Forum Activity for @Walt Moody

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hmmmmmm . . . Where would one obtain such molds?

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

You can also pour the hot caramel into silicon molds. There are a number of people who do this - saw it in mass production when I was in Seattle in October - and while it's expensive in terms of up-front investment, the labor savings is tremendous. You can put the molds right on top of your marble slab or water-cooled table.

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for the replies. I don't think altitude is a problem here (I'm around 250 ft above sea level). The weather is supposed to be more suitable so I'll hopefully try a batch late Wednesday or early Thursday. My plan right now, based on more research and replies to this thread) is as follows:

Cook to 245, try the cold water test, let them sit in the frame for 24 hours, chill before cutting and keep them cool until I dip them. Any obvious red flags?

Walt

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

ALTITUDE.

It's important to note that theboiling point of water changes with alititude, which is why most caramel recipes totally suck. They don't account for the altitude change which effectively causes the boiling point of your ingredients to change, and subsequently the amount of water left in the caramel at the target temperature.

For every thousand feet of altitude gain, your water's boiling point will drop by approximately one degree celsius. For example, here in Calgary, our altitude is 4,500 feet, and the boiling point of our water is 95.5 degrees, NOT 100. This means that we have to drop the target temperature of our caramel down by 4.5 degrees. While this may not sound like much, it is in fact the difference between a nice, soft caramel, and one that can just about yank out your fillings when you chew it.

Add into the mix, an inaccurate thermometer, and you could be waaaay out.

Make sure you take into account your altitude gain from sea level, and if following a recipe, try to find out what altitude the recipe was tested at. It's important, yet they never say that in the cookbook. Duh.... Why?

Cheers

Brad

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

contact Hilliards for caramel knife....basically it's a rolling pin with knife blades. you can place ice packs on your slab surrounding the caramel to help cool it before cutting & dipping. and caramel that is cooked too fast will have more moisture therefor much softer than a batch cooked slowly to same temp. making confections consistantly equal is an art form. good luck.

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I calibrated my thermometer and it boils around 214.5 so it looks like I need to add a few degrees to reach my target temp. I like the texture of my last batch so it seems my problem now is getting the cooled frame of caramel cut into even pieces with straight edges and having them hold their shape before and after dipping. So far I've been cutting by using a chefs knife and two of my half-inch frame bars side by side to make a 1" guide for the knife. The problem is the pressure required for the knife starts to deform the caramel and I want nice, perfectly square cubes. I read on another thread that some chill their cooled frame of caramel in the freezer before cutting in order to firm it up. Any other cutting tips, anyone? Thanks again for all of the help and encouragement. And for the record, I have yet to throw away a batch (perish the thought!). I top them with chopped pecans and some Callebaut callets and munch away. Low marks for visual appeal but they're darn tasty!

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Are you sure your thermometer is accurate? Test it in boiling water. I can never find reliable therms, even fresh out of the package. I use them as guidelines only, I rely on the cold water test - have a bowl of cold water in the fridge, drop a small amount of the cooking candy in when you think it's close to done, after a minute in the water the candy is the consistency that it will cool to if you stop cooking now. The thermometer tells me when to start testing, but I never trust it to tell me when the caramel's actually done to my preference. After they're cooled and cut up, I refrigerate til dipping time and they are firm and easy to use. Hang in there, every good candy maker has thrown away a good many batches of caramels!!

-Amy

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for the replies. I've made another batch since I first posted. I cooked it to 245 and the results were similar (maybe even a little bit softer) which makes me think the problem is more environmental since it was warm and humid both days. I may try a batch later this week since we're finally due for some cooler, drier air. My initial plan was to fine tune the texture before I started trying to dip them but it sounds like that may not be the way to go. Does dipping make them hold their shape better?

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I find I need to cook caramel to 250 F to get a firm but still chewy texture. 248 F and its to soft to hold its shape when dipping, 252 F and its getting pretty hard. I'm working at 5000 ft. elevation with (usually) low humidity, which may have an effect.

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The moisture after cook has a huge affect on texture. Try a few degrees higher, maybe 245F. There are other things you can do with recipe to control the cold flow, but moisture is the easiest. Unless the caramel is very firm, it'll mend back if left as is after you cut, so cut just before you enrobe.

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

That sounds perfect to me. Cool the caramel in a large bowl and scoop out bits and dip. That way when the chocolate hardens the inside will be gooey instead of chewy, which is my preference. Care to share any of those caramel recipes?

