Guitar Cutter.. Which one to Purchase ?
Posted in: Opinion
For what it's worth, the sizesI use are 15mm x 30mm for rectangular chocolates and 22.5mm x 22.5mm for sqaure chocolates.
Forum Activity for @Gap
Guitar Cutter.. Which one to Purchase ?
Posted in: Opinion
If you go to tcfsales.com you can see the Dedy products. We have one and like it a lot. Not cheap but good.
Pete
Guitar Cutter.. Which one to Purchase ?
Posted in: Opinion
I have a Pavoni double guitar I purchased from ChefRubber.com I don't think the cart is necessary. I would recommend getting a steel one and not one of the cheaper plastic ones.
Guitar Cutter.. Which one to Purchase ?
Posted in: Opinion
I have a Dedy and it works well. It is on a stand with wheels and I have 4 frames. I mostly use the 22.5 frame.
Guitar Cutter.. Which one to Purchase ?
Posted in: Opinion
Can anyone recommend a Good Guitar Cutter to purchase?
Should i purchase with stand / Without Stand?
How many frames do we need?
Looking for urgent revert from Seniors..
Thanks
updated by @Sam2: 04/10/15 08:46:57
FCIA announces Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
From the press release:
The best tasting chocolates in the world are poised for extinction. As growers continue to remove or replace fine flavor cacao trees with less flavorful, high-yield, disease-resistant cacao hybrids and clones, a world of ordinary flavor dominates the chocolate universe. Connecting genetics to flavor offers an important new way to protect and preserve the finest flavors for future generations. Alas, no genetic initiative has ever focused on flavor first. Until now.
Enter the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative , a partnership between the Fine Chocolate Industry Association ( FCIA ) and the USDAs Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to create the first-ever genotype map with a focus on flavor cacao trees.
The HCP welcomes any beans to be submitted and evaluated for their flavor, but not every bean will be identified as heirloom. First of all, it has got to taste good, says Dan Pearson, chief executive officer of Maran Chocolate and FCIA board member, who helped develop the HCP. Can taste be objective like genetics? No. But genetics alone say nothing about flavor. Strong genetic origin may have the potential to yield the best flavor, but genetic identification itself simply reveals what a bean is, not whether it is really yummy. Thats about classification. Thats the second step. If it doesnt taste good, we are not going to proceed with the genetics.
In other words, flavor comes first, which is why the FCIA chose the word heirloom and its basic Websters definitiona cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes [and] often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual colorationto frame the HCP.
To read the entire press release click the following link:the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative .
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Evaluating the worth of a franchise chocolate retail store
Posted in: Opinion
I am a newbie to the chocolate industry and am very thankful to have discovered this site and read the wonderful articles/comments/questions posted on the forum section by the contributors & experts on this field.
I am looking to buy a franchise chocolate retail store in the southwest region of US. Can someone guide me on how to go about evaluating the worth of the storeand how to price it so that I can make a reasonable offer?
Thank you in advance for your help & guidance.
Mahesh
updated by @mahesh rama: 05/16/15 13:12:37
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Paul,
I have just posted that I think that part of the problem may be over filling too. I very much apprecviate your confirmation of the shellac back-to-back possibility too. I changed both of those variables (filling & shellac residue) and have a far improved result.
I don't use a shellac powder - I use a liquid (Capol 425M). I didn't know there was a powder and I'll keep that in mind. If you don't use shellac how do you seal the surfaces?
The chocolate is 62%. I use Sicao (sometime Barry Callebaut) 70% and also 55% and combine them to get it "just right" for the balance for coffee beans, which is what I mostly do. For simplicity I tend to stay with the same mix for all dark chcolare work. I had wondered if the mixture was a problem too but for now it remains a "possibility" to ponder next time.
You mention your environment. I have been over your various pictures and saved them for inspiration as I need to re-do my room. You have a very similar set-up to me as far as I can see but your wall surfaces and some of your equipment is better. Your pan seems about the same as mine - a bit smaller I think. You look really well organized! You have two pans?
In one of the pics you have two pipes leading into your pan - one will be cold air. What is the other one please (the flexible pipe).
Thanks again!
Colin
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Colin,
I like your theory that there is a thin coat of shellac in the pan. The two surfaces collide. I've always panned with dark chocolate then reset and used ribs for polishing and shellac. It never occurred to me to shellac back to back. The weight and velocity impact with residual shellac theory feels right.
