Best way to melt Cacao Butter?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I let it melt 95% and pull it off. Never burnt it.
Forum Activity for @Gap
Best way to melt Cacao Butter?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
And this wont burn it? Just put it on the lowest setting like Adam said for in the oven? I am more or less looking for efficiency and this may be quicker? I will have to try both I suppose!
So let it melt half way then pult it off and let it finish so it doesnt burn on the lowest setting?
Best way to melt Cacao Butter?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Yep, I put mine in a saucepan and melt over a gas cooker/flame.
Best way to melt Cacao Butter?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Right on the cooktop - don't leave it unattended though. It melts quickly. I usually remove it when about half is melted and swirl it until the rest melts.
Best way to melt Cacao Butter?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Just curious what is the best way people have found to melt down the cacao butter without the use of water or a microwave?
Just looking to elongate the life of my grinders and I would rather it go in as a liquid than a solid!
Thank you so much!
updated by @Steven Shipler: 04/11/25 09:27:36
hello
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Hi Shanta,
How long have you been making chocolate for.
I am emailing from NYC and I would be interested in tasting your bark or if you do any dark plain or blended bars
if you also need feed back,I can let you know.
I work in a retail area of a supermarket in their chocolate area but also do a lot of buying and tasting bars
hello
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Hi Again
This should have been posted first!
I am South African having recently seriously ventured into the fun world of chocolate. I love the fact that I am learning new things everyday. Experimenting with flavours and textures is such a creative field and so very uplifting.
I have made bark in various flavours, ganache from home made coffee liqueur (how simple!); lavender ganache, blue cheese ganache and lots of others with herbs form my garden. I also made gianduja, nougat, caramel and mixed and matched these with other fillings.
I hope be able to share my knowledge with all of you and to learn. I am so excited about being part of a chocolate community.
Best
Shanta
updated by @Shanta Reddy: 04/16/15 13:59:21
How to handle my allergen paranoia
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Yeah if a kid is going to buy something you think they shouldn't first of all consult their parents or don't sell that to them in the first place
How to handle my allergen paranoia
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks for the info. It probably will get to be a pain, asking if they have allergies, but I'll probably keep doing that. I also like the idea of selling skeptically to unaccompanied, younger kids.
How to handle my allergen paranoia
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
We deal with a lot of families with a lot of sensitivities. Peanut, soy, gluten, dairy, egg, etc, etc.
A child who has a real allergy, who can buy something, is usually at a verbal age where they can tell you they have allergies. More than likely they have gone through a few painful moments that have brought this home.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. You can't protect the world. If you are concerned you can ask them but this will over time become laborious. You've done the best you can now continue on with your business and find ways of getting more of it. 
How to handle my allergen paranoia
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
If you think a child is buying something they shouldn't you can ask to speak to their parents. I won't sell direct to small children unaccompanied by a parent. An older child, say 10 or 12 should know thier allergies. Also ask the child directly if they have allergies.
Also carry insurance...
How to handle my allergen paranoia
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hello All. I've asked this a few times (different verbiage), so sorry for repeating but this one keeps me up at nights. I've recently opened and I'm still concerned about allergic reactions happening (mostly to kids) when they buy from me. I have all of the required signage posted but I still get very concerned about someone (most likely a kid) buying something they shouldn't just because it looks so good. I guess I'm not asking for advice here, I'd just like some comments from anyone who has experienced this - or at least how to deal with the paranoia. Thanks, John
updated by @John Duxbury: 04/11/25 09:27:36
starting a chocolate workshop
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Shanta,
Your equipment will depend on what you plan to make. Think of it like this - which task would you like to automate most? You have to be able to save time and increase your productivity.
Regards,
Anjali
starting a chocolate workshop
Posted in: Opinion
Hello there
I live in South Africa and will be completing a chocolate course with Ecole Chocolat soon. I am really enjoying working with chocolate and have been encouraged by the knowledge I gained from the course to start my own business.
I would like to know what equipment I would need to start with that will get me up and running without me taking a second mortgage on my home. I can hand temper and am not sure whether a temepring machine is more useful than let's say a guitar.
From the numerous web sites I have seen equipment is very expensive and then to ship to SA is another costly exercise.
I would think I would need a guitar, a heating pot to hold temper, an industrial fridge (it is very warm here and humid - it's autumn and we still have temperaturs of 28 degrees Celsius. What else would i need and where would be a cost effecitve place to get these? Also what makes some equipment better than others. I have seen some posts about noisy heating pots.
Many thanks
Shanta
updated by @Shanta Reddy: 04/10/15 07:11:51
Moisture meter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
My question was actually to Mel 8-) but glad you asked anyway!