After action report on my first attempt at Caramels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I finally took a shot at caramels yesterday. For staters, I like to cook as a hobby, I like chocolate but I haven't done much by way of candy making. I bake with chocolate frequently bu don't have much candy making experience other than the occasional batch of toffee or brittle (which usually turn out fairly well). I bought Greweling's book as a starting point and yesterday was my first attempt so I decided to start with one of my favorites to eat (caramels) and something that looked relatively easy to make (the sweetened condensed milk version of the soft caramel recipe). Here's the good and the bad:

Good: Flavor was great!! I had planned to try all 3 soft caramel recipes in the book but now it's hard to imagine any of the others tasting better than these.

Color was good. I was a little worried here because the photo example in the book looked very pale. These had a nice deep, dark, brown, well . . . caramel, color. No complaints.

Bad: Way too soft! I poured them in a frame on a marble slab to cool. After slicing with a chefs knife, the sections would not hold their shape very well at all. Left them on the slab overnight and the sections had "melted" back together in a solid block although you could still see the lines made by the knife.

Bottom line is that these taste great but are way too soft to dip, IMO. I cooked them to 243 degrees, should I try going a little higher? Also, how sensitive is caramel to weather? It's unseasonably warm here (80 degrees today, nearly that yesterday). Do I need to cool the room? I know I do for tempering chocolate, not sure about making caramel.

All comments, questions, and suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,

Walt

updated by @Walt Moody: 04/11/25 09:27:36

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Nick

just wanted to let you know that i did a test run using the refrigeration/freezer method which the website Truffley Made recommends for using its silicone molds -- and it worked! They recommend refrigeration for 6-12 hours and freezer for 24 hours. I used a chocoflex mold, filled it with ganache, and then refrigerated for about 6 hours and then put it in the freezer overnight (probably 12-14 hours). Once the ganache set up a little (about 1-2 hours) I covered it tightly with plastic wrap. I unmolded them straight from the freezer, and while it was not perfect "pop out"- with a little push on the bottom most of them came out quite easily and with very little left in bottom. THe texture was fine - very creamy still. just wanted to share.

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I make my own caramel and haven't had a problem. When it's ready in the pan I quickly pour the whole lot into the centre of the mold and as accurately as possible I spread it out with a palette knife. If you get your volumes right you can fill the whole mold without waste.

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Ah. Ok. I was wondering how you did it. I make my own so, if anyone knows how to do it that way, let me know. Thanks for your response!

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

i use peter's caramel. it comes in a 5 lb block. i soften it slightly in the microwave. still cool enough to touch, but soft enough to work with. then i basically "push" it into cavaties with hard dough scrapers. it takes a bit more time than pouring totally melted caramel, but it sets up quickly and it is pretty easy to work with.

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I am curious as to how you manage to fill the molds without the caramel cooling too fast or the caramel in the pan overcooking? I have considered doing this, too, but it seems like I would have one or the other problem with the caramel. Thank you for your help!

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

i am thinking of trying the molds from truffley made. they are much more "flexible" and you can invert the cavaties to push out the truffle. their instructional video says to freeze the ganache. they also say to use a "curable" ganache. but i think that means putting invert sugar or other stabilizer in the ganache - but i don't want to do that because i am afraid it will affect the texture. if i do try it i will post my results.

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Mary,

I've had the same issues. The molds are great for caramels but with any ganache I've tried they never come out in one piece. Almost always there's a little bit of ganache left inside, even after refrigerating or freezing, which obviously affects the final appearance as well as making the cleaning up process longer. I'd love to know if there's something I'm missing but nowadays I only use the molds for caramels/toffees.

Nick.

chocoflex for ganache

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Has any used the chocoflex silicone molds for ganache. i have great success making caramels in the mold (i use the square mold). they set up beautifully and pop out with a minimum of effort. i chill them first, to keep the shape. i have tried this with ganache, and even with letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight, a lot of ganache stuck to the inside of the mold. some of the pieces came out fairly easily, but not enough. i wonder if my ganache is too creamy and maybe i need a different recipe. Any advises would be appreciated.
updated by @mary amsterdam: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Your take on: Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Dark Chocolate, and Health ?

