Forum Activity for @helmut placek

helmut placek
@helmut placek
01/24/10 19:45:27
5 posts

Organic Cocoa Beans


Posted in: Opinion

Recently I talked to a chocolate producer and was told that organically grown cocoa beans are being fumigated prior to entering the United States, using the same kind of gas as the one for fumigating homes.

How in the world can you still call these beans "organic" after being treated with poisonous gas?

I appreciate youropinion in this matter.

Helmut Placek


updated by @helmut placek: 05/03/15 12:07:12
Kate Blake
@Kate Blake
02/22/10 19:13:20
3 posts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe


Posted in: Recipes

Thanks! The link is great!
Jennifer Meyer
@Jennifer Meyer
02/14/10 14:39:27
3 posts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe


Posted in: Recipes

Try this link to the recipe for perfect chocolate chip cookies from America's Test Kitchen (on PBS). They go to great lengths to ensure a chewy cookie: http://www.recipezaar.com/perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies-americas-test-kitchen-387119
Kate Blake
@Kate Blake
01/31/10 09:26:38
3 posts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe


Posted in: Recipes

Thanks, Sarah, I will try them on my next day off!
Sarah Hart
@Sarah Hart
01/24/10 13:28:44
63 posts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe


Posted in: Recipes

My daughter swears by the Jacques Torres recipe (as published in the NY Times). I think those are pretty moist and chewy both, but I have not tried them. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html
Kate Blake
@Kate Blake
01/23/10 22:51:44
3 posts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe


Posted in: Recipes

I have been looking for a chocolate chip cookie recipe whereby the cookies stay moist and chewy. Any suggestions?
updated by @Kate Blake: 05/04/15 00:47:02
Dee
@Dee
01/26/10 13:08:27
6 posts

Simple Chocolate Love


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Oooh! Very nice!
Kristina
@Kristina
01/26/10 05:23:30
21 posts

Simple Chocolate Love


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hi Dee,it's actually not about quantity of cacao in your chocolate, it's about quality of your chocolate. Milk powder increases the caramel taste in chocolate, for instance. Besides, there are quite strong cacaos so you almost have to "delute" them by milk in order to let the taste develope fully and not to be owerpoeering. Neither percentage nore colour can actually tell you how good or bad or enjoyable your chocolate will be. And this discovering is a fascinating journey! There is not only sweetness or bitterness in a chocolate - in a good chocalte you can wxplore plenty of tastes and their synergy. This is the great thing about chocolate for me. It's kind of mini medidation - when you are absolutely open to your senses.
Dee
@Dee
01/25/10 16:13:51
6 posts

Simple Chocolate Love


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Thanks guys! This is very helpful!So, is it like the only chocolate that really counts is dark chocolate? Or is that just the preference of some people?Because I can get on board with white chocolate not counting as chocolate (since it has nothing to do with the cacao - at least that's what Food Network told me), but milk chocolate still has some chocolate in it.And, if I can ask any questions... Do you think it could be possible to find a lost chocolate? I used to get "French Chocolate Mousse" (I haven't the slightest clue if it actually had anything to do with France at all, but that's what they called it) from a coffee shop by my college, and haven't found any chocolate I liked even remotely as much as it since it closed. I've been on a hunt, and thought this might be the best place to ask about it.
Olivia Garvin
@Olivia Garvin
01/25/10 14:37:02
2 posts

Simple Chocolate Love


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hi, I'm new to all of this as well. I recently started to learn all I could about chocolate after my sister-in-law signed me up to teach a wine and chocolate class as the chocolate expert! Time for a crash course. I have found it all fascinating and the book, "Discover Chocolate" has been immensely helpful. I'm dying to learn more, though.
ChocoFiles
@ChocoFiles
01/25/10 06:54:58
251 posts

