Forum Activity for @Steven Shipler

Wow! Thank you so much. That is a really solid find.

Fixing now!

Nice photos and a good explanation of your chocolate making process.

You have very pretty and enticing packaging. Good choice!

A small correction-- typo- on the Grinding/ Conching page ( http://www.stonegrindz.com/# !grinding/c1l7b) "loscious" should be luscious"

Your website is very nice. I especially love your candy bar wrappers. They are too nice to open.

I see no flaws. I like the site very much. Kinda jumps at you, and gets to the point: 'We are real good at what we do'!

Congratulations !!!

Looks great! Love the rolling hi-res pictures. You should consider accepting bitcoin as payment. Bitcoin payments can be done a processor like Bitpay ( https://bitpay.com ). You actually never touch the digital currency, the processor deposits next day in your local currency. A lot cheaper that Paypal or any other CC processor and no chargebacks. You just insert your business to a new and flourishing economy, with, quite possibly, zero risk.

Check it all out now!! I figured out how to just do edits on the mobile page specifically!!

Yeah the $7 symbols I created in photoshop and they look really nice on the computer but when it is on the phone it puts them at the bottom, I used them to cover the small $7.00 that the site automatically puts for the price of the item. Thank you for pointing that out, I will have to check that out and figure out if there is a way to separate the two so it doesn't do that.

And I will narrow the box that has the reviews of our chocolate in it! Thank you so much for being so detailed I seriously appreciate it.

Just uploaded my new website! I wanted to get some feedback on what you all think of it!

The url is www.stonegrindz.com

We have been working really hard on updating this, so be critical.

Thank you so much!!

Okay,

Thanks Omar!

As a beginner you would want to start using premade chocolate.Simply because your chocolate consumption in the beginning (assuming you will be opening a chocolate shop) will not be as high.

To make chocolate with raw materials you will need a machine to cook your recipe, which involves high cost in buying, maintaining the machine, energy bill etc...

Thanks Omar,

My question was about making chocolate from premade chocolate vs creating from raw materials, sorry I wasn't clear.

What do most of the chocolatiers use? What is considered "better"? Making chocolate from raw materials like cocoa liquor + butter + sugar... etc, or using premade chocolate likeValrhona, Callebaut, etc? I am not sure what should I choose as abeginner chocolatier.

I would taste and decide based on that.they all have a wide range of products.It all depends on your customers, what they like and how much they are willing to pay. We cannot really generalize and say callebaut is better than Belcolade for example, the dark chocolate might be better at Belcolade where milk might be better at Callebaut. It is also important to make sure the brand you choose is available in your area.Check with suppliers and compare prices. Good luck!

Thanks Omar,

I am still not sure what should I use. What most of the people who make pralines and chocolate bars use? What is considered "better"?

Hi there,

There are chocolate makers and chocolate "fondeurs" Chocolate makers produce their own chocolate recipe.it can either be from bean to bar or by mixing raw ingredients (cocoa mass,butter,sugar etc..) while "fondeurs" buy the chocolate from the list you mentioned, melt it and work their magic.

Hi,

I am starting to learn the art of making chocolate.
I have a basic question - do chocolatiers worldwide make their chocolates from cocoa butter + cocoa mass + vanilla, or they use premade chocolate like Valrhona, Callebaut, etc?

Thanks

Or M

I would consider enrobing with chocolate twice. first time before cutting and second after. The chocolate creates a thin layer making it easier to cut. Otherwise, your marshmallow recipe might need to be firmer.(more gelatin perhaps)

We picked up a Chicago Metallic Marshmallow Cutting Wheel and it is fantastic. a light spray with oil/butter and away you go.

$10 well spent.

The blade is plastic and perforated.

http://www.amazon.com/Metallic-Marshmallow-Collection-Perforated-Non-Stick/dp/B00FVFQ46S

My friend also used a pizza wheel - but she was very picky about which ones she purchased - some worked well depending on the blade/handle configuration, others more poorly.

We use pizza wheels and knives to cut ours. Coat them (the marshmallows) liberally in cornstarch or as an alternative powdered sugar and you shouldn't have a problem.

A friend who used to have a marshmallow business used drywall taping knives to cut hers.

I did take my guitar there one weekend they were producing and she found it useful to cut them.

When we are in production mode and are running low on chocolate (in our large tempering machine) we sometimes use a large container/bucket to melt about 5-7kg in a microwave. If you want to keep running without restarting the tempering process then just microwave out the chocolate to about the same temperature as the tempering machine runs at- for us its around 29-30c. We then add it in to the machine and retest to make sure its still crystallised (tempered).The stuff from the microwave will quickly crystallise with the rest of the chocolate in the machine.

If you start doing this before you run out of chocolate then you can re-fill seamlessly without losing much time.

