kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
we also have a hair dryer in the shop, maybe that will work for heating
to polish... can we achieve shine with my regular couverture?
Forum Activity for @Matt Carter
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Yup - all about the temperature control. I've got the DeBuyer panner that goes on the Kitchen Aid and also a slightly larger pilot pan. In the demo linked to above on eGullet I use dry ice to cool the pan, but I've bought a dedicated air conditioner that I'm waiting for my hubby to adapt so I can blow cold air into the pan. Using the warm exhaust from the air conditioner will probably work as a heat source for the polishing phase of the panning.
kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
here is a good conversation that I found on the topic. **
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/121548-panning/
apparantly it does take a lot of temp control, and it seems that each batch takes a considerable amount of time.
It is hard to imagine that much investment in equipment and labor paying off.
** Jeff, I just notice that you are involved in that conversation, and that you know MIchael Recchiuti. That's great!
AsI was starting out, I was told by a mutual friend of mine and MIchael's that I should look him up, so I went to his shop at the Fisherman's Terminal and of course I was very impressed. Love what he does.
I did not get to meet him though.
kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
thanks for the reply.
that looks like the same machine, but the best price I have seen so far.
from what I understand, you put in your coffee beans or nuts, and slowly pour in tempered chocolate as it turns?
kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Must agree with what Jeff has to say about panning. Really is something you need to have someone show you tips and tricks for and spend a lot of time getting right. Environment is incredibly important to the finished product so being in a humidity/temperature controlled room is very important.
kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Ive got this one ... http://www.dr.ca/confectionery-coating-pan-attachment.html Its abou $75 cheaper. Use it all the time and it works well. Its cost effective if you are going to regularly sell panned items. Panning is a blend of art and science. The more you can control your environment the better. Takes some practice and time to figure out what makes it work, what doesnt work. Its not something you can just put on your machine and go. But the more you do it, the more you develop a feel/intuition for what works and doesn't work.
kitchen aide panning machine
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
hi folks.
I am wondering if the kitchen aide panning attachment is worth the 575 they want for it ?
I understand that it is not made by kitchenaide, but by a French company, and I would like to make sure that it will work on my model, and make large enough batches that it is cost effective to spend the money on the equipemt and labor,
also I have never used a panning machine before, i'd ike to hear people;s experiences.
thanks.
updated by @Matt Carter: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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Richard, I'm also interested in your wheel machine. If you could tell me a little more about the brand, size and how much you're asking. Thank you. george@georgepaulchocolates.com
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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There are a few articles about the sale to the new owner in French on the Perfect Equipment website. I had to order a part this past week and they were quite responsive. Good luck with everything.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I bought my Perfect last August just before the sell. I was dealing with the son, but he sold to someone else.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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I think my machine holds around 20kg maximum. You need a tank that is at least half or 2/3rds full to have a good enrobing session. If the chocolate gets too low, the wheel does not pick up the chocolate very well and this will affect your chocolate curtain.
The Perfect company now has a new owner and they have made slight improvements to their machines. The bottom line is if you don't have the money for an excellent selmi or other automatic machine, get started with a wheel machine. It's a major step up from hand dipping.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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I have a wheel based temperer, a forty-four pounder. Whenyou change over, if you can storethe pan ina warming cabinet; then tempering doesn't take forever. Then we usually wash up the wheel and the little spout/waterfall, whatever it is called. It's not too bad. Of late we have a bit of a problem with the chocolate over-tempering during the enrobing run. Parts of the enrober itself are a bitch to clean. I dream about the Selmi.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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I have the Perfect Compact Coater. It's the smallest enrober the company offers and probably the least expensive enrober on the market. It is even more rudamentary than the Prefamac that Jeff Stern speaks of. I find that it is an excellent starter machine. It is a giant step up from hand dipping without spending $30-40k on an automatic machine. As my business grows, I will certainly look into getting a higher end machine such as a Selmi or LCM (my favorite!). With the lack of financing available for small business these days the Perfect enrober is an excellent compromise.
It is a rather simple machine that includes a blower, a detailer, and a polycarbonate shield (at least mine does). Just like Jeff Stern says, it is the talent of the operator that really influences the results. I am able to keep the temper going for 12-15 hours. Keep your heat gun handy, but so long as you keep the room around 70 degrees you should only need to use it maybe once an hour for about a minute or two. Learning the mechanics of how the belt, the blower, and the detailer work will give you the best results. The Perfect Enrober is a simple machine and you will definitely see all the mechanics in action which is actually kind of cool. Tempering in the machine is easy with the seeding method. Also, cleanup is very easy and you can easily enrobe in dark one day, clean the pan, and enrobe in milk chocolate the next day.