Posted in: Opinion

I don't share my thoughts too often on this forum as most posts are bang on in terms of an answer but I have to say 'Sebastian' made my morning when I read his post. Whether it is someonespalate or the rest ofhis/her body,everything is relative!

Your take on: Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Dark Chocolate, and Health ?

Posted in: Opinion

Define healthy 8-)

100g of nibs vs 100g of dark chocolate

Calories 720Kcal 605Kcal

Sugar 0g 24g

Fat 54g 43g

Your take on: Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Dark Chocolate, and Health ?

Posted in: Opinion

Well, remove everything from the list of ingredients for the dark chocolate bar with the exception of cocoa and you're essentially left with the equivalent of cacao nibs. The largest ingredient removed is sugar so in this case the nibs are healthier.

Your take on: Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Dark Chocolate, and Health ?

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Forum,

I'm really glad that I found this site to talk about chocolate . My name is Mary from Finland (A frozen Nordic country in northern Europe near the north pole) I would love and appreciate if you guys share with me your thoughts.

I love chocolate so much. In the past, I used to eat chocolate everyday (Especially Milk chocolate). I have spent a fortune on chocolates, and I have eaten SO MANY types of chocolates. I used to go to La Maison Angelina in Paris to enjoy their amazing chocolates.

Anyhow, Unfortunately and sadly for some health issues, Doctors have completely prohibited me from eating milk chocolate. The only allowed option for me is about 10g of dark chocolate. Well, In this beginning this was so difficult for me because I cannot live without the sweet milk chocolate, However, I tired to swap it with dark chocolate and this has been a challenge since I am not used to the bitter and strong taste. Besides, In Finland we have a pretty small market with quite limited selections, the only available options are: Lindt Excellence (Max 85%), Marabou Premium 86%, and some useless local brands such as Fazer dark chocolate that is loaded with carbs and sugar.

Anyways, Thankfully I now can tell that I can eat and somewhat enjoy the dark chocolates.

So, What is my problem?

My problem is that most recently I discovered a new product in the market here which is: Organic Cacao Nibs, and I read that is healthy but I couldn't find any comparison for it with Organicdark chocolate?

I checked the nutrition facts of the Organic Cacao Nibs and found them very close to some of the Organicdark chocolates (85%). But my question is, Regardless the taste or the preferences (Let's discuss ONLY from a pure health perspective):

Which is healthier: Organic Dark Chocolate e.g. (85%) or Organic Cacao Nibs ?

I would greatly and sincerely appreciate your inputs !

updated by @Mary Larson: 04/10/15 04:36:33

Yet Another Shelf Life Discussion - For The Holidays

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Enrobed or molded, if you're sealing the ganache in tempered chocolate you should have at least a 3 week room temperature shelf life.

Yet Another Shelf Life Discussion - For The Holidays

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The industrials have, of course, figured this out in their own ways decades ago, and artisans have learnt many things from the industrials over the years as you know. I believe that the French artisans are very advanced in this area.

Yet Another Shelf Life Discussion - For The Holidays

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Does it matter if I use molds vs. enrobing?

Yet Another Shelf Life Discussion - For The Holidays

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Steve!I'm using polycarbonate molds and tempered Callabut 811NV for the shell which I fill with ganache.

Yet Another Shelf Life Discussion - For The Holidays

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Greg - Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where you're enrobing or dipping your ganache in tempered chocolate. If you're trying to get shelf life for "naked" ganache, I don't think that's feasible. The tempered chocolate shell serves to seal the ganache and preserve it, at least for a few weeks. Just wrapping a ganache with foil won't allow it to be kept at room temperature.

Yet Another Shelf Life Discussion - For The Holidays

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Please forgive me if I've posted this in the wrong section.

I've made ganache filled dark chocolatepralines/truffles/bon-bons and I'm supposed to be selling them for the first time this weekend at a Christmas show. The recipe's been altered to hopefully extend the shelf life beyond the holidays but I'm not sure it's enough.

My old recipe brought together cream, butter,and Lorann Oil natural anti-oxidant (no one I know can taste it) until it starts to boil. That gets poured onto solid chocolate callets and mixed with a spoon until smooth.

Based on what I've read in the forums and a few other places, I've created a new recipe,a mixture of cream, butter, the antioxidant and a small amount of corn syrup. I bring that to just under a boil, cool it to 90 degrees, pour into tempered chocolate that's also at 90 degrees and mix with animmersionblender. I wrap the chocolates in foil, put them in a bag with a twist tie and add a string to make them tree ornaments.