I'm not the best at polishing. Mostly due to limits in RH and environmental temp. I get breaking from over polishing a rather heavy center. I have not used a shellac powder.
What percent is the dark chocolate?
Cheers,
Paul
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I tried your thought Jeremy, and reduced the amount in the pan - re-did in two batches. I got a far better result.
So maybe over-filling is the problem. I was careful to stay within the 15Kg limit but maybe it needs to be 12Kg (or so) for this line.
Thanks for your insight!
Colin 
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Paul,
If I rub the product it polishes up reasonably. It SEEMS that the dark chocolate is so hard that there is pretty much no flexibility and as such the shellac powders but does not really create "stars" or kiss marks.
It's seemingly not coming up from below - that could have indicated water seeping through and interacting with the shellac but I don't think so. Have looked at this.
I don't have the problem to the same degree with choclate covered coffee beans but then they are much smaller and don't hit the side of the pan with the same velocity. The Capol rep experimented with speeding up the pan substantially (I run it at around 20rpm - he took it to about 40rpm) but the product started to break up and then the debris went through the batch making it worse. So he put more gum arabic on and we started again.
I THINK that part of the issue now may be that I already did a batch so there is a thin coating shellac in the pan and when the product hits that shellac coating the two surfaces together fracture.
I just feel that it's to do with the hardness and bittleness of the dark chocolate and then the shellac being harder again (isn't it??) exacerbating the problem until it simply won't work.
That said, I cannot believe that I am unique in the world with this silly problem!
Thanks again Paul
Colin
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Colin,
That's cool that the rep from Capol stopped by to have a look. Dissapointing not to have an answer. I was going to guess that the RH might be off. 43% seems pretty good.
Are the dots kiss marks or does it look like something migrating from the under layer?
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks so much for your interest Paul. The RH is around 43% and the temp around 17-18 Celsius. I am not using ribs as I have one pan that has to both build and polish with. I line the pan with chocolate. I did manage to get a batch reasonably polished but as soon as I introduced the shellac it all went to pieces - from a reasonable polish to many milky dots. I don't believe it is water related as I am really careful about that.
The rep from Capol was here on Friday and is as perplexed as I am. I think I am going to have to trash a whole load of chocolate covered raspberry jellies - lots of money and lots of time. It's very worrying and I don't seem to be winning at all.
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Can you tell me the temp and relative humidity of your environment? Are you using ribs during polishing?
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I don't think so Jeremy. I have loaded it up to 15Kg but it IS a thought in that some things are lighter than others.
With the freeze dried strawberries I had to reduce substantially. But these are heavier things - raspberry jellies, razzcherries etc.
I'll put this in mind. Am trying to do it now and I have ripped out so much hair that the room looks as though the dog has been fighting
Thanks for your message
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
colin...
are you sure you pan is not overloaded? Just a thought.
-Jeremy
Panning Dark Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I am having some issues with panning dark chocolate and would really appreciate some help please.
I am using Sicao 62% (I blend 70% and 53% as that is all that my supplier can supply me). I have no real issue when I do coffee beans but when I pan razz cherries, raspberry jellies or freeze dried strawberries it's a different matter.
I can do any of these with milk or white chocolate simply by leaving the pan to run and bringing the atmospheric temperature up a bit towards the end of the panning process (to around 19 degrees C). This makes the chocolate plastic and it smooths beautifully so I can polish it.
But the dark gets hard and with products that "give" a bit, the chocolate tends to crack and/or the final shellac seal (Capol 425M) cracks and chips as the chocolate in the pan and the chocolate on the product are simply too hard. As I say, milk (36%) and white are no problem. Coffee beans, being hard themselves are OK too as the chocolate and seal does not need to flex. At least I THINK this is what is happening. (The strawberries are brittle so they can't "flex" either).
So, is there a way to make the dark chocolate more flexible and "plastic"? Or do I need a better technique? (Very possible!)
Forgot to mention that I am using the same stainless steel pan for both panning and polishing as it's all that I have. Many people have two pans but that's for another lifetime I think.
Thanks in advance if anyone can help!
updated by @Colin Green: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Thanks For Adding Me!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Darial:
Welcome to TheChocolateLife!
If you're not already a member, you might want to join the group "Startup Central" which focuses on issues related to starting and growing chocolate businesses.
