Forum Activity for @Pat Renner

Thanks Sebastian, sorry for the confusion; it is milk chocolate not milk crystals. No "balls" of stuff just no shine.

how do you know they're 'milk crystals' (and what are milk crystals?)

110F for 3 months is an *awefully* long time to let chocolate sit. my strong suspicion is that, if you've got 'balls' of stuff that won't process out - it either got wet, or the temperature cycled higher than what you believe and you've got protein denaturation (or possibly lactose crystallization).

Either way, i'd not want to eat it after spending 3 months at 110F. Toss it.

Try ModPac or aspecialtybox.com. ModPac is cheaper but requires a larger minimum order for the lower price. In case lots of 250 ModPac is WAY cheaper.

We are preparing for our first retail opportunity. We need a supplier for a 1/2lb box who has a clear top or window box so that people can see our offerings. Our product will be on a shelf rather than bulk in a case so people need to be able to see what they are getting. We would prefer to use trays rather than paper cups as separators.

Our current box is a 5 3/4" square with a nine piece tray.

I don't know if we are ready for a custom box yet but will entertain offers from suppliers for those as well.

Thanks

Tony

Many also contain potassium sorbate as a preservative. I know that Mandelin doesn't use synthetic flavoring, and they will make itcustom for you without the preservative. I don't remember what the minimum quantity is for a custom batch without preservative. It may be way more than you want. They have a number of styles of paste and almond products. I like their blanched sliced almonds.It might be worth checking out.

With regard to the high fructose corn syrup issue, just switch to honey as a sweetener. I believe you can get unscented honey, and it has roughly the same glucose/fructose ratio as HFCS, and the best part is it's all natural.

I could be wrong, but from what I've read, HFSC and Honey are both synthesized using enzymes. Bees synthesize invertase naturally while making honey to convert some of the glucose to fructose, and "big" industry uses other enzymes such as Glucose isomerase, which produced through fermentation with microorganisms. A variety of bacteria cultures are used to create Glucose isomerase.

Regardless, fructose is a sweetener that exists naturally. The fact that you use a little more fructose in your chocolates to preserve the shelf life isn't a big deal. Ask your client if they are going to stop eating fruit and honey too....

I'm all for making ingredients when possible, but I have tried to make almond paste, and I can never get it as smooth as the stuff made with industrial equipment.

Maybe someone out there has an answer to this challenge?

Failing that, there are lots of other things to make which don't use almond paste. I've resigned myself to that.

So, I'm looking at some recipes using Almond Paste, and I'm not sure which would be better, making my own or buying it.

How about you guys? What do you do for your almond paste? Do you go ALL hand-made and do it yourself, or do you purchase already made?

The main reason I ask is because the storefront I have my chocolates in is VERY health conscious. There was an issue a couple months back when they realized the corn syrup I was using had high fructose corn syrup in it, and they forced me to take all the candies and chocolates with it off the shelved. I lost over $500 in product from that bullcrap, and I don't want to deal with it again. Every container of almond paste I find online with ingredients listed lists a "synthetic bitter almond oil", and I don't want that on my ingredient lists if it's worth it to make my own...

Mine squeaked SO loud when I first got it aswell, I figured I would post so you know what I did and so you know you are not alone.

Honestly I didnt do anything different, I just dealt with the squeak and about 2 days later of grinding chocolate it went away and I havn't heard it since. It just needs to grind itself out essentially!

Steven

Clay,

To make it easier on backs and rotating inventory, we are looking at upright freezers. If the temp is going to be between 55-65, would a refrigerator be ok also using the same thermostat override device and humidity absorbers? If getting a freezer, do we want one specifically that doesn't self defrost? I appreciate all the advice. Do you have links to where to buy those as well as the chocolate making machines?

Corey (Sara's husband)

For going to markets I use a Cambro carrier with slots for half sheet pans and a freezer pack. Be sure to wrap each tray of Chocolates in plastic wrap so they don't spill inside the carrier. I use clear hotel pans filled with ice to display product on my table, but most of my stock is in the Cambro. This setup will work up to about 95F with a shade canopy. Above that its officially To Hot For Chocolate.

Thank you for the advice. Now just have to figure out what size freezer we need. What do people do that sell at outdoor markets? How do you keep everything from melting?

Sara:

In the discussion Larry links to, I point out that the least expensive storage solution is a chest freezer with a thermostat override. You can set the temp of the freezer to be in the 55-65F range, which is perfect for storage. Because the top opens, less cold air leaks out than when using a front-opening fridge.

Sara,

I hear you and share the pain of meltage. You can override your refrigerator's thermostat with some add on equipment. You can also control the humidity with additional stuff. Check out this discussion.

http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/can-you-store-finished?commentId=1978963%3AComment%3A53471

Have a great day!

