We normally use a hot chocolate dispenser ...
[ Note: Edited to remove off-topic link to a product the poster is selling. ]
Hi Lana,
I know this conversation is nearly 2 years old now, but I'm shopping for a tempering machine with enrobing attachment and was wondering which machine you ended up purchasing and would recommend.
Thanks in advance!
Riadh
Hi,
Was just taking a look at this thread and recalled finding some videos on "CallebautTV" that seem to fit your questions/situation.There are quite a few helpful videos, but this one might answer some of your quesitons:
PRE-CRYSTALLIZING IN THE MELTING POT
http://www.callebaut.com/ocen/4845
Enjoy!
Thanks for your reply!
I will try to upload a photo of my chocolates and also of a paper test here soon just for an oppinion. I wont be making any more chocolates for probably the next week or so though. I will try your advice and be sure to stir it a bit more. I didnt realize how important that was. And I was using hardly any seed at all. Just a bit of a chocolate bar from Lindt (very very small amount). What percentage would you recomend? I typically temper about 5 pounds of chocolate at a time.
Hi Lana,
Is not worth paying more for a tempering machine with a wheel/dispenser?
Is there any reason that has kept you away from buying one of these machines different from its price (as it is at least twice the price of a big Mol d'Art)?
Thanks!
I ended up getting the 6kg Mol d'Art. I purchased it about 2 months ago, but just used it for the first time this weekend. I loved it! It was so much easier to dip in than the tiny Rev 2 that I had. One thing, though, it doesnt seem to be able to heat my dark chocolate any higher than 109 degrees, which was wierd. And it takes FOREVER to melt a large batch, so once it was in there, I just took the hair dryer to it (: that melted it pretty fast! Then I realized that the hair dryer is a great tool for a lot of things.
I have a question for everyone too: When I temper my chocolate, it is never glossy (unless I use a mold). When I dip my chocolates, they are always extremely mate. No shine whatsoever. But I thought I was tempering correctly because when I tempered it, they didnt melt on touch, and they had a nice snap. If they arent shiny, does that mean Im doing something wrong? Maybe not enough seed? This even happens in my Rev 2. Im using Cacao Barry and Guittard.
Hi Lana,
Thanks a lot for the explanation. Have you had the opportunity of using a tempering machine with a wheel/dispenser? My guess is that the wheel with the dispenser does the agitation or movement, taking this part off our hands, doesn't it?
Thanks!
Hi Lana,
How do you temper chocolate in the Mol d'Art melters? Do you seed the melted chocolate? Do you agitate the chocolate often? Or do you just let the chocolate melt to 32C (for dark chocolate) without seeding at all?
Thanks.
Hi Klassy,
What tempering machine did you finally buy? How do you like it?
Thanks.
Thank you so much everyone! You all have such great advice. It is invaluable to me and I appreciate it very much. I do remember watching a whole lot of videos to learn and they were always using those Mol d'Arts. I will probably get one of those. They are so much cheaper too.
Thanks again!!!
I'd second the Mol d'art - large enough to dump the chocolate back into. It's easy to learn to temper in them - and as Lana says you can use a heat gun and a bit of temperature adjustment to keep the chocolate fluid enough to work with.
Thank you so much Ruth and Lana. I cant beleive how easy it is to get great professional advice on this site! You both have really given me some stuff to think about. The machines that Ruth recommended are a little above my level (I am still getting this operation started and I am Active Army working 50+ hours a week) :/, but I hope I can get machines like those in the future! I really like the Perfect Equipments idea though!!! That was exactly what I was looking for. They quoted the Air-2 at $3275, which I can do. I was hoping to stay around $3500 or below, so with shipping it will fall right around there. The melter would be so much easier to purchase though... I guess I am going to have to choose.
I have a few questions though;
1. Can I temper the chocolate in the melter by adjusting the temp knob up, then back down, do the seeding, etc., or would I have to temper with my Rev2 and just dump it in the warmer?
2. When the chocolate is tempered and in the warmer, will it stay tempered as long as the temperature is right? How often would I have to stir it? (Not that its hard) (:
3. Does the wheel temperer (the Air-2) actually temper automatically like the Rev2 by raising and lowering the temperature?
Sorry for so many questions. I couldnt begin to tell you how much I appreciate your help though!
Thank you for your help! Is there a particular savage that you recomend?
OMG.... I just looked at the savage molding workstation and it quoted at $16,000. That is so so so far out of my price range right now. Am I looking at the wrong thing? You have three?