:: Clay
Thanks For Adding Me!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
I just want to thank the moderators for allowing me to join your community. I am here to learn all I can about the business of chocolate.My wife is...an artist-in every way. She paints, plays the piano, carves fruit, does hair, and now she wants to sell high-end sweets to the masses.Now, the mural business was easy (we also have a custom mural and wallpaper company MagicWallWrap.com), but I don't know anything about chocolate.So I look forward to gleaning from the professionals here.Thank you all, again,Darial
updated by @Darial C.: 04/13/15 01:07:05
Help locating cocoa pods
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hi, don't know if you tried this, but there are people who sell them on eBay. The two vendore I saw were both selling pods from Hawaii. Hope this helps - good luck!
Help locating cocoa pods
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I was wondering if anyone knew where I could buy
A couple freshly picked and fully ripped cocoa pods
I would pay for shipping and for the pods
[ Edited title to be more specific. OP is located in Oklahoma, USA. ]
updated by @Thomas2: 04/07/25 13:00:14
Help with choosing a logo
Posted in: Opinion
I am having a logo designed for my start-up chocolate company. I would like some opinions as to what logo people prefer.
So, if you can spare a few minutes to vote in this poll I would really appreciate it.
Thanks Lea
updated by @Lea2: 04/10/15 11:56:42
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
you don't have chocolate but you could make a compound with acocoa butter replacement but it is not named chocolate it would be a "chocolatecompound" you would not need to temper it and in my opinion the taste would not be a match to chocolate the texter would bedifferentto
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
You can use other fats - they are called CBEs (cocoa butter equivalents) or CBRs (cocoa butter replacements) and cocoa powder to make what's called "compound" "chocolate" (or coating). Legally in most countries (US, Europe, etc.) you can't call it chocolate because you're not using cocoa butter, you're using other fats.
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I see. thanks for the help.
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
No. Technically cocoa butter is the one ingredient that must exist in ALL chocolate - whether it's milk, dark, or white. Cocoa butter is the medium that suspends all of the little particles of solids, and has properties that other fats don't have.
Sorry. Without cocoa butter you don't have chocolate.
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you for the responses. That indeed does clear things up! I used butter because I could not get cocoa butter. I live in Zimbabwe, and I have done a little researching over the past few days and have found out that we actually do not make/ have cocoa butter in Zimbabwe at all.Are there any less complex fats I can substitute for cocoa butter?
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
what you have is a buttercream icing that will work nicely on a cake. It isn't even close to chocolate.
Chocolate is a suspension of tiny particles of cocoa solids, sugar, and vanilla in cocoa butter, not real butter. The emulsifiers listed on bar wrappers are actually NOT emulsifying anything. They are actually coating the solid particles and allowing them to slide easier through the fat. It's a manufacturer's way of making the chocolate less expensive to produce, as it makes it more fluid without adding cocoa butter. Having said that, forget about the so-called emusifiers as they won't help you anyway.
Hope that helps explain things a bit better.
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
You're not making chocolate, your making some sort of frosting at best, but it sounds more like chocolate flavored butter.
Chocolate contains CACAO butter, not milk butter
You're using butter which is soft and has a lower melting point, cacao butter is solid, so when it's room temperature it is naturally hard. You'll never get butter to turn hard.
How can I make my chocolate solid?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi all,
I have tried to make milk chocolate about four times now using 2 different recipes. I am very happy with the taste of the chocolate, but the problem is- it will not become solid! I ahve placed batches in the fridge for hours ( even overnight) but when it come out, its still in a viscous liquid state.
For the ingredients I use: butter, icing sugar, cocoa powder, milk powder, and vanilla essence
I have studied chocolate wrappers and most contacin emulsifiers- could this be the missing link?
Any ideas what the problem might be?
updated by @Tinashe Chakawa: 04/11/25 09:27:36
The Health Benefits of Chocolate: Can Chocolate Benefit Your Health?
Posted in: Opinion
Can Chocolate really benefit your health?
or just make you more fat?
Chocolate: Best Seller Chocolate Candy Grocery & Gourmet Food
updated by @aku lagi: 04/09/15 22:26:54
Heat sources for making caramels
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)
Our demand for caramel at the store was so high that we could no longer manage on the stove top. We maxed out at a 16 lb batch and it was killing us to lift and pour. I finally broke down and bought a Savage Firemixer 14. I can say without hesitation it was the single best investment I have made so far! Like a few other people have mentioned along the site, it did not initially work well with my recipe. We had to make a few adjustments to ingredient ratios -- we would absolutely not change our recipe because it is very very popular, but adjusting amounts of things here and there to help facilitate use of the machine worked to get rid of the graining problem we were having. And the people at Savage are eager to help; it's a small business and they are good to work with.