Simple Chocolate Love


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Dee,Welcome to TCL! We all started somewhere. My journey into exploring the world of fine dark chocolate only began in 2007. At that time I was exactly where you are now. We all have to start somewhere. I've learned a lot over the last few years, and tasted lots of great chocolate (and some not so great), so I may be a few steps ahead of you, but not much. I've learned a ton from this site, and met some knowledgeable people who are further down the road than I am. We all share the same joy over eating a great chocolate bar. So just dive in and ask about anything you want to know more about.BTW, I don't make chocolate either. I'm just a taster and reviewer, so I don't understand any of the technical stuff either.Also, I just started a Chocolate Review website that you might want to check out.Enjoy your journey!
Dee
@Dee
01/23/10 14:30:31
6 posts

Simple Chocolate Love


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hello, I'm new to The Chocolate Life. On first glance, I see many of you make and sell chocolate, or are very well-educated about it.

But, I'm just beginning, and I don't know what most of these discussions are about.

Is there anyone else out there who is like me? Maybe there should be a group for beginners. I am willing to learn more, but I don't know where to start.


updated by @Dee: 04/16/15 04:10:24
Walter Plante
@Walter Plante
07/01/10 15:54:12
9 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Geert, Looks great! We finally got stock in our online shop a few months back and will add more ... once the weather cools off a bit here. We love the #9!Walter PlanteCo-founder www.newleafchocolates.com The New Way to Get Chocolate
Vercruysse Geert
@Vercruysse Geert
07/01/10 10:14:10
16 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Hello Walter,About selling Amedei, its great to have these chocolate bars in my shop since thise is the chocolat of the month! The people love it, also the fruit line is amazing good.Greetings from Belgium

Walter Plante
@Walter Plante
03/19/10 04:45:06
9 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Hi Matt,Thanks. I will send you a direct message.Walter PlanteCo-founder www.newleafchocolates.com The New Way to Get Chocolate
Matt Caputo
@Matt Caputo
03/18/10 22:39:19
53 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Hey Walter,Sorry I came across this post so late, but we import Amedei direct. Are you looking to purchase retail or wholesale?Thanks,Matt Caputo
Sarah Hart
@Sarah Hart
01/25/10 12:05:31
63 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Hi there-I was just on the phone with Jerry from chocosphere about some other biz, but asked him about Amedei. He does a direct order and has a reorder in and will have a fuller stock soon. I believe he can also sell them wholesale if you are a liscensed reseller.
Alan McClure
@Alan McClure
01/25/10 06:32:04
73 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Amedei no longer has distribution through its former US distributor. Until they figure out a new distribution model, you will likely see their products less and less.I have heard that some stores are importing directly, and Chocosphere might do that as well. I'd email Jerry and ask.
Walter Plante
@Walter Plante
01/25/10 05:02:19
9 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Thanks Sarah. I had looked at Chocosphere and saw that many of the Amedei products were out of stock and thats what got me thinking that it was a nation-wide issue, not just east coast. But again, it might be just seasonal. Just trying to understand if Amedei is going in a new direction or if it's temporary.
Sarah Hart
@Sarah Hart
01/24/10 13:35:21
63 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Don't have any answers. Have you tried chocosphere? I know they sell it but I don't know their current supply situation. Jerry probably has some info though and you could email him via the site. www.chocosphere.com
Walter Plante
@Walter Plante
01/23/10 05:53:12
9 posts

Amedei Distribution


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Amedei seems to have limited their US distribution in the last few months. To my knowledge, they no longer have an east-coast distributor and on-line supplies of products seem to be drying up. I don't know if the latter this is just the usual post-holiday low inventory or something bigger is going on. Any insight?
updated by @Walter Plante: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Amber B.
@Amber B.
01/22/10 18:26:08
10 posts

Chocovision vs. Melter


Posted in: Opinion

Thank you very much! Amber B.
Mike3
@Mike3
01/22/10 16:05:30
63 posts

Chocovision vs. Melter


Posted in: Opinion

i'm just barely getting a grip on tempering by hand, and can attest to the quality of results that are possible (not that i get them every time yet :)i just bought a chocovision x and while i'm glad to have it stirring for me and controlling everything, i'm confident that if and when it breaks, i can get the job done by hand. the way i see it is that you have a lot to gain by doing both--getting the machine AND learning by hand (plus, you can learn by hand while the machine is working for you :)good luck!
Clive Brown
@Clive Brown
01/22/10 09:34:25
12 posts