Another note; All I can seem to find is the TF20.... but I dont understand how the wheel attachment could possible cost another $1400!!!??? just for the wheel? What is so amazing that makes the wheel so pricy. I mean... I NEED the wheel, so is it just demand? They know Ill pay? Is there a cheaper way to go than paying $4000 for this? If not, I will pay it, but just wana shop first.
Thanks!
Hello everyone.
I need assistance.
I am opening a chocolate company mostly selling truffles and maybe bars later (when I can do bean to bar (: which I am excited for!). I have a rev2 tempering machine, which is a great machine, but when I fill the molds, I cant just tip the mold over and dump the excess chocolate out into the machine (to make shells for filling) because the machine is so small. Its also a pain to fill the molds with a spoon and OMG does my current process make the biggest mess you could imagine. A 2 year old's chocolate dream actually.
So, I have decided that I need a bigger machine (bigger than my molds), with a dispenser OR a wheel. I like the wheel design that just makes a little fountain for you to fill the mold, then I can dump the excess right back into the chocolate supply.
Does anyone have any advice? I am willing to spend the money, but I am still learning and developing this small business. I absolutely love chocolate and and 100% confident that I will be successfull, so I am willing to pay, but I dont want to get suckered by some site with incredible markup prices.
I dont necessarily need a 40lb capacity, but should I spring for one anyways? What do you guys/girls think? I need expert advice.
Also, I do not have a shop. I am learning all this in my apartment. (1200 sq ft.) but dont mind a big machine. I use Cacao Barry (wish I could afford the Valrhona). I live in Colorado. Not sure what else to say. I wana make sure you have all the details needed.
Thank you!!!!!!!
Moonstruck is soon coming out with a new bar, made from couverture produced in Switzerland. It's made from Nacional beans that were just discovered in Peru . The bar is called " Peruvian Fortunato Dark ".
For a mere $144 you can pre-order this 2 oz bar made by a fondeur. Better hurry while supplies last! (Can that really be the asking price, or is it a typo?)
HELLO EVERYONE
CAN ANYONE GIVE SOME ADVISE ON WHERE I CAN GET THE RAW MATERIALS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE SUCH AS
SORBITOL, INVERT SUGAR, GLUCOSE, PECTINE, CITRIC ACID, FROZEN FRUIT PULP, COLORANT, FONDANT SUGAR, GELATINE SHEETS, VANILLA STICKS......
IM LOOKING FOR GOOD SUPPLIERS FOR DRY FRUITS AS ALMONDS, HAZELNUTS, PEANUTS, RAISINS ..ETC
IM IN THE AREA OF TEXAS
I WILL GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT THAT WILL BE OF GREAT HELP ON STARTING MY BUSSINESS
SWEET REGARDS .
ELIA G
I found Amazon has a huge selection, you might be looking in the wrong area? Look for books from Rechuitti, that is my favorite and hope I spelled his name right. You will undoubtly be connected with other choice once you make a hit and then it will all open up from there.
Here's a link - Chocolate books
Hi there!
Could anybody advise me on book that would be good to read on the production of chocolate, tempering, conching everything one needs to know on making chocolate and where to get them. amazon does not have a great variety....
Thanks for the help! much appreciated
Karlien
Thank youso much for the information and your opinion it is much appreciated!
I am visitng FL in early Feb and would love to taste your chocolate maybe learn more about it, your operation etc. Where would i be able to buy some of your creations?
Karlien
I've used a few different brands of molds, my favorite by far are Chocolate World molds. They are available from Tomric by special order, or chocolat-chocolat.com which has a good number in stock.
My least favorite are the Tomric molds that they make themselves, which I think is everything that isn't labeled as a "european mold" in their catalog. These are just awful in my opinion.
Hi Karlien.
Check out:
Chocolat-Chocolat ( http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/ ) - Canada,
JB Prince ( www.jbprince.com ) - New York
I have some other companies, but they are on my favorites back home. I will add them later today, unless someone else adds them before me.
Hi there,
Can anybody help me with a good contact for good molds?
Regards,
Karlien
Hey friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.............I want to present a gift for my friend on her birthday..............tell me one thing which is better option for her........... Chocolates Box and flowers.................please tell me soon................her birth date is coming...........
