Which Chocolate Spray Gun to Purchase?
Posted in:
Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Wendy,
Yes - I think I have it now. Although still working on it.
The spray gun was a total failure for the reasons given earlier. However two very good things came from it. One was that if anyone is thinking of using a standard spray gun for chocolate I'd sincerely suggest that they DON'T go there. I'm now told that if I want to use milk chocolate then that's different - should have specified that in the first place. Buy new needles and nozzels. I give up. I have no belief that that will work now. So I have blown my money.
The GOOD part is that I do have belief in the Krebs product not the least for the wonderful attitude and help from Sean from Krebs that pops up on this forum. He has good answers for chocolate spraying although I am still cautious of the air pressure. However the following seems to indicate that I won't need to spray.
(Incidentally, the overspray can be handled by spraying into a BIG BOX. Simply work within it.)
The second VERY good idea came from this forum and some others I have been chasing around with. I tempered a 50/50 mix of Sicao milk chocolate and cocoa butter and as you say, piled my strawberries into the pot. Have to work quite fast and REALLY watch the temperatures. Then pour them into a seive and let the chocolate mix drip out. (Did I say to REALLY watch the temperature?) Then pick the berries off one by one - a fast process - and place them on a special "chocolate mat" I purchased. The chocolate won't seep into the mat and the strawberries break off cleanly with almost no "foot".
When they "set" - as the mix is tempered that happens quickly - I simply take them off and pile them into the pan and start to build the chocolate up. The layer is really thin but as it's tempered it's hard and the strawberries tumble well without breaking up - although I need REAL care as once they start to break they go to pieces quickly.
This process has drastically shortened the process from a two day process to about seven hours turnaround and I am convinced that I can reduce it further. It's still not really "commercial" but a LOT better. I am about to do the same with dark and white chocolate too.
Also looking at enrobing to see if I can make it faster still but the above may not mean that I can delay purchasing the enrober (although I REALLY want it for other things too) if modifications to the above work even better.
I have this weekend installed an AMAZING "Cool Bot" - idea also from this forum - which will help me HEAPS with low temperature control (after tempering and in panning). And am waiting for my new 70Kg pan to arrive too. PLUS a new spray system for the pan. With all of these I SHOULD be able to make commercial quantities semi-automated in time for the Christmas rush.