Chocovision vs. Melter


Posted in: Opinion

You can temper the chocolate as you described. But why go through the hassle when the Chocovision will do it for you. We have 2 of them and they are marvellous, turn it on, melt, wait for a beep, press a button, wait for another beep and its done. There are so many other things you can do while the machine is tempering, whereas doing it yourself you have to be on it constantly.
Amber B.
@Amber B.
01/21/10 15:47:48
10 posts

Chocovision vs. Melter


Posted in: Opinion

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm looking at taking my hobby into (God willing :) a retail point of sale...just for the kitchen :) My question is this. I have a Chocovision Rev 2..which clearly will not make enough chocolate at 1 lb. each time. I'm contemplating going to the larger model ($1,600) but have heard through the grapevine, that you can temper chocolate using a microwave and melting it to about 118, pouring that mass into the warmer, and then adding seed chocolate as it cools, and when the entire mass gets to 90 degrees (stirring your little arms off along the way) that it should all be in temper and good to go. Is this true? Can you achieve professional results using a microwave & melther in this manner with say 6 lbs (4 melted, 2 seed)?....or should I just buck up and get the $1,600 Chocovision (and I'm going to need the melter regardless). Advice much appreciated.


updated by @Amber B.: 04/13/15 04:58:39
Dirke Botsford
@Dirke Botsford
01/21/10 14:33:33
98 posts

Shells & fillings


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

the chocolate shells, there wasn't anything on them prior to me putting in the filling.
Brian Donaghy
@Brian Donaghy
01/21/10 13:23:09
58 posts

Shells & fillings


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Where are the bubbles or bloom? In the filling or in the chocolate?brian
Dirke Botsford
@Dirke Botsford
01/20/10 19:10:59
98 posts

Shells & fillings


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

So I poured some tempered chocolates into the molds, let them set everything was going great. Added the filling that was room temp and now I have what look like air bubbles or bloom. Why? Any help would be appreciated.

updated by @Dirke Botsford: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Mark Heim
@Mark Heim
01/20/10 16:31:21
101 posts

Crystalization of sugar


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

To get smaller sugar crystallization, the cooler the better, the recommended 100F will help. Also the more shear you can give it, the smaller the crystals will be, so when you beat it, put as much into it as you can, tabling like you would for tempering chocolate works nice or in a planetary mixer but watch the strain on the motor. The temperature you pour it for slabs will make it firmer or softer due to the level of sucrose still in solution and the bridging affect with further crystallization after setting.If you add additional glucose syrup you will increase the syrup phase, making the fudge softer and stickier. The polysaccharides in the syrup will make the fudge less tender. The advantage is with increased shelf life.
Cesar Lovon
@Cesar Lovon
01/20/10 14:46:58
2 posts

Crystalization of sugar


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thank you Ruth. I will try both ways. I was not letting the fudge cool to 100 F. So I wll experiment and let you know the results.
Ruth Atkinson Kendrick
@Ruth Atkinson Kendrick
01/20/10 08:04:43
194 posts

Crystalization of sugar


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I would suggest adding some glucose or corn syrup to inhibit crystallization. Also, the warmer the mixture is when you stir it, the coarser the crystals will be. If you want it really smooth, let it cool down to 100F before stirring.
Cesar Lovon
@Cesar Lovon
01/20/10 03:09:32
2 posts

Crystalization of sugar


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hello people,I have a question to a problem. I hope someone can suggest me how to proceed.I am trying to make butter fudge (mix of sugar, butter, whole milk cream). I take the mix of ingredints up to 116 C and then let it rest for 5 minutes to cool down. Then I thoroughly stirr until a homogeneous syrup is formed. Then I pour it into a metal bowl. It tastes great but I have always the same gritty texture. I have tried doing it several times. It seems that there is something in the process that makes the sugar crystals to aggregate and to make it gritty. Does anybody know how I could avoid having a gritty fudge? Maybe by adding invert sugar or glucse-fructuose syrup? or b modifying the process? Thank you for your help! Kind regards, Cezar
updated by @Cesar Lovon: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Mike3
@Mike3
01/19/10 23:13:21
63 posts

