Tips for clearing a chocolate-clogged drain?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I imagine a blast of steam could also be helpful, just take care not to overpressurize the pipe!
Forum Activity for @Carlos Eichenberger
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I imagine a blast of steam could also be helpful, just take care not to overpressurize the pipe!
Tips for clearing a chocolate-clogged drain?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
When putting a sink into my factory the plumber rigged up a very simple trap in the outlet pipe from the sink. He glued a simple aluminium baffle half way across a small plastic tank. Basically, the waste water goes in, the chocolate floats to the top and is held out of the waste outlet by the alluminium.It's his version of an expensive fat trap and cost almost nothing to rig up. I haven't explained it very but if you look at professional ones you will see what you need to try and do.Duffy
Tips for clearing a chocolate-clogged drain?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I wonder if putting in one of these would help in the future? http://www.bigceramicstore.com/supplies/gleco-trap.htm Sorry I can't offer any better suggestions for you.Tracy
Tips for clearing a chocolate-clogged drain?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
The trick is to warm the pipe itself.You could use wire tape that you wrap around pipes to keep them freezing in winter. Another solution is to use a heat gun directly on the pipe.
Tips for clearing a chocolate-clogged drain?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Our kitchen sink has started backing up on a regular basis. I try to get as much chocolate as possible into the trash so it doesn't wash down the drain, but inevitably some gets in there and builds up. We have no garbage disposal.
Boiling water, enzymes, baking soda, etc. did nothing. Sulfuric acid and a snake finally did the trick, but even the acid doesn't seem to do much to chocolate.
Has anybody tried dissolving chocolate clogs with an alkaline solution, like lye?
Any other tips, tricks & techniques for keeping drains clear?
Thanks!
updated by @Malena Lopez-Maggi: 04/11/25 09:27:36
jet black cocoa seed extract
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Thank you. Amazing that there are that many varieties!
jet black cocoa seed extract
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Barbara:There is only one species of cacao used to make chocolate - theobroma cacao cacao, also t. cacao cacao. What we call criollo, forastero, trinitario, etc., are varieties of t. cacao. The phrase "jet black cocoa seed extract" probably refers to the color of the extract, not the color of the cacao seeds (I tend to use cacao for fresh/wet and cocoa when referring to dry) from which the extract is made.Doing a simple bit of research on Google (where this conversation is #1 already - even above the site(s) from the manufacturer, salespeople) for the phrase "jet black cocoa seed extract" we can see that it is a proprietary ingredient in a nutritional supplement marketed by the network marketing (e.g., MLM) company Xyngular. It turns out that "cocoa extract" is an ingredient in several herbal vitamin supplement products.It is possible to extract the antioxidants from ground cocoa beans and it makes some sense that this is what they're talking about. But - the only place that "jet black cocoa seed extract" exists is in this one supplement. I won't say outright that it is a scam, but I would be skeptical of the claims made for the product. MSRP for a one-month supply is $44.95.
jet black cocoa seed extract
Posted in: News & New Products Press
The seed is the same as the bean. I've catalogued a little over 600 different varieties of theobroma cacao genetically - others may have different #'s depending on what they've done. There are companies making cocoa powder out of the 'whole pod' (including the husk), but i'd steer clear of them, as that's where the abundance of pesticides and mycotoxins are going to be present. Plus they don't taste very good 8-)
jet black cocoa seed extract
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I guess so . It is an ingredient in something and I had never heard of it and I thought it was not called a seed but a husk. But that is the bean and not the seed. I wonder how the the seed be different nutritionally then the bean. Also how many different species of cocoa plants are there?
jet black cocoa seed extract
Posted in: News & New Products Press
jet black is a name of an industrial manufacturer's black cocoa powder... is that what you're referring to?
jet black cocoa seed extract
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Does anyone know anything about jet black cocoa seed extract? Thnaks
updated by @Barbara Forshay: 03/11/26 06:20:34
Looking for wrapping solutions
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Easiest shift from foil/paper wrap is to a pouch/box system. Look for metallized barrier pouches, many manufacturers carry them, and those can be made and printed to your specs. It's a much faster procedure to slip the bar in the pouch, seal and box. I'm right in the middle of doing exactly that switch. I sourced my materials locally.