It really helps when you are burning through your chocolate- like before easter! I would much rather have a melter/hot box, but that's just more money to spend!

How big is your tempering machine? -Which Model is it?If it issimilar to a Revolation Delta then adding a melter will really increase your capacity (as would a Holey Baffle)

If it is a larger machine, i.e. hilliards 80 lb/dayor a continuous tempering machine i.e. FBM Prima (7kg working bowl) or a FBM Chocolab (12 kg bowl) , I don't know if it would make much difference at your current level.

Have you checked out the DIY tab of this site? Clay referenced an inexpensive melter which can be built to expand your production. It may be well worth it to go ahead and build one nowfor the flexibility you'll need at peak seasons.

Melters can be used to increase the throughput of most tempering machines, so having a supply of melted chocolate on hand is a good thing, especially if the capacity of the tempering machine is less than the amount of chocolate you are using in a day.

You don't need to spend thousands on a melter. Just yesterday I say a home sous-vide machine that can be used to precisely control a water bath to within .1F. If you put a plexiglass cover over the top of the water bath with holes cut out for the chocolate, you can easily create an inexpensive melter. Temperature control might even be precise enough to melt the chocolate without taking it out of temper.

Maybe.

However, it could be used to temper chocolate using the seed method and replace a Mol d'Art costing $1000 or more.

Thank you Larry...we are molding. And we make about 30lb a day. Thanks!

Do you need both a chocolate melter machine and a temper machine? Or does the temper machine do the melting as well?

On it's own - no. It has the potential to, but only if your formulation is appropriate, and just as importantly, if you're materials handling procedures are appropriate. it's meant to minimize the amount of ambient air (and subsequently, ambient microbes) that encounter your product. You'll never eliminate them - that's impossible- but if your water activity is low, and you are careful not to re-introduce lots of ambient organisms post vacuum mixing, then the potential is there.

I'd say there are far more effective ways of helping increase shelf life - most notably via formulation.

Hi,

I am finalising my list of equipment for my new chocolate shop, and am looking at investing in a robot coupe with a vacuum attachment. I would be interested to know if anyone has any experience working with it and if it does in fact, increase the shelf life of cream filled bonbons?

Anjali

Good morning Filip,

Well, I can tell you from experience that finding a good grindeur/melanger in Europe is going to set you back a good amount of money because of the very incredibly little availability there isand the shocking monopoly that exists on this type of machinery. My advice is to check online for "wet grinders", normally built in India, and find one with a European warranty. Here are some links you might find helpfull: http://www.duffyschocolate.co.uk/shop/chocolate-making-machines/cocoa-town-ecgc-12sl-melanger , http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Wonder-Table-Grinder-110v/dp/B004OPIBV2 , http://alimentation-machines-equipements.europages.fr/entreprises/Cacao%20et%20chocolat%20-%20machines%20et%20mat%C3%A9riel.HTML .

Kind regards

Hi everyone,

I'm looking forGrindeurs/Melangers with maximum capacity 4kg. Do you know about any brands or any shops in Europe?

Thank you for answers.

Filip

Hello,

We are starting a project of bean to bar processing on farm in Costa Rica and currently looking for used equipment.

Any advice one where we might be able to find some used equipment (commercial)?

Thanks!

I recently purchased 50 lbs each of Van Leer Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet Chocolate plus a case of Callebaut Cara Crakine Caramel. The Cara Crakine has been unopened and I used about 5 lbs of the milk and semisweet chocolate. It turns out that I do not need what I ordered. Any suggestions for selling what I do not need? As it was a special order, the distributor will not take back the unopened Cara Crakine.

Hi All,

I am wondering if someone would be willing to share tips on roasting beans in a convection oven? Mostly wondering about a baseline temperature to start with, and do you start high for a period then lower or stick with one temperature throughout? I know there will be different profiles for different beans, but would love to know a good place to start and how to know when you've got it right.

I truly appreciate your help and expertise!

Nichole

Thank you for you help, will do:)

You could contact Dandelion Chocolate at info@dandelionchocolate.com

They were there pretty recently for a sourcing trip so may have suggestions for you.

Talofa, Hi, I was wondering if any of you wonderful chocolate gurus know where I can take my husband and 4 young children (who really want to see a 'chocolate tree'!) on a cocoa plantation tour on the island of Upolu, Samoa. I have been reading how Samoa used to grow the best cocoa beans in the world, yet I cant find any information at samoan tourism sites etc. Would greatly appreciate any knowledge on this, and we happy to pay for a tour. Thanks for any help in this matter,

Yours Kindly,

Anneke White

You haven't let enough crystals propagate at the time you started pouring. This is why the bars later on turn out ok.

Oh.... and STIR STIR STIR, then when you think you've stirred enough, STIR STIR STIR, some more.

Cheers.