First time tempering with the Revolation X3210


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Alright, second time around, I set the low end temp to 80.9F and it didn't recognize the set point at all and just kept dropping. Again it wouldn't let me adjust any settings at all. I put it in sleep mode, then re-started and set the high melt temp to 91F to salvage my temper.Am I experiencing a software glitch with not being able to adjust the low temp set point? My instructions don't really elaborate on the steps.
Mike3
@Mike3
01/19/10 22:08:10
63 posts

First time tempering with the Revolation X3210


Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

So, just picked up a Revolation x3210 and am in theprocess of testing it on my first batch. Knowing that the low end waspossibly not low enough for the batch i'm using, I set the machine to go down to 80F (thelowest possible). Everything was fine until it got to 80.7F and thechocolate mass started thickening and raising higher and higher out ofthe bowl. It didn't want to go lower than 80.7F (according to the display), so I attempted to justraise the low end temp up to 80.8F to get the machine to kick on to thenext phase of tempering. For some reason it wouldn't let me adjust thetemp (higher or lower). I hit the pause button, then tried to restart about 10 secs later, but the chocolatehad thickened enough to stop the bowl from rotating and it gave me anerror. At this point, the only button that worked was "Reset" and I ended up starting over (and as of writing this, am still in the process of restarting
)
my questions: why couldn't i adjust the lower end temp when it seemed to stall (temp wise)?

once i get the error message, is the only choice left to start the whole process over?

thanks,
mike

updated by @Mike3: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Nancy Nadel
@Nancy Nadel
01/23/10 02:27:40
13 posts

Lead for anyone in the group


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Does "facilitate" mean be on hand with the children for the party or just supply the chocolate for the party? Do you know how many children?
Gwen Borders2
@Gwen Borders2
01/19/10 06:39:53
5 posts

Lead for anyone in the group


Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

I have a client in the Newark, CA area 50 miles south of SF who is interested in having someone help them facilitate a chocolate birthday party for children. Budget is $200.00.You would be independently providing this service.Contact me gwen@homechocolateparty.com and I will forward client's name and email address to you.
updated by @Gwen Borders2: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Susie2
@Susie2
09/30/14 11:04:22
14 posts

Display cases


Posted in: Opinion

#2 no. At least I can not hold it for more than 2 minutes.

david ghobril
@david ghobril
09/22/14 06:47:51
4 posts

Display cases


Posted in: Opinion

I have only ever had dry cases for 21 years. The word confection means preserved. If you are displaying at room temp you formulate for that.

Matis Max
@Matis Max
09/21/14 23:36:07
1 posts

Display cases


Posted in: Opinion

Beautiful! I found similar products on this website: http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/refrigerated-display-case-1859.html ;It really help me chose the ideal solution for my place.
mary amsterdam
@mary amsterdam
01/13/13 10:30:32
25 posts

Display cases


Posted in: Opinion

Thanks Andy. That is helpful.

Andy Ciordia
@Andy Ciordia
01/13/13 08:44:01
157 posts

Display cases


Posted in: Opinion

Winter months for us need no cooling, just transportation. Summer months we use multiple coolers to limit humidity exposure. For the table we either do rotation of product or sacrifice a display box or make clay core dummies dipped in chocolate and sealed. Experimentation is always the best. If you search the forums here you'll find some good market threads. Since I'm on my phone it's hard to elaborate as much as I have in the past.
mary amsterdam
@mary amsterdam
01/13/13 08:14:20
25 posts

Display cases


Posted in: Opinion

I think your advice about "middle steps" is very good. I began as a hobby, and have been fortunate enough to have the middle step of renting space on an hourly basis at a local bakery/gift shop where i make and sell my chocolates. it has been working well, but i am always looking for ways to grow the business and have thought about our local farmers markets. But my big question is how to do you keep the chocolate from melting? is it as simple as coolers? what about display chocolate?

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