Using a wheel based enrobing machine can actually make you a better chocolatier. You learn to keep an eye on things and have an understanding of what is going on all the time.
So the bottom line is if you feel you need an enrober, but cannot yet afford a Selmi, Savy, or LCM (Lexus, Mercedes, BMW) definitely get a wheel based machine such as Perfect (Honda Civic). It will get you where you want to go.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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Hi Richard,
I sent a friend request to you to find out more about your machines.
Thanks,
Erin
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I have two wheel machines for sale, used if anyone interested but not enrobers
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I have one too, a Prefamac. Very sturdy machine, built like a tank, runs day and night. It is some work to change over. You have to drain the tank and then refill. I only enrobe in dark, but I can see a change-out really taking no more than half an hour. Easy enough to refill, but you'd have to wait for the melt if you don't have another holder/melting tank. If you have a lot of volume it's worth it. Get a blower and detailer as well-it will make a big difference in the quality and appearance of your end product. You can email me on jgstern at mac dot com if you would like more info. Also, takes a bit of practice to get the results you want-the machine does nothing for you, you have to do everything for the machine.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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Yes, I have one. To change over is a real pain! I bought an extra pan, but never used it. The enrober is designed to remove and clean after each use. I do this twice a year. I leave it in place, which makes adding chocolate a bit of a problem. I always keep dark chocolate in it and feed it with tempered chocolate from another melter. It is certainly capable of tempering, but I usually don't have the patience. For the price, it has been a good machine. It does a good job, and it is not too pricey. Get some training, because there is no operators manual. If I had the money, I would buy a Selmi.
Questions about using a wheel based tempering machine with enrober
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I have not had any experience in using these machines and wondered if someone could explain how the chocolate is changed over. For example, I use two different kinds of dark, and milk. How do they all stay melted? Is it a lot of work to clean up and make the change over?
Also, I have been look at a Perfect air 2 / enrober 2 machine as a possibility as it would fit my budget and has gotten reasonable reviews. Does anyone have any experience with this particular make?
updated by @Elaine Hsieh: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Convection Oven and/or Coffee Roaster modifications/techniques
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May I ask what company you purchased the Turkish roaster from?
Convection Oven and/or Coffee Roaster modifications/techniques
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Baking vs Roasting?
Please don't take offense to this Clay, but cooking ANYTHING is about heat and airflow, not terminology. In my oven at home I bake brownies, roast a turkey, bake cookies, roast a beef roast., and even roast marshmallows for my s'mores. I can also bake theturkey , marshmallows, androastas well asroast thecookies and brownies. Why? Because it's the same piece of equipment cooking everything.
It used to be that roasting and baking were different - roasting meant cooking your food over an open flame, with higher temperatureswhereas baking implied indirect "ambient" heat, usually at a lower temperature. However, even with the "roast/bake" settings on some ovens today, the bottom line is that the oven uses dry heat to cook its contents.
Due to the evolution in cooking technology (namely in ovens), the conceptual differences of roasting and baking are more or less lost. Case in point: Even coffee roasters today use indirect heat (usually natural gas), and add agitation (turning drum) to roast their contents. However, given that coffee roasters can also cook at lower temperatures common in old school baking, does it "bake" the beans when the temperatures is around 325? Nope. Still roasts them.
In the end, what's the difference between baking and roasting? None.
It's all about heat and airflow.
Cheers.
Brad
Convection Oven and/or Coffee Roaster modifications/techniques
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Think about it. Do you want to bake your beans? Or roast them?
Convection ovens have the advantage of being very inexpensive.
That said, in my experience, I have NEVER found a convection oven that heats the entire cavity left to right, top to bottom, back to front, evenly. In practice the result is unevenly baked (not roasted) beans. This is true even if you use perforated pans. You can a) rotate the pans during baking (which has other issues related to recovery time), or b) get an oven that rotates the baking rack during the cook cycle.
One technique you should learn from the coffee roasting community is about variable airflow - changing airflow and temperature enables you to get the most out of different beans. With a convection oven, you don't have precise control over airflow, so your baking profiles in a convection oven do not have the control you need to develop maximum flavor for a variety of bean types.
There have to be compelling reasons why coffee roasters are willing to spend $125,000 for half-bag roasters with digital controls. Now - you might not find that you can make a business with a $125k coffee roaster, but trying to "make do" with a $1500 convection oven is not the only alternative.