The way the moisture meters work that are above the one you linked to essentially look at the relative humidity that a bunch of beans create in a chamber. This is useful as you're interested in the aggregate humidity of a bunch of beans - not just a single one. Now, the unit you posted uses conductivity between the poles to calculate moisture - i have no idea if it'd work for beans or not - i suspect it'd not work so well for beans with shell on, but to be honest that's just a guess. If it did work, you'd want to perform that test on a hundred beans, and then take the average of them - as noted, knowing moisture of a single bean doesn't really help much. It might work - give it a shot and report back 8-) what you'd have to do is test it with the unit, then dry out each bean individually with an oven/weight loss method to assess how accurate your unit was reading. For $10 i'd say it's worth the trial. Heck, i might even try it (i'm not sure if i've got any cocoa beans around the house or not anymore tho).
The unit Michael linked to, while i have no direct experience with it, according to the video, reports with a +/-2% range - which is a huge range if you're looking to target 6-8% moisture (the vary range itself is 2%).
The best portable one I've ever used is the dickey john miniGAC plus. it comes with 2 calibration curves that are cocoa specific (you may have to download them, i don't recall any longer), and one of them is MUCH more accurate than the other. It's very durable, portable (I've carried one all over the world in conditions you couldn't imagine), and runs, from memory, about $500 USD.
Moisture meter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Depends on what I'm purchasing, but for this, since its a new hobby I'd say $100 or less would be my max. I would hope to eventually learn how to tell moisture content from organoleptic methods, but a way to determine a control would help.
What do you think of that cheapy thing I posted the ebay link to?
Moisture meter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I was looking for a low cost solution.
I found these timber moisture meters on ebay, http://goo.gl/TlAHsX ,cheap. I was thinking I could re-position the terminals to cocoa bean size and get an idea of the level.
Anyone tried that?
Moisture meter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hi from Peru Melanie! I use a Farmex (now rebranded as Agratronix) Mt-Pro and it works well. It doesn't have a native cacao setting so i use the spanish peanuts setting and calibrate it for my beans. its small and portable, not so cheap at around $250 but has proven durable and reliable in the harsh conditions here in Peru
Saludos, brian
Moisture meter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Anyone know where to find a portable, inexpensive moisture meter for cacao beans? When I google search it comes up with alibaba or very expensive equipment. I've seen small portable ones used at co-ops in Ecuador and Mexico.
updated by @Melanie Boudar: 04/07/25 13:00:14
Freezing Chocolate Ganache Balls
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Please help with this inquiry. I think this is the way?#1 wait til balls are slightly firm so they maintain shape #2 how long can they be frozed? #3 slowly thaw in refrig #4 slowly thaw at cold room temp.
How long can I keep them frozen? If the ganache contains wine,will the flavor remain good?
Thanks,
Cathy Locke
updated by @catherine locke: 04/11/25 09:27:36
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it, Clay.
Another point with regard to sweetness. He's probably counting shell (erroneously) as a cocoa solid. Assuming 13% shell content, that means that the actual cocoa solids from mass are about 56%. But according to the ingredient list, he's also added cocoa butter. Assuming a typical 5-8% cocoa butter pad, that would give you a bar with more or less 50% cocoa solids from mass. But the assumed 5-8% cocoa butter supplement is based on what's typical from makers working with liquor. Even more cocoa butter would be necessary with the high content of shell particles. Sweetness!
Scott
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Wow Clay.
That's the harshest I've yet tosee you write (except in private emails to me! haha!).
Thanks for keeping it real.
Brad
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
I was in London last week and picked up two bars of Paul A Young's whole bean chocolate.
I brought it back to NY and tasted one of the two bars (the 64%) with a number of friends and colleagues who are professional and semi-professional/trained chocolate tasters and the most flattering comment was,
"It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be."
Sorry, Paul.
First off, the texture is all wrong. And it's not different like the Sicilian chocolates that are crunchy or chocolate that is under-refined and gritty, it's just wrong. Chewy kind of.
The 64% is surprisingly very sweet, and this may be because the sugar can't be refined smaller than the shell fragments which means the sweetness is more present than it would be if it were refined and conched (properly) into the chocolate. A low roast may also be a part of the reason.
There is a very unpleasant aftertaste on the bar that kind of gets stuck in the back of the throat and lingers there, menacingly demanding that it be washed away by something stronger than water.
One of the reviews mentioned something about the taste of parmesan cheese, which might come partly from lactic acid. That said, if I want my chocolate to taste like parmesan I want it to taste like parmesan because someone added parmesan to the chocolate. David Briggs at Xocolatl de David in Portland, OR does this and it's quite nice, actually.
The Brits can have it as far as I am concerned, but it's a huge step backwards for the craft chocolate world in general and I hope that someone in the UK wakes up and recognizes that this emperor is not wearing any new clothes and tells Paul that while it may be a decent marketing stunt that's all it is.