Looking for wrapping solutions
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
We currently do all our packaging by hand and our demand is reaching the level where we are unable to meet it using our current methods. Looking for any advice on what others have done to solvesimilarissues. We currently use a foil wrap with a paper cover.
Thanks,
Tim Moore
updated by @Tim Moore: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Type of Bar Foil
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
It's called Paper-backed Foil, and can be bought at Revere Group and others
Type of Bar Foil
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hi Everybody!
I am looking for a foil that has a kind of parchment style paper lining or backing on it. I have seen it on other bars and really want to get a hold of some to see if it is a fit for us. Unfortunately I cannot seem to locate any. Does anyone know the name of this foil or where I am maybe able to find some?
Thanks!
Cheers,
Nick MacPherson
updated by @Nick MacPherson: 04/07/25 13:00:14
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
sounds stressfull , I could use some help , on panning , I bought a new machine ,steve
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
What about coconut oil? I make a nice vegan filing with it and fondant and coconut...you can make it as firm or as creamy as you want and the oil is mostly tasteless...just a thought.
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
Pipe into chocolate shells and recover with a funnel and scrape.
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
The gelee/pate de fruit idea is very good. Combine it with a pralin/chocolate/feuilletine layer and you have a 6-month shelf-stable product with a great flavor/crunch combination.
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
Nut pastes (gianduja, marzipan) are good but you have to watch out for fat migration which will soften your shells over time.
Butter based ganaches are good, for even less water content you might try using clarified butter (you can buy it off the shelf from many restaurant suppliers).
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
Sounds like my type of operation........
You gotta go back and look at stuff 100 years old when there was no refrigeration
Candying
Drying
perserving
nuts
Caramel
Nougat based (including croquant)
Butter ganaches can be quite shelf stable if you remove the 18% or so water in the butter....
Now for instance, honey is a partial inverted sugar
Dried fruits last for years
Pate de fruits are very shelf stable
Nuts and nut pastes/marzipans are good for 6 mths
Am I giving you enough information without "giving away" my farm?
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
European-style butter ganaches have longer shelf life . . . worth a try?
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
It will always be hard, and over time it will harden further. If it's a meltaway type center you're after, cocoa butter alone isn't going to do it for you (unless you fractionate, then MAYBE, but you'd only get about a 2% soft fraction that *might* work, so it'd be hugely expensive)
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
i tried some samples with cocoa butter..its not bad except i found the bonbon a bit hard.what would be the pecentage of cocoa butter versus chocolate or is there a way to make the filling smoother?cherry i wish my last name was forastero
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
Cocoa butter is a saturated fat that oxidizes slowly. Depending on the application, you could use either deodorized or undeodorized cocoa butter. Eastbluff Trading (look up ChocolateLife member Patrick Pineda) sells some very aromatic undeodorized cocoa butter made from Venezuelan beans.Anhydrous ("no water") butter fat is another option.
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
Assuming you're looking for a soft center type material, you're only real option is to use oils of some sort instead of cream (milk fat or a liquid at room temperature type oil). The less saturated the oil is, however, the faster it will oxidize. Start by adding 20% or so of the soft fat/oil to your chocolate base to see if that gives you the texture/depositability you're after, and adjust accordingly...
long shelf life fillings
Posted in: Recipes
Hey there all you chocomaniacs.
I started working for a chocolate manufacturer who would like me to make him some new recipes for his factory. It sounds pretty straight forward until you hear the conditions:
1.No alcohol
2.Fast production
3.prefer Classic style (ie.gianduja and nut based fillings)
4. Long shelf life (more than 3 months) so I can't use cream
5.No preservatives
The factory produces more than 40 types of bonbon already so I really need to be creative here
Any help or feedback is HIGHLY appreciated.
