Forum Activity for @Brad Churchill

Temper more chocolate than you plan to use.  The temperature fluctuations will be less drastic and take much longer.

Chocolate is forgiving in that you can retemper it many times over, so you have nothing to lose by melting more than you need, and like I said, with a larger volume in your machine, the changes in temperature will take much longer to occur, thereby allowing you to work with it more.

Brad

Hi Antonella;

In my opinion and experience, cocoa powder is the bottom of the barrel in the industry, and I would never add it to chocolate that I make.

Yes, you are right that big manufacturers do add it to some of their products, but it's never a decision predicated on creating a quality product.  It's a decision driven by profit.

In the commercial candy bar industry, the margins on chocolate bars are very very slim.  Given that (aside from vanilla) cocoa butter is the most expensive ingredient in a chocolate, and cocoa beans are the second most expensive, it comes down to mathematics - minimizing the expensive ingredients, while maximizing the intensity and flavour.

The problem is that cocoa powder is very astringent and often muddy tasting, and if anything detracts from the flavour of the end product.  I have never seen a case where it contributes positively to the end flavour of a good quality chocolate.

That's my experience.

Brad

Table Top Temperer, 10kg

• 110v Power, water tempering
• Dimensions: 16” X 16” X 8”
• Food grade stainless steel
• Precise temperature control
• $495

 Melter_.png - 1.6MB

110V or 220V?

Hi.  I am interested in the molds.  I see you have many items for sale.  Do you have an updated PDF with all the items?   If so, could you please send to mark@obolochocolate.cl  I live in Chile but will be in the US in a couple of weeks and would provide you with an address to ship the items.  Thanks!

Hi there

Is your price in CAD or USD and where are you located? I am interested. Please feel to email me a photo and other details at christy _ farion @ hotmail.com (remove spaces). 

Thanks! 

Christy

I've made my own praline paste and I've used canned.  Honestly, the canned tastes more like what people expect from hazelnut, and the consistency is better, but I keep making mine from scratch.  Usually, when it's from a can, it's just roasted nuts and sugar that hasn't been caramelized.

These are some of the best, easiest moulds to work with. All are in excellent condition.

Each mould comes with 4-cavities

New these cost $200 each

$75 each  (8 available)

Please CLICK HERE to contact me

 TurkeyMolds_WordsBest_Magnet3.jpg - 472KB

Cocoa Pod Mould
For solid pieces or filled chocolates

These are in perfect condition

24 cavities per mould
5 available... $15 each

 CocoaPod_1.jpg - 1MB

I sent you an email...

@donna-slepicka

Interested in the bar molds(6) if still available. Shipping to Chicago area?

riverforestchocolates@gmail.com

Hi,

I've got a 12kg professional chocolate melter using bain-marie and I'm struggling to make a correct use of it. 

What I do now is tempering my chocolate using the bain marie method (but not my melter), then put it in the melter in order to maintain it's temperature, and start working.

But I'm pretty sure I could use it more appropriately. Here are a few questions :

1. I'm usually tempering and working with small batches of chocolates (around 2kg). So as making bars is very quick once the chocolate is tempered, I end up with the temperature of the melter being very quickly too high for the quantity of choc I have in. So the choc grows too high in temp and out of temper. How can I fix that ?

2. Do you use that kind of machine to temper your chocolate ? If yes, how ?

3. If you have to temper outside the machine, how do you manage to get your 12kg in the machine ? I meaning do you temper 6 batches of 2kg that you pour in ? I don't think so...

It seems silly but I can't seem to figure out how to use this machine in the most effective way possible. Your help is very welcome.

Thanks !

Dominique

Hello everyone,

I'm Dominique from France. I've been making raw chocolate for 3 years now at a home and amateur scale, and now I want to start my own business. I've trained first in pastry making about...20 years ago, which included chocolate making, and I'm back to chocolate after a lot of journeying through life :-D !

I'm glad to follow my passion and to make it healthy with raw chocolate. What I like is to use cristalled flowers, essential oils and all that kind of things to create my chocolates.

I hope to be nourrished by this community of chocolate lovers !

Dominique

Thank you for your response.  Are you firm on that price?  Shipping is always a consideration.  Are you in the US?

Here are the dimensions: 

2-7/8” wide X 6-1/4” long X 3/8” thick

If you have any further questions, you can email me HERE

Can you tell me the dimensions of the molded bar?

i may be interested in the 12 if the size works with my existing packaging.

thanks

I sent you another question...I'm ready to purchase some of them, pending your response.

Thank you for your information Josh! Will check it out. 

Bar Mold, 113g

3 bars per mold
Quantities available:

12 clear polycarbonate version... $12/each
10 heavy-grade poly version… $12/each

Molds are in excellent condition

 100g Bar Mold_Hero Chocolate.jpg - 20KB

Tasting Bar Mold, 5g

21 cavities per mold
3 available... $15 each

 TastingBar 5g Mini-Bar.jpg - 48KB

John Nanci - Chocolate Alchemy 

Uncommon Cacao 

These are 2 sources we have had success with.
Josh

I am currently sourcing cacao beans for start exploring making chocolate from beans. We are located in Hong Kong and would anyone know any good sources for beginners? Thanks!

Hello, are either of these 2 still available? 

Info@tasteofplacechocolate.com

Thanks,

Josh

Hi, can you email me HERE  ?

How much for the agitator?

Hi Clay, 

San Francisco.

Wendy - I am sorry there are not. Where are you located? I may be able to do something.

No and No, sorry!

Prima still for sale?  Do you have the enrobing belt?

Hi Clay,

Are there any special deals going on the FBM Prima?

I'm looking for scientific methods or lab processes to indicate flavor profile that are available to planters and farmers.

Planting for yield and resistance is the practice up till recently and needs to change for the sake of fine flavor chocolate. 

I would like to start this thread for any resources that would empower planting decisions. Taste profiling or organoleptic tests with dried beans is widely practised but I would like to know if there are other approaches.

This would greatly help me make propagation decisions. Much appreciated!

Hi Paul, did you find an answer to your question? I am interested in your discovery if it makes a difference or not, intuitively I would say the rollers need to be resurfaced to introduce some gripping texture but let me know what is the case for you. Appreciate it.

sent my information on my mail 

Savage Brothers 20… includes:

• Candy Stove
• Portage Agitator
• Copper Kettle
• Kettle Dolly
• Digital Thermometer
• Two Wooden Paddles

All components are in excellent condition. Would like to sell as a complete set, but will consider separating. Natural gas or propane. Agitator uses standard voltage: 120V/60 HZ

 SavageBros_FireMixer_3.jpg - 589KB

Still have some beans for sale!

Still have a few items for sale!

That was very helpful and well done. Thank you. 

Brian

The citrus pectin is the same as the yellow pectin

hi... We have never had anything crated, so unfortunately, I donot have a recommendation.  But I would thiink the shipping company would be able to suggest a company to do the crating.

Good luck!!!

Thanks Ruth and Paul.  Much appreciated.  I did try Grewelings recipe but didn't have any success with it.  I'll try Chef Rubber's pectin.  Paul, you mentioned that Chef Rubber's is Yellow Pectin.  I have a recipe that calls for "yellow pectin".  The citrus pectin that you referred to, is that considered "yellow pectin"?  Thanks again, John

I second Chef Rubber. Try the yellow pectin.  The Pate de Fruit pectin comes from citrus, rather then apple. It has a different texture. Firmer with a nicer tooth.

I'd be happy to arrange shipping, but the shipping company doesn't crate. If you can't do that, can you suggest someone in your area that could?