Forum Activity for @Chuck Pheterson
Selmi temperers...
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Looking to buy a used selmi tempering machine with an enrobed attachmentAnd conveyor belt....any one has an idea where to look or does any one know anyone selling a used machine.ThanksGustaf
updated by @Gustaf Mabrouk: 04/07/25 13:00:14
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
The Cake cutter I use has a serrated blade that is very similar to what is on a band saw. You might want to check and see if a band saw blade will work for what you are looking for.
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Would you consider just using heavier wire instead - I know some folks do that for cutting caramel.
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Oh I have several frames strung with good stainless wire. I'm just experimenting with the cake cutter wire, as a trial with a cake cutter yielded very clean and precise cuts, whereas the normal thin wire produced breaks in the chocolate even though it was paper thin. Also, the cake cutter wire is MUCH stronger, preventing the dreaded snapped wires in the middle of a ganache slab. Cleaning the cake cutter wasn't difficult at all, very hot water and patience did the trick.
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
DR does sell guitar wire. I just got some from them.
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I have never heard of anyone using serrated wire on a guitar. It would be very difficult to clean. Kerekes (bakedeco.com) sells guitar wire in 30m rolls on their site. Design et Realisation ( www.dr.ca ) sells guitars but does not advertise wire, but I would have to believe that an e-mail would reveal a source (or the fact that they sell it); in fact a post on the eGullet forum referenced below mentions that they do sell guitar wire. TCF Sales sells guitars - they probably also have wire.But you do want stainless steel. In fact, you could probably source the wire locally as long as it's food grade stainless and the right gauge it doesn't need to be packaged specifically for ganache cutter. Here's an article on eGulle t that includes plans for building a frame.
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
This is the only place online that mentioned serrated wire - http://www.rfalloy.com/products.htm Doesn't look stainless though. Might be worth contacting them to see if they have more information.
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Really? No one? All the dessert pros on this site? 2 days and *crickets*
Help needed finding cake cutter wire in bulk!
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I need to find a roll of serrated cake cutter wire ( this type of cake cutter) but everywhere I look, I can only find pre-cut lengths. I want the whole roll because I want to string one of my guitar frames with this wire. Some pieces really benefit from this serrated cut, but so far, no luck finding the stuff by the roll. Help!
updated by @Carlos Eichenberger: 04/07/25 13:00:14
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Well, this was not a typical priest 8-)
Dubai's just too hot for me. Dune bashing's a lot of fun though 8-)
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
AWesome I'll look into the 5 rolls and see what happens.
Yeah hiking in Lebanon is fun. Before moving to Dubai I used to go every weekend but I never met Vartok.cool name. it goes better on a psychedellic music artist if you ask me. 
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Buehler makes a mighty fine series of 5 roll refiners. You may want to get a smaller pre-refiner (3 roll) to use in conjunction with the 5 roll.
I'd love for money not to be an issue 8-)
Lebanon eh - i used to go hiking in the mountains there with a massive bear of a priest named Vartok. Beautiful place.
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Sebastian, as I mentioned, I will need an industrial machine, to be exact I would like to have the flexibility to produce up to 4000 Kgs a day. So if I consider money not being an issue (since It will be coming out of my employers pockets 
) are you recommending the buehler?
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
What's the best color car, red or blue? Depends on what you value. There are lots of ways to particle size reduce. For me, the best one is a million dollar buehler refiner or an air classified mill. That's not going to be the best for most of you because of the infrastructure, volume, and cost requirements.
if you're a little guy making 10 lbs a day, a stone roller mill is probably your best bet, or a small lehman or day pilot refiner.
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I stone grinded some chocolate the other day and realised it is the best method to achieve a better smoother tastier chocolate. Now because I am not using one at work and because I will need a large industrial refiner to match demand. I would love to ask you fine people. What's a good industrial refining machine?
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Quantity will dictate the best grinding method. We've used stone grinders in the beginning and now use a hammer mill and 3 roll refiner. The hammer mill quickly grinds the nibs into a rough liquor. The roll refiners take longer to refine but give the best results in my humble opinion. Having 2 refiners in series would speed up production - as would having larger rolls $$$. I think most chocolate makers would tell you that you make chocolate with what you have. Its possible to find a good deal, be prepared to fix up machines (a necessity in this business).Jo
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
The "best" method depend on what you are trying to achieve and what throughput you are aiming for. I have a 30kg granite grinder and use that to refine the nibs for a good few hours before adding other ingredients and starting the conching part of the process. When supply cannot meet demand I might need to find something else but at the moment that is working fine.My other concern was cleaning - as I use several types of bean and make small batches I only want to have to clean as few machines as possible to minimise losses. This way I only clean the grinder and. later, the temperer.DUffy
refining
Posted in: News & New Products Press
After experimenting with various methods of refining, I'm about as lost as I can be. I'm trying to decide which is the most efficient and effective method - roll milling, ball milling, stone grinder, and pul.mill. I just want to get some idea as to what everyone prefers... Let me know...
-Dimond
updated by @Dimond Atkins: 03/11/26 06:20:34
Chocolate/Confectionery Stores
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
St. Croix ChocolateMarine on St. Croix, MN651.433.1400
Chocolate/Confectionery Stores
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I used to live in Iowa City... Bochner's Chocolate was really good. Chocolatier Blue just opened a new location at 4101 Pioneer Woods Dr. in Lincoln, NE... Very good chocolates! Not sure about chocolates in Minnesota but one of the most amazing Pastry Chefs I know and had the pleasure of learning from just opened Patisserie 46 in Minneapolis. Worth checking out! Hope this helps!!! ~Wendy
Chocolate/Confectionery Stores
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Do you have any recommendations about any chocolate or confectionery stores to visit in Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa? I am familiar with BT McElrath in Minnesota and I have also checked Chocomap and Yelp for listings. Iam specifically seekingsmall independent candy makers.
updated by @Danielle: 05/29/15 12:31:38
Transportion of "delicate" cargo.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
What Shelley said! Not too much cold.