Hi all I am a chocolatier I have stidied chocolate & patisserie for 3 1/2 years at William Angliss Institute melbourne australia. i have worked in the industry for about 4 years I seeking advice on how to become a " master "
does anybody know what the criteria is, to be called a "master chocolatier"
I would like to know if anyone knows what i would have to do to become a master
& where i could go to study.
hope to hear from you soon
kind regards
Laura
Hi, I live in Iceland and grew up around this chocolate. There is nothing organic about it thats for sure. Its mass produced and has been since way back. but they do not make the chocolate from bean to bar, they get chocolate blocks from Swiss, that company got a bad rep a few months ago when they were involved with company that used child labor.
They do make pralines but they are all made with milk chocolate and are very popular here in Iceland.
I find their chocolate to lack all characteristics but they do make nice candy of all sorts.
Icelanders are very patriotic when it comes to chocolate and Ive had heated arguments wiht people when I inform them that I dont use Noi Srus.
What does anyone know about this Icelandic chocolate, Ni Srus ? I've been seeing this on my local co-op shelves, and heard there is also something over at Whole Foods.
Well I haven't tried it, I somehow got the impression that it isn't on these shelves because it's one of the best chocolates in the world either, not that the co-op carries any of those anyway, they are allabout the certificates. Which excludes our locally made Rogue Chocolatier, ahem ahem...
But what's the story -- Rogue and local are out, and Iceland is in? Why should my co-op start carrying chocolates from this industrial candy company out of the blue? Surely instead of blue, it must have seemed a very good " going green " proposition for them...
Makes the certificate game, and the co-op itself, look even more ridiculous..
There seem to be several Hawaian chocololate makers on this forum. It's hard for me to imagine you couldn't convince someone to make a small amount of sweeter chocolate for you. Remember, cocoa is also very bitter, fat and sugar are the ingredients that counter the sweetness. You probably just need to get the right balance of sugar.
I would recommend using a chocolate that you like the way it tastes. I don't know what type of bitter taste the kava root has, but you probably need plenty of sweetness to cover it. Try using a chocolate that is semisweet (50% cacao -60%) instead of bitter, maybe that would balance the kava. I don't know because I've never used the product.
The macadamia nuts will "sweeten" the chocolate a little as well with a similar creamy feeling as milk. If you want a paste and not a bar than use a larger % of nuts to chocolate so it can spread.
All the best,
Jo
Thanks for the reply Nat.
What if I add the water to the fully made chocolate along with granulated white sugar and cook it for a while as I whisk it around in a double boiler? you think shelf life is still compromised?
Our kava product is CO2 extract based so no problems there.
I am working with finished chocolate and totally agree on staying away from powdered sugar with the anti caking corn powder in it.
However, I hear there is a powdered sugar with no corn powder added.
Will try and find that and play with it.
Thanks again!
Any added water that may not cook out could lower the shelf life as it provides an environement in which bacteria can survive. Is it the sugar or cacao granules that are not melting? If it's the sugar, try grinding it to a powder in a coffee grinder or powerful blender. Don't use commercial powdered sugar as this has corn powder in it to reduce caking.
Coconut oil or other stable vegetable oils will soften the product without diluting the cacao taste too much. It would be best if you could grind the cacao, kava, sugar, and butter together with a stone grinder like a Santha which many people on the Big Island use to make chocolate bars.
Faerie's Finest has good organic and food grade citrus oils.
How do you deal with the possible intestinal distress from ingesting whole kava powder instead of the water extraction as it is used traditionally?
thanks so much for your reply Jo.
I was skeptical about adding water to that chocolate to tell you the truth and my hunch proved right, thanks for confirming.
I like the mac nut butter idea and will look into it.
My vision is to keep this product as simple as possible with minimal ingredients.
Play a game with me Jo and let's trade hats for a second.
You have a bitter paste, it's REALLY bitter, and chocolate reduces the punishment of consuming it when mixed into the kava. Phew! But it's still so bitter you try to sweeten the 73% cacao chocolate (you WANT to keep it local even though it's getting hard to get custom supply for this stuff)
So you say, alright, I'll try a non Hawaiian chocolate to move things along!
Which chocolate would you try and experiment with?
What does this chocolate taste like, and what's the ideal cacao % to start playing with and is there a consistancy you are looking for?
Price per pound is not really a consideration at this point.Not if the kava get's it's soul mate in chocolate!
I am going to guess it's border line milk chocolate (least amount of cacao % before it gets into dairy - you want a vegan product for maximum shelf life and since this is a health food store product) .
Thanks for indulging me Jo,
A. Ghiasi