I'm in the market for an extruder next but I will likely be looking hardest at Savage for this one too (we'll see what the forum folks think!). I know it's a lot of money, and I know there are some cheaper ones out there but Savage has a ton of videos and documentation (plus a good reputation) and we are close to IL so we were able to go there and pick it up, saving a lot on freight. I'm glad I went with it.
If you have the need to dedicate and expand and the money to invest, the Firemixer was wonderful for us. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone.
Heat sources for making caramels
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)
Hi Clay! Thanks for the article. I just moved into a new baking facility, and had planned on switching to induction. I make large quantities of caramel sauces and brittle. But the burner I have (1800W Itawani) doesn't seem to have a large enough heating element for the 20 qt stock pot I use. Plus it's not a constant heat, so the sugar on top cools down while the sugar on the bottom gets too hot. It's like stirring cold tar, and takes me twice as long as it did on my gas stovetop.
So the shop that you went to, they use the crepe makers as burners, for making caramel? I pretty much just turn the heat on high and leave it, at least with the brittle. The caramel sauces I tend to regulate the heat a little more, as melting dry sugar can be a bit finicky.
Have you had any more experience with the crepe makers? Do you think those would be my best bet? Or a higher powered induction burner would work? I'd love to get something from Savage Bros., but don't have the budget. I'm just at a loss for what to do, and it's quickly going to get in the way of production...
Thanks!
Heat sources for making caramels
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)
Sooner or later almost every confectioner starts thinking about making caramels. For many, caramels - especially salted caramels - are a cornerstone of their business.
I've seen them made lots of different ways, including on a regular stove top, but one thing I always come back to is that it's important to be able to regulate heat and apply it consistently. My home stove is not very good for this, and I've been contemplating getting an induction cooktop for this purpose. They are efficient and put out a steady, reliable heat. The only downside, I thought, was that induction cookers require special pots.
I learned that this was not the case recently talking to a friend who uses an induction cooker who told me that he has troubles with the cookers maintaining the heat he wants for long periods of time. Apparently, there is a cutoff circuit in some of the devices to keep them from overheating. To be fair, he's got a 120V 1000W machine, and he might not have a problem if he had one with more power, but that's not in his budget at the moment.
I was in my local gourmet shop over the weekend and I started talking to one of the owners, Ben, about the commercial crepe makers 
It seems to me that these would be a great alternative to induction cookers for people looking to make caramel as they accept any king of pot, get hot, and maintain a specific heat real well. There are versions that are much less expensive
One thing I learned from talking with Ben is that he uses his crepe makers for a lot of different cooking applications, including frying eggs to put in crepes. As long as what you're cooking isn't too runny or render out much fat, you can cook it directly on the surface of the crepe maker. This makes them, I think, a pretty versatile addition to a lot of confectionery kitchens, and in my current project I am recommending that one of the two induction cooktops be replaced with one of these crepe makers - and save a couple of hundred bucks at the same time.
Of course, if I was serious about making caramels and needed to make them all day every day, I'd plonk down whatever cash was necessary for a dedicated machine. The one that people keep talking to me about wanting to own is the Savage FireMixer . It may not be as retro-chic as making caramel in a copper kettle over an open gas fire, but when it comes to all-around convenience (including not having to install venting and fire suppression) this is the one that keeps calling to me.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:15:15
Controlling Relative Humidity when Polishing Panned Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Edward,
I think that your physics teacher was right but something makes it much harder to get to a low RH at a low temperature. I don;t really understand it but I think it has to do with RELATIVE humidity versus absolute humidity.
I'm away from my business at the moment and don't have the cocoa butter content to hand right now so will get back when I return. The polishig agent is from CAPOL (5021 as I recall) and there is also the shellac layer to consider too.
Colin
Controlling Relative Humidity when Polishing Panned Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
According to my old (very old) gr. 10 Physics teacher, the higher the temp, the more humidity it will carry. Thus, when I lived in Singapore, with an ambient temp of 30 C, the rh was around 95 %., but when I lived in Saskatchewan with winter temps of - 30 C the air was so dry my skin would crack
What kind of polishing agents are you using, and high of a cocoa butter content will they tolerate?