Convection Oven and/or Coffee Roaster modifications/techniques
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The trick to using a convection oven for a perfect roast is using perforated trays. This is important to allow air flow up through the bottom, but also over top. The other trick is to not overload the trays with beans.
I honestly don't think roasting in a convection oven would be effective if solid bottom trays were used, as much of the air circulation needed to evenly heat the beans wouldn't be present.
We don't cool the beans other than by using ambient room temperature. Once the trays are removed from the oven, they cool very quickly on baker's racks.
Convection Oven and/or Coffee Roaster modifications/techniques
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Hi There, we have have a coffee roaster and we find it quite good and efficient, soon i will post a review on differences between convection and coffe roasters.
One thing i can say is do not buy a roaster from AMBEX. they have robbed us $6000 and we never saw the roaster!
the previous owners did run away wit all the money from clients (deposit..) and now we have lost the chance to see the roaster.
funny enough we found then the same roaster made in Turkey for a 3rd of the price!!
Convection Oven and/or Coffee Roaster modifications/techniques
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I am looking to be able to roast 35 to 50kg and, depending a bit on machinery I find, will decide between convection or drum roaster route. The merits of these have been discussed before here but wanted to ask those with experience here for some basic insights.
Converting Coffee Roaster -- anything being done to modify with regard to interior of drum or speed in order to improve roasting/minimize breakage?
Convection Oven -- aside from just setting up a fan, anyone doing anything fancier to cool down the beans?
updated by @SteveB: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Humidity in chocolate storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi,
I had so many issues with tempering chocolate that I went out and boughta humidity monitor for my room. I'm based in the New York area and the humidity on a bright sunny day was at 52%. Today, it's really cloudy and humidity is a whopping 70%. I'm assuming that was one of the main reasons my chocolate kept getting the cocoa butter streaks on them after tempering with a chocovision x3210.
I will evenutally be working in a climate controlled commercial kitchen, but I will be storing the chocolates at home - with these humidity issues. I have a dehumidifer. Do I keep that running 24/7? Doesn't seem efficient. I have an old fridge i can store the chocolates in, but not sure how to control the humidity in there.
Any help/thoughts would be great.
Thanks much,
Geetha
updated by @Geetha Panchapakesan: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Fondant creamer
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
To get your smallest crystal (smoothest texture) allow your syrup to cool evenly with no agitation. I spread on a marble slab inside framing bars to about a quarter inch thick with a thermometer in the layer. You can get some crystals forming early on the surface but a light water misting gets them back into solution. Once to target temperature you can beat it on the slab with scrapers, or in a hobart bowl, but watch how much is in the bowl, it gets very thick. Once it crystallizes I put it into a plastic bag and knead it to break the crystal bridging, seal out air, and let it mature. If you can keep the slab warm while beating it only takes 2-3 minutes, and if you add some other fondant as seed even less time.
Fondant creamer
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I was taught a technique where you pour it hot onto a large silpat. Fold the silpat over the hot mixture and pull it apart again. Keep doing this keeping the fondant in the middle (it starts the agitation process). When cool, add to the kitchen aid.
I'd be interested to hear how other people do it as well
Fondant creamer
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
O Really? That's good to know... Do you just pour the hot fondant from the pan into the mettle mixing bowl and let cool, then start the paddle?
Fondant creamer
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I guess it depends on the amount, but I just put it in a kitchen-aid bowl with the paddle attachment.
Fondant creamer
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I am wondering if theres a way to beat fondant other than just stirring by hand. I've seen some amazing equipment on savage brothers website but I'm wondering if theres anything cheaper or smaller scale
updated by @Michael Karren: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Having trouble tempering on a new Chocovision X3210
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Check out the temp probe on the baffle. Make sure it is ALWAYS in chocolate.
joe crevino
Having trouble tempering on a new Chocovision X3210
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I am using a new X3210 I bought to temper milk chocolate and make bars - with not great success. The chocolate never came out perfectly tempered. I started with about 4 lbs of chocolate (and believe I followed instructions to the T).
The first batch came out better than the rest, although there were some streaks. I used the same chocolate, and left it rotatingat the "tempered" temperature before I could free up my molds to make another batch and then another. The second batch was the worst - very streaky - almost looked like bloom. The third batch had sugar bloom on it but looked better than the second.
Not sure what I could have done wrong. They wouldn't harden right away (temperature of the room was probably about 70 degrees) so I did put them in the fridge briefly - a few minutes - to harden.
I read varying accounts about the difficulty of tempering - some people say, once you have the technique down, even hand-tempering is a snap. Some people say it's such a delicate process that you my never get it right.
Any thoughts on basic mistakes I may be making?