It's not bloody brilliant and it's not more wholesome. It's stupid and a real potential health hazard if it's actually being made as described in the articles and reviews.
I am very glad that it's actually illegal to sell this in the US as chocolate because of the high shell content. It's a chocolate-like substance.
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Tom -
The beans are roasted. They should be free of pathogens to 99.999%. As for the possibility of heavy metal and other contamination, I would imagine that there is a certificate of analysis on each origin at least once a year to let them know about other forms of contamination.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 09/10/15 09:07:54
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Don't forget the Pralus choc coated cocoa beans, they have the shell on them. I was taken quite by surprise when i had some a few years ago, for the above stated reasons.
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
From the article in Confectionery News referenced above:
The cocoa shells need to then be washed to remove sand, off-flavor notes and undesired components such as mycotoxins or pesticides. The shell fractions may be washed by aqueous buffer solutions at a temperature between 15C and 100C for between one and 12 hours.
The washing step can be repeated up to five times and must be followed by a drying process like heat convection, head conduction, steam and vacuum or counter current heater air.
The shells then need to be alkalized, and this can be achieved by standard processes, Barry Callebaut said. After being cooled, the alkalized cocoa shell powder then needs to dry for 35-85 minutes before being ground, it added.
It's not a trivial process to make the shell safe to eat.
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Barry-Callebaut has been working this from the industrial end, apparently processing the husk separately.
There are some nutritional benefits if you are looking for things such as fiber. Apparently the husk also has abundant catechins and polyphenols which supposedly have helth benefits
http://www.confectionerynews.com/Ingredients/Cocoa-shell-powder-has-numerous-uses-in-chocolate-and-foods-says-Barry-Callebaut
I suspect that if someone wants to use the husk 'properly' it will need to be done as a separate process line from the rest of the bean.
I wonder what the implications of heavy metal contamination in the husk are for things like 'brewing chocolate'?
-Jon
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
You're more likely to get noticeably sick from raw chocolate, due to survival of microbial contaminants. But, unless you're in a fragile state, a case of salmonellosis will pass in a day or two and you'll be back to normal. Hug the toilet; ride it out.
The risks associated with shell are much more serious, though less likely to immediately manifest. Lead and OTA stay in the body a long time and do real and lasting harm--to organs (especially the brain and kidneys) and cells. (Lead has a half-life of 20 days in the body. OTA has a half-life of 35 days, making it still detectible in plasma 280 days after exposure.) Take a look Dr. William Manton's survey of the current medical literature on toxicity of "Nonnutritive Constituents in Chocolate and Cocoa" (from last year's Chocolate in Health and Nutrition) before deciding if you really want to "take one for the team" in this way.
Scott
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
I went by the Wardour Street store in SoHo yesterday and picked up samples of both the 64% and 73% whole bean chocolates - both made with Madagascan beans.
I have never faced the opening of a bar of chocolate with more trepidation than I feel with these two. Unusual texture, indeed.
I am flying back to NYC from London today and don't want to get sick, so I will get to these at some point this weekend. Maybe. I hope?
Oh - and 6.95 ($11.50) for a 50gr bar - that's $100/lb for those of us who keep track of such things.
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Another rave review out of the UK for Young's "whole bean chocolate," referring to it as "bloody brilliant" and "a more wholesome way" of making chocolate.
And another one ("it sits in a whole different league!").
Scott
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
This discussion has me rolling. Thanks for the chuckles. Ah.. /phew..
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
"ADDED NUTRITION"?!?!?!?!?!
I guess he means dog, cat and chicken feces, human urine, vehicle exhaust, dust, salmonella, etc.?? For his customer's sake I sincerely hope he gets his cacao from a known source with elevated / isolated drying beds like mine, or someone's going to get really sick.
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
The Paul Young site says,
Its the most exciting project for us at paul.a.young and itssomething we have been developing for some months. The cocoa bean is soprecious and special that I didnt want to waste any part of it. Im so proud ofwhat we have produced and I hope it will pave the way for others to try thisnew way of making bean-to-bar chocolate.
Will this become a trend?
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Thanks for offering, Clay, but I'll pass. With a novice maker using a tabletop ECGC, boasting of only 7 hours of conching (in the non-conche CocoaTown), and taking a perverse pride in including shell, I feel pretty safe in assuming this product isn't for me.
Scott
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Young euphemistically describes the texture as " characterful. " In photos, it's visibly gritty .
Scott
"Whole Bean Chocolate"
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Natra tried to do this with a whole bean cocoa powder years ago.
Aweful, terrible idea for many of the reasons already listed. Also consider where the majority of mold resides on a bean, and thus where things like afla and ochra toxins subsequently reside...