Many thanks friends
O
updated by @Omar Forastero: 04/12/15 06:59:19
Interesting Information "Cacau Bean Future"
Posted in: News & New Products Press
For those that follow world cacau market trends and analysis, the following Financial Times report will be of interest. It describes issues that will effect all of us in the immediate future.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/28e00036-67a0-11df-a932-00144feab49a.html
Jim Lucas
updated by @Jim2: 03/11/26 06:20:34
pacojet ice cream maker
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)
I got a pacojet and it is AMAZING. I love it. Especially for a kitchen that is square foot challenged like ours.
pacojet ice cream maker
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)
Hey, I am dreaming of a pacojet ice cream maker. But they are EXPENSIVE and I don't know a ton about them, except what I have read online and in Francisco Migoya's Frozen Desserts (a good book by the way).
Have any of you worked with one? What are your experiences? Is anyone on this forum in and/or around Portland, OR who might let me have a look at the process?
thanks!
updated by @Sarah Hart: 12/13/24 12:15:15
Chance for year's supply of Amano Chocolate
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Just a heads up everybody that Amano is having a pretty big giveaway.
Amano is releasing a new bar in the next month or so and while they
are waiting to get the boxes printed and everything ready for market,
they are having a "Guess the Origin" contest. The prize is a year's
supply of chocolate which they define as 120 bars or $830 in
chocolate. That is pretty huge IMHO. (Sure a far cry from those "fill
out a survey for a chance at $50!" contests you see all over the
internet.)
For those of you who have blogs, Amano is having a second drawing for
_another_ "years supply" if you announce the Guess The Origin contest
on your blog. Amano lets you participate in both which is pretty
cool.
Here are the links:
Guess the Origin Contest:
http://www.amanochocolate.com/promos/guess-the-origin-contest.html
Blogger Contest:
http://www.amanochocolate.com/promos/guess-the-origin-contest-blogger.html
Unfortunately (or fortunately) Amano is only 50 miles from me and so I
already know what Amano's new top secret origin is and have tasted it
so I can't play but I can say it is tasty.
updated by @Matt Caputo: 03/11/26 06:20:34
a very simple or a very complicated question, please help.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I think what you need are some good lessons. Ecole Chocolat has some very very good online classes. Hate to be so blunt, but it will save you a lot of heartache.....
a very simple or a very complicated question, please help.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Selmi is a good machine, as are many. Good tempering is always the final result of a good chocolatier. With automatic machines like Selmi, it takes a lot of risk out of the equation, but you always need to make adjustments based on experience. A well tempered chocolate will have a long shelf life regardless of which machine or even if you do by hand. The quality of temper is not machine dependent as much as operator experience. Storage is most important also. Cool and dry and away from light and odor.Molds don't effect shelf life, however they do affect shine and presentation. Good polycarbonate for sure is better than vac formed plastics. Some new silicon molds are giving great results also, very good shine.Clean molds are critical, by clean I mean no moisture, fingerprints, residue from previously untempered production. Learn the best way to wash molds, warm water, not hot, and wipe dry. If washing, best to run solid pieces through the mold first time as to give the surface the un seen film of cacao butter which will help on the next round of molding with shine.I do suggest good molds, good tempering skills, and good tempering equipment, all worth the investment. Ad don't forget good chocolate to finsih it all off.
a very simple or a very complicated question, please help.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Ozgur,
Did you buy one of the Selmi tempering machines? Which one?
How do you like it?
Thanks,
Omar
a very simple or a very complicated question, please help.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Brian,I'm considering buying a Selmi, and I'd like to know more about the products Futura, Plus and Color and their prices.What's the differences of Selmi machines when you compare them with Nielsen or similar types of tempering systems that work with chocolate melting tanks. They are more advanced in the means of tempering but do you think that the result is the same?And a very important question. What's the minimum shelf life of a full solid dark chocolate bar tempered by a Selmi? (aside from the storage conditions)By the way is there an advantage or difference regarding tempering when you work with a small tank capacity?You can contact me at ozgur@daimaexclusive.comBest Regards,Ozgur
a very simple or a very complicated question, please help.
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Ozgur.I work with Tomric Systems of Buffalo NY and we are the US importer and distributor of Selmi equipment. And technical tempering discussion aside, when using the Selmi the temper is consistent and good and requires little experience to work the equipment. Two temperatures need to be put into the machine; a melting temperature and a working temperature and once those two are established, they rarely need adjustments if using the same chocolate. I work in in F and set my melt at 115F and working at 87.5 for dark and 115 and 86 for milk and white.Hope that helps!b