Larry

We need some help. We produce our chocolate in NY. We had a heat wave, for April at least, and it went to 81 degrees. When I went to package some chocolates, they were soft and starting to melt. We turned on the air conditioners in the house but need a real solution. Someone suggested buying a refrigerator but I am pretty sure we would need a commercial one that can be set to between 60-70 degrees. I know people use wine fridges because they go to those temperatures for red wine. Any one have this dilemma and have a solution?

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for these guidelines. That's exactly what I've been looking for. I'll start by increasing the corn syrup slightly, with a corresponding decrease in caster sugar and see how this affects crystallization and flow.

Cheers,

Alan

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to prevent delayed crystallization of my caramels. I have been using Recchiuti's Fleur de Sel recipe from his 'Chocolate Obsession' book which uses the dry technique for making caramels. I've noticed that my caramels start graining up about a week out, despite enrobing them in chocolate and storing them in a sealed container to hopefully limit moisture attraction. I'm wondering if there isn't enough 'doctoring agent' in this recipe? Here is my current recipe:

5 drops Lemon Juice
298 g Sugar
1/2 Vanilla Bean
232 g (1 cup) whipping cream
38 g light corn syrup
14 g 82% Butter
1/2 tsp fleur de sel

Are there any general guidelines for the ratio of corn syrup to sugar? If I do increase the corn syrup and decrease the sugar by equal amounts, will this affect the texture of the caramels.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Alan

No. However, the warmer you keep them, or the higher humidity they are stored in, the higher the potential for infestation - just as with any raw agricultural commodity.

Wait, I'm confused. I was under the impression that PHF's are foods that need to be refrigerated for storage. Do un-roasted beans need to be refrigerated?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentially_Hazardous_Food

if unroasted, yes. they are likely to contain harmful bacteria. also, if you throw them really, really hard at someone, it can be hurtful.

Pozdrav, Predrae!

If you mean nut paste praline then the book "The Praline" by Leroux is good

http://www.amazon.com/The-Praline-St%C3%A9phane-Leroux/dp/287386804X

Goorane !sad sam pronasao tvoj razgovor o ovim pitanjima,Mislim da ti to nije potrebno.Evo ti podataka.Najbolja knjiga za tebe je Belgijan chocolates koju je napisao Rogers Geerts.Od te knjige netrebas nista dalje.Cod nas imas chocolates confictions Od Peter P.Greweling,cmb.The culinaryI instituteof Amerika.Ako procitas odClya replike ne treba ti ni to.U hrvatskoj ima intresantne tri knjige na hrvatskom a ti to mozes dobr razumeti.Cholada cokolada slatki ukusi recepti.Joanna Farrow.Cokolada Naklada ulikus.Evo jos jedna na hrvatskomchocolate Karen Rowe.Ona je Canadska spisateljica.Pre dugo godina sam u toj knjizi pronasao Claya.Ove neke su knjige o proizvodnji a neke su I o interesantnim stvarima.Ja ti ne mogu bas sve iz moje biblioteke poslati O historiji cokolade mozes procitati A passion for chocolateJa slabo govorim engleski I ako sam 15 godina .Moj favoriit je mala knizica Chocolate unwrapedod Rowan Jacobsen.Ove a I druge knjge.Evo za malo razmisljanja.Sto se tice storidja za cokoladu.To je jednostabno.nizak humidity 18stepeni celzius malo gore malo dole nije problematicno.Cooling je 10 celzius sa malim hiumidity .Radna temperature je 20-22celzius stepeni.Odi na pretrazivanje u The chocolate life.I ne trebas nista pitati.Pozdrav Predrag

Can you recomended some book about chocolate praline?

Ok - thanks.

Andrea

Get as much oxygen out of your packaging as possible, keep it as cold as possible, and away from as much light as possible.

Hi,

I made praline pastetoday for a specific recipe and have some extra. How do I store it? Room temperature? Fridge? Freezer?

Thanks,

Andrea

No.

Hey Fin;

There is only one species, and it's calledTheobroma Cocoa. There are "varieties" though, and those varieties are primarily "Criollo" and "Forastero". There has been a lot of talk about a "Trinitario" variety, but I think these days claims of it existing are somewhat nebulous at best.

Typically Forastero pods are smooth and shaped like a footbal with rounded ends, while Criollohas a rough exterior, sometimes distinct ridges in the shell, and a fairly pronounced pointy tip. Color is a bit all over the board, but Criollo is often a very pale green(but can also be yellow), while Forastero is usually yellow or red when ripe.

Like I said though.... Color is less of an indicator than the shape and texture of the pods.

Hope that helps.

Brad

it will clump, it'll become "untemperable" haha I dont think it has something to do with moisture, I live in a very humid area (mostly 70-90% ) but I temper different kinds of chocolate and not all of them develop this kind of bubbles, but who knows? haha I always thought it was the way I temper that incorporates the air into the chocolate