Thanks much!
Geetha
updated by @Geetha Panchapakesan: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Torte Glaze
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Here's a good place to start 8-)
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/86115-demo-mirror-glazing-technique/page__view__findpost__p__1171507__hl__glaze__fromsearch__1
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/98136-pastry-ganache-fillings-and-glazes/page__view__findpost__p__1344169__hl__glaze__fromsearch__1
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/92168-pastry-glaze-tips-techniques/page__view__findpost__p__1248946__hl__glaze__fromsearch__1
Torte Glaze
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I am attempting to make a Nutella torte for my restaurant, I am layering chocolate cake and Nutella mousse (which is basically a tiramisu mousse with nutella) in a ring mold. The problem I am having is I want to pour ganache over the cake to seal it, I am I have tried a few ganache recipes and pour them over the cake which I froze to aid the process. However ever time I find that the warm ganache is melting the mousse and causing the coating to be spotty and the cake begins to lean and fall slightly. I even tried a glacage using gelatin, however this is still too runny and doesn't give me the desired look or texture.
Please can anyone help?
Jon Gyles
updated by @Jon Gyles: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Question about chocolate molds
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
There may be some machine shops or maker spaces in your area with cnc machines or 3d printers. They may be able to mill out molds (in the case of a cnc) or build up a mold (in the case of a 3d printer). If you are design inclined you may be able to generate the cam files yourself. Otherwise most machine shops will be able to draft the cam files for a fee.
Question about chocolate molds
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Thanks Clay. I'll start seeking out vacuum-foaming manufacturers. I doubt if it will be easy but if i can accomplish this, i do believe it will be worth the effort. Thanks again for the guidance.
Question about chocolate molds
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John:
The process Totally Chocolate uses is patented. The site refers to engraving and molds so whatever they're doing they are able to get fine details in their masters and transfer them to the plastic molds. As they are short run molds it probably helps that they are using comparatively thin plastic sheets because they don't expect to be producing more that many pieces - which helps a lot.
I spent about 3 minutes looking for the patent. If it is a good patent, it will tell you what they are doing and how they are doing it. A good CNC device and/or laser cutter is a necessity, as is a very good understanding of the release characteristics of chocolate from the molds For example, vertical elements are best if not perfectly vertical, but slope outwards a fraction of a degree to make the release easier.
I would also ask the manufacturers of vacuum-forming equipment. They will have many of the answers you seek. Don't look for inexpensive hobby models. Look for models used by volume production shops and feature high vacuum draws.
Hope this helps.
Question about chocolate molds
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hello Clay. This is very interesting and similar to a technique that I really want to learn. On a few of the high end chocolate sites I've seen (TotallyChocolate.com, for example), they're able toproducesome incredibly detailed molds. I believe they're using some type of laser etching to produce this level of detail. I imaging that the cost to produce this level of mold is fairly high butdefinitelysomething that I'd be willing to invest in if I can learn and understand the technique. Any ideas on how I can investigate this process further? Thanks again for your excellent response to Geetha's question.
Question about chocolate molds
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I know homechoclatefactory.com offers this service. i have not tried them. They offer custom made molds of different grades.
Question about chocolate molds
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Thanks all for your help.
Your insight was very interesting, Clay - that it's more worthwhile to actually buy a thermoform machine than go for the high end molds. I will look into that.
Thanks again,
Geetha
Question about chocolate molds
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Geetha:
You can expect to spend at least $5000 for a set of 100 custom "professional" polycarbonate molds. The main cost is going to be making the injection mold master. This is tooled in metal and is made so that the molten polycarbonate plastic can be forced into the mold. As you might imagine, a mirror-smooth finish is required on the mold surfaces in order to deliver the perfectly shiny results on your bars.
You are right - they are much more durable than the thin thermoform molds you are familiar with. Which is best for your depends on many factors.
One option to consider is that there are tabletop thermoforming machines that cost well under $1000 that can handle plastic sheets at least as large as for a standard mold. The tooling costs for making a master for use in one of these machines is much, much lower than for an injection mold and you can make new molds for a few dollars apiece. Thermoform plastic sheets come in a variety of thicknesses, so you can choose between different thicknesses for different reasons - thinner plastic might resolve finer detail better, thicker plastic is more durable.
I looked into this for one project, and it cost about the same to buy the thermoform machine as it did to have someone do the work. They would make the master from a computer CAD (CNC) file we sent them, but if you have a local machine shop they might be able to help. (Or go to a technical training institute where the teach such stuff and see if you can get a teacher to get a student to do it for you ... not for free, of course.)