seed to tree/bean to bar
February 25th-March 1st, 2014
Oahu cacao farms, research stations, & chocolate shops
Do you love chocolate and thirst to learn more about how cacao is grown and made into chocolate? Never tasted the delicious lychee or mangosteen-flavored pulp of the cacao fruit? Want to see how the days-long process of fermenting cacao affects the micro-terroir of the chocolate flavor? This is the perfect tour for you! Were having a cacao boot camp with everyone from Hawaii, mainland, European, and beyond chocolate makers and chocophiles coming out here to experience and learn cacao planting, cultivation, harvest, and fermentation and chocolate making for 5-7 days.
Well introduce you to the cacao growers and fermenters throughout Oahu, an area we call the Napa Valley of cacao due to the amazing diversity of cacao flavors and microclimates in each valley up and down Windward Oahu and the North Shore. Each day well visit, learn, and participate in a different aspect of cacao growing and processing with expert farmers, fermenters, agroforesters, university researchers, and chocolate makers in Hawaiis burgeoning chocolate industry. In the only place in the US where cacao grows, youll have beautiful accommodations near the beaches of Lani Kai and Kailua or famous Waikiki, and youll be driven between each of the spots each day, with time off in the evenings to enjoy all the amazing local food that Kailua and Honolulu has to offer.
Walk into the cacao orchards of Oahu the moment you step off the plane and begin your journey into chocolate making, Hawaiian style.
Itinerary (details may change):
Day 1: Cultivation : Visit a small hillside organic cacao farm on Oahus windward east coast to help plant cacao trees grown along with vanilla, taro, guava, and many other tropical fruits. Well test for ripeness, harvest & crack cacao pods.
Day 2: Fermentation : Oahucacao researchers from academia & industry will show you howfermentation can be tuned to bring out the natural fruity, acidic, aromatic, floral, and spicy flavors of cacao fromdifferent regions of Hawai'i and the world. Optional evening beach trip and group dinner.
Day 3: Value added cacao, roasting, & conching
AM: Morning Farm Trip: We'll visit a long-standing cacao & fruit farm on O'ahu's northeast tip, where cacao grows among bananas, papaya, taro,Passion Fruit, and vanilla in full sun within feet of the beach, and we'll see how this farm is using cacao and all their farm produce to make amazing jams, spreads, drinks, and lunches for their visitors.
PM: Cacao Roasting & Starting a Grind: Chocolate Making Workshop 1. We will begin the process of chocolate making by Roasting cacao together and analyzing the steps and stages of a proper cacao bean roast. Then we will crack and winnow the beans to prepare them for the grinder.
Day 4: Cacao agroforestry, conche completion, & inclusions
AM: Morning Field Trip: We'll visit the experts at the Hawaii Agricultural Research Centerto see how they raise hundreds of cacao seedlings in a shaded nursery, work cacao in with an agroforestry program interspersed with native Koa trees, and how cacao is selected and bred for Hawaii's unique climate.
PM: Chocolate with Inclusions: Chocolate Making Workshop 2. We will check on the progress of our grind begun the afternoon prior and taste farm-specific Hawaiian cacao as fine chocolate. Well practice adding inclusions to tempered chocolate, preparing chocolate molds and pouring bars.
Day 5: tree-to-bar, tempering, wrapping
AM: Morning Farm Trip: Visit and learn about makingchocolatetree-to-bar at the pioneeringLonohana farm on the North Shore within site of the famous Banzai Pipeline surf spot. We'll talk to Lonohana's founder Seneca about how he started a cacao farm on Pupukea's gentle slopes and how he's turning this unique cacao into Hawai'i's newest esteemedchocolate in his Honolulu shop.
PM: Finished Fine Chocolate: Chocolate Making Workshop 3. We will remove our chocolate batch from the grinder, check the micron levels for smoothness, practice with the tempering machine and pour our freshly made chocolate into bars. Once they are set we can wrap them to take home, or eat them!
Catch your plane via our private shuttle van or stay and enjoy the whiskey and chocolate pairing evening.
Your expert guides Dave & Nat have traveled and tasted and researched cacao all across the Hawaiian Islands, Bali, Vietnam, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil over the past 16 years, working with cacao growers,chocolate makers, and chefs. Through thisexperience they will giveyou direct insights andconnections with thepeople who makechocolate part of their lives everyday. Comeexperience the history and creation ofchocolate as you never thought possible.
Price: $1498 for tours, material, food, & transportation, excluding airfare & hotel
Includes :
All Ground Transportation Field Trip, Farm Trips, Sunset Beach Trip, Airport Pick-Up and Departure Drop-Off, Scheduled Program Activities. For best transportation we request that participants stay with our lodging partners.
Breakfast Daily at lodging partner and Lunch Daily with group. Options for vegetarian, vegan and special dietary needs are available upon request.
Raw Materials for Chocolate Making in Program, Field Note Book for Farm Trips, Chocolate for Tasting Sessions and Cacao Pods for fermentation practice.
Workshops, Farm Tours, Facilitators and Instructors, Private Group Transportation and a real fun time.
Does Not Include : Dinner meal, extracurricular tours or side trips, lodging.
Accommodations: We have arranged group rates of $100-200/night for Waikiki (Honolulu) and Windward Oahu hotels that we will send you on receipt of deposit.
Deposit: A deposit of $716 is required to reserve your space. To pay by credit card via paypal, click here:
or call 808-377-6440.
Payment may be made by check mailed to Madre Chocolate at
PO Box 12172
Honolulu HI 96828
with program registration form.
We cant wait to have you join us on this journey from seed to tree to bean to bar!
Hi - just hoping that someone on here might know where I can purchase this style of packaging (photos attached). Basically it's like a plastic pouch with a paper lining in between two layers of plastic. The chocolate bar goes in the pouch side and the top folds over it. It reminds me of a tobacco pouch. Has anyone come across a manufacturer or a retailer who sell this type of packaging?
Thanks
Lisa
One option is to create a Morello Cherry Pate De Fruit on top of a white chocolate ganache. This would work well for a square bon bon.