Unfortunately, it seems ganache filled chocolates are only good for three weeks at room temperature. And my new recipe isn't quite as good as my original one. It's really good, just not as good.

My question are: How can I sell ganache filled holiday chocolates that may not make it to the holidays? Should Irefrigeratethem or suggest peoplerefrigeratethem and then put them on the tree the day before Christmas? That seems lame and I'm worried about bloom.

I'm making another batch next week. Does anyone have suggestions to extend the shelf life of my original recipe or is it best to stick with the more shelf stable ganache?

updated by @Greg Gould: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I am refering about it. It's a good way for the production of milk and dark chocolate. Now, i try to find way that I make good white chocolate.

What are you interesting?

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hello Sebastian! Can you sent me your e-mail adress and i ll sent you details about it!

I think, the main problem is process, temperature or moisture.

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

afraid you still don't have nearly enough information. you list your ingredients, but it's not the formula. The details are incredibly important (ie what fat milk powder? what size media, temp of your mill, and # of passes (i assume you have multiple passes?) what's the temperature increase over multiple passes?)

What do you need to do - you need to provide a great deal more information, i'm afraid.

Moisture is always a problem....

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Does anyone know why the barley melt extract use in the productions of chocolate?

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Ingredients for white chocolate - suger, milk powder and cocoa butter,dextrose, whey powder. The most important ingredients are milk powder (19%), cocoa butter 33%. We use a ball mill(t=45-50) and we add lecithin on start and 15 minutes the end ago. The whole process takes 1h45min.

Can you tell me what i have to do? I want to make smoother chocolate.

Is it the moisture in the ingredients may be the problem?

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hey Goran,

Are you refering to production management? Because this is a topic I am really interested in discussing.

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

well, you're going to need to provide many more details if you'd like help. Specifically:

1) Exact formula of your chocolate, including details on the milk ingredients used

2) timing of addition of ingredients

3) how you operate your ball mill.

I will tell you, that using a ball mill for white chocolate isn't the best solution.

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I work in a chocolate factory and have a problem to make white chocolate. It isn t taste enough and dense fluid.

I feel the bitter taste, maybe it's from milk powder?

Production of chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Are there interested to discuss the production of chocolate?Tell me your experience about it!Specifically the production of ball mill
updated by @Goran Vjestica: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Production planning

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I use Quickbooks Online. I enter my orders as they come in, using the ship/delivery date as the invoice date, then before I start production I run a report of what products are scheduled to ship or be delivered that week. (I now have these reports set to auto-run each week and they are automatically e-mailed to me.) It's also just a great small business accounting tool due to the reports it offers (although I have an accountant friend who hates it!).

In addition, I post each individual order on the wall and arrange them by ship/delivery date, highlighting any important bits (i.e., add extra samples, etc.).

Most of the time this manages to keep us on track.

Production planning

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi stephane,

I use excel to manage my orders but like you I always wonder wether there is something more efficient. What I do is I put all the orders together and add the number of every type of chocolate. for example let's say you have 5 places who asked for dark 70% chocolate, I make sure I make all the quantity at the same time to avoid changes and as a result saving time. I also make sure I produce a little extra knowing that this chocolate is ordered alot and future orders are coming the next day/week etc.. This also depends on the shelf life of your products. I usually start producing the chocolate that has the longer shelf life and move down the list.

Also comparing your sales is crucial. I look at last year's sale of each kind I produced. It gives me an idea how much I should expect to produce this month.

Production planning

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi

I own a small business, I only cater to retail stores and with the holidays and a recent trade show I signed up some new clients, which is always good news, but with 2013 just around the corner I want to start the new year better prepared.

I want to establish some sort of system for my production, I have been around on the net and didn't really find anything remotely close to what I would like to have, so I am wondering what you guys do.

I currently carry about 20 different products, all available in white,milk and dark, creating over 60 different sku's, and I will have another 20 very soon. I would like some sort of software where I can enter my orders, inventory, etc right now I work with a bunch of papers, with no real order, it's messy and I sometimes end up with not enough of this and too much of that.

What do you guys use to keep things efficient in the production area ? to make sure you are fulfilling your orders on time and correctly ? any input would be appreciated.

thanks !

updated by @Stephane Laviolette: 04/11/25 09:27:36