Transportion of "delicate" cargo.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
The chocolates are boxed. Thanks so much for the info!
Transportion of "delicate" cargo.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi,If your favors are packaged in boxes the cooler with ice packs will be fine.I would suggest putting the ice packs on the bottom of the cooler. 1 or 2 - you don't want the favors to be so cold that when you take them out in a hot enviornment that they sweat. Place a piece of cardboard down on top of the packs to create a barrier. That will prevent any condensation, from the ice packs, from ruining your packaging.I hope this helps.HC
Transportion of "delicate" cargo.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Packaged or not packaged?
Transportion of "delicate" cargo.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Folks!
It happens to be a warm August here and I happen to have the honors of making wedding favors for a friend's wedding. They came out nice if I might add. ;o Keep in mind I am relatively new at this....
Looking for suggestions on the transportation of my delicate morsels to the venue. I prefer them to be intact and not melted! I was planning on placing them in a cooler with ice packs. Any better ideas?
Thanks for your suggestions.
updated by @Jacquie Schofield: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Coloring white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
lots of places carry them. I like the folks at www.chefrubber.com personally.
Coloring white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Where would I find powder or oil based colors? I am new to all of this and appreciate all help and feedback I can get.
Coloring white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
you can also use powder based colouring.add before tempering.
Coloring white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Oil based lakes will work best. Add it any time the chocolate is melted, mix thoroughly 8-) before tempering is easiest.
Coloring white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi everyone.
I know that an oil based food coloring has to be used to color chocolate. However, is there a particular time during the melting/tempering cycle to add the dye?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Jacquie
updated by @Jacquie Schofield: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
thank you, I'm going to try that!
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Yes, the Johnson Controls device should work with most refrigerators to get the temp up to 55F or so, which is usually above their range. You may want some sort of commercial fridge because it will have the wire shelves you need - home fridges are not set up for this.
If humidity is still a problem, try one of the PolarFresh units, and you might even consider a very small computer fan on a dimmer to increase air flow.
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
OK, that makes sense. I already use "serving size" portions when I freeze items now. I couldn't figure out how a chest freezer would work for crystalization. But from what I'm reading the override device from Johnson Controls would also work on refrigerators, correct? I regularly use a dehumidifier for the ambient air, but I'm still struggling with the crystalization problem - small kitchen spaces don't allow for the unheated room I used at home!
Roberta
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Chest freezers are available through many retail outlets and tend to be very inexpensive compared with specialty refrigeration made for working with chocolate.
They do need to be modified to work for the purpose of storing chocolate:
a) You need to get a thermostat override device like the one from Johnson Controls. While you might get a 7 cu/ft chest freezer for $300 (here in NY), the controller might cost another $70. This is still inexpensive compared with $5,000 to $10,000 or more for specialty refrigeration. You wouldn't use the chest freezer for crystallization, only for storage.
b) You need to add something into the chest freezer compartment to control humidity. One option is PolarFresh; it works like a box of baking soda but it's specifically designed to help control humidity; baking soda is only about controlling odors. There are other options - but as you say, obtainability is the issue.
When putting things into the chest for storage, you'll want to pack them in a way that protects them from exposure to air and humidity. You don't want any humidity to condense on the items when cooling down or warming up. SO ... the best way is not to use huge tubs that need to be opened and closed, exposing all of the contents to the air each time the tub is opened. You could do that for organization purposes, but then I'd wrap "serving size" portions individually and put those into the larger tubs. Opening up the tub would then not expose unwrapped pieces to the air.
When taking items out of storage, you have to let them warm up to ambient temperature before unwrapping them to keep moisture from condensing on the chocolate ... it will condense (if present) on the outer wrapping.
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Gordon,
Why and how are chest freezers the least expensive? I would like to know more about this. Chest freezers are probably the easiest thing I have access to obtain, but I would think the moisture condensation would be too much of a problem. I live on an island in SE Alaska and while temperatures are not the problem, humidity and obtainability are problems.
Thanks in advance,
Roberta
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Linda:
There are a couple of different questions here.
Johnson Controls makes a line of "thermostat override" devices that can be used to modify the maximum temperature a unit can go to. Most refrigerators want to work in the range of 28-46F or thereabouts. Using one of these override devices you can set the max temp to 55F. By the way, one of the least expensive storage units you can buy is a chest freezer. These temp controls work perfectly for that application
That doesn't solve the humidity issue. One way to do that would be to use a product like PolarFresh or panels from Avive, which are placed in the compartment and reduce humidity.
The streaking you're seeing is probably because the chocolate you're using is unevenly tempered. For example, in a Chocovision machine, you need to wait a few minutes after the machine says you're in temper to evenly distribute the desirable crystals to influence even crystallization. Without knowing more, I'd say you need to mix/agitate your chocolate more than you're doing once it's "in temper."
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Sebastian, would you mind sharing how a fridge can be converted? My RH is less than 40%, ambient temp hovers at 68 but on almost all of my pieces I've got streaks. Thanks in advance...
Can you store finished chocolates in a "cooling cabinet"?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
They both will discharge hot air, yes..