Controlling Relative Humidity when Polishing Panned Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
To get a good lustre on panned products I need to attain a Relative Humidity of aroung 45% and a temperature of around 17 degrees C. However the two seem to contradict each other - the lower the temperature the harder it is to reduvce the R/H.
What are others doing to achieve this? I have two dehumdifiers and they battle at the lower temperatures, cycling in and out of de-ice mode for 20 minutes in every 60 giving a see-saw of low/high RH.
The dehumidifier people say that I have to increase temperature to 18-20 degrees C but I would rather stay at the lower levels. My chocolate won't polish as well as I'd like it to.
Any thoughts please?
Thanks!
Colin
updated by @Colin Green: 04/11/25 09:27:36
technical help
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Good day to you.
I am in the process of setting up a cocoa beans processing plant of 1000 mt per year.
kindly advise me the plant cost and the availability. I am a small scale enterprenuer.
our farmers gather beans and we intend buy from them for processing till powder/butter stage and then sell the chocolate companies who will assess the quality by deputing their personnel in the plant.
reagrds
Mohiddin/Hyderabad/India - e mail: ghouse8@gmail.com
technical help
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you very much for your help! I am a very little artisan ans i don't need the machine to work for 8 hours a day i envy you a little to read that you have so much work in chocolate making but i am not sur i really want to become so big. My problem is that i can"t seem to be able to have tempered chocolate long enough to enable me to work and fill enough moulds and then to cover the ones i filled the day before, it is very difficult to temper by hand 4 to 5 times a day and it is very frustrating. Don't misunderstand me i love making this tempering it really soothes me but well, it is a little difficult. I am not sure i need a Pavoni because it is expensive in comparison to others machines and now you told me there is problems with their motors... though I am very far from your quantities i don't want to make a mistake and throw away my money.
technical help
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I have 4 of them.
There are flaws in the design of the machine which I have notified the manufacturer about and will share here:
1. The control board (circuit board) is in the same compartment as the heat and fan. My staff use the machines 8 hours per day, every day. As a result they are subject to very significant heat fluctuations, and EVERY control board in EVERY machine has failed due to lack of protection. I have modified one of our machines to include a barrier between the heating compartment and the control board, and then added a cooling fan and vent opening to the bottom of the machine in the cooling board area. The fan turns on every time the light bulbs turn on to heat the machine. I have done this just a few weeks ago, so it will take 3-4 months to find out if the consistent temperature now maintained is going to save the new control board.
2. The machine has 5 program cycles, which are very helpful in managing the viscosity of the chocolate throughout the day. We start with one "temper" cycle, and then throughout the day as we work with the chocolate it continues tothicken (crystalize). We then have 3 other programs which increase the working temperature of the chocolate by one degree at a time. My staff can very easily control the viscosity of the chocolate as they work with it. However, there is a significant problem with the programming: Every program has a heat/cool/reheat cycle. The minutea newprogram starts, the bowl stops spinning regardless of whether the chocolate is too warm to start with, or needs heating to reach the first temperature mark. REALLY REALLY BAD DESIGN. Our chocolate is already thick and crystalized!!! Having it sit there motionless for a few minutes will cause it to solidify in the bowl. The heat created by the light bulbs on the paused bowl of chocolate takes the chocolate out of temper. Yes... There is a motor "over-ride" button on the side of the machine which allows an operator to press it and start the bowl turning. HOWEVER the switch doesn't lock down. The operator has to stand there, with their finger on the button until all the chocolate heats up! Are you kidding me???? I have swapped that stupidbutton out with one that actually turns on and off. My staff have better things to do than stand there several times a day for up to 15 minutes at atimeholding a button down!
3. Chocolate gets into the inner workings of the machine and into the motor. We have had to replace several destroyed motors as they aren't sealed, such as with the design of the Savage machines (which I also own two of and have been running 24/7 for 4 years without a single issue!).
There are also positives that I will share:
1. The overall construction is solid. ROCK solid. The case is polished stainless steeland easy to clean. I also have 6 ACMC machines and their plastic construction pales in comparison.
2. The ability to define your own pre-set programs is fabulous. If you are working with a consistent product, it takes all the guess work out of tempering and an unskilled worker can make properly tempered chocolate confections with very little instruction.
If I were to purchase more Pavoni's I would stipulate that the design flaws be rectified before I spent the money.
Hope that provides you with some insight.
Brad