Forum Activity for @David Senk

I've been using the DD (it's my set-up in the video that Kane posted the link to) for the last year or so and am very happy with the results. I found it works best if you extend the cone by about 6" (I just taped a cardboard funnel I made to the bottom of the DD lid), you need to either cut a hole in the lid or, as I did, just put a spacer between the lid and the nib bucket, to allow for sufficient airflow up the DD, and you need to add a bucket between the DD and the vacuum to receive the husks and keep them from going into the vacuum. I get almost zero husks falling into the nibs, but I do suck some of the nibs up with the husks -- I run three passes with the husks and capture somewhere between 85 and 90% of the theoretical total (assuming about 88% nibs by weight in a typical bean). The whole set-up cost me about $100.

My next steps with it are to add a valve to adjust the inlet airflow, and to add an automatic feeder -- I found an attachment for my KitchenAid mixer that I think will do the job with a couple of minor adjustments -- I'm going to give that its first go this coming week.

I had forgotten all about that video.Thanks for posting it!

So it looks like the DD can be made to winnow by allowing airflow up through the bottom of the cyclone and adjusting the vacuum pressure. In the video, he had to run the cracked beans through the winnower three times, but hopefully it could be tuned to work in one pass.

Check out this video from another Chocolate Life member:

CSV -- Winnowing Cocoa Beans with the Dust Deputy.wmv

[ Moderator: I added the video here on TheChocolateLife. ]

This is the first winnower I ever built. There is a blog post and photos about it here on TheChocolateLife.

Based on all my experience using this PVC pipe device (with the pre-classifier method that Ben and I discuss elsewhere in this thread), I firmly believe that the zig-zag winnower is an overall better technique. In part because the process of air mixing, turbulence, and separation is visible.

This makes tuning a whole lot easier to understand.

Plus, I learned that whenever I am using a vacuum (e.g., a shop vac) some sort of vortex dust collector is a requirement to keep the vacuum from getting clogged.

Classifying is a great technique, and it can be used both pre- and post-winnowing. Getting all of the pieces into more or less the same size/mass for a pass makes the overall yields much higher (and, interestingly, the overall process faster).

I use a large mesh (1/4") to sieve the output of the cracker.

I then use a smaller mesh (1/10") to sieve out most of the fines.

Whole beans that don't go through the 1/4" mesh can be run though the cracker again. Pieces (usually long and skinny with shell attached) can be pushed through the mesh by hand.

The fraction that falls through the 1/10" mesh can be further separated to eliminate the small dust which is basically not usable. I collect the larger-sized fraction from several winnowing batches and winnow it all at once when I get a decent amount.

The medium-sized fraction (that passes through the 1/4" mesh but not through the 1/10" mesh) winnows very cleanly once the airflow is tuned properly.

Some beans crack & winnow better than others. For the others, I use this 1/4" gold sifting pan:

http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Sifting-Bottom-5gal-Bucket/dp/B008B0T5Z2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379979039&sr=8-1&keywords=gold+sifter+1%2F4%22

I put it on the bucket that the winnower feeds into to catch too-big pieces. It works great.

Hello.

I have been using the Champion for cracking but I am not so pleased. The major issue is the husk pieces can be quite large which then fall into the nibs. If I increase the vacuum then too many nibs are lost. I am considering adding a coarse screen to the exit of the Champion to catch the large pieces and then re-process those large pieces.

I have another bag of beans arriving this week so I will try this and report back.

Paul Picton

Ben -

The purpose of this group - DIY - is to encourage all sorts of experimentation on small equipment for the craft chocolate workshop. If you think you can rustle up something built from multiple dust deputies then you have a solution that other people will want to at least look at. So posting drawings (don't need to be plans), as well as photos and videos is always encouraged.

This above is an image from the Oneida web site showing two dust deputies plumbed in series. If you had valves to tune the air flow in the right places (as you start to outline above) then I think this is eminently do-able.

I encourage you to start a separate discussion to present your experimentation and link to it from this discussion.

One of the things that I'd like to see is working to create a large feed hopper for whatever winnower solution is adopted. That feed hopper could sit above the cracker and/or above the winnower.

One vessel I have been looking at for the feeder is 5 gallon water bottles. I'd cut the bottom off (and invert for use) as well as play with cutting the neck to widen the feed opening. 5 gallons is about 15-20kg of beans (whole / cracked). Water bottles are also cheap and, importantly, food safe. The other reason to go with a 5 gallon water bottle is that the dust deputies sit on 5 gallon buckets, so everything is sized appropriately.

Thanks Clay. Very interesting information. I currently use a dust deputy to collect the shells in a bucket between my winnower and shop vac.

From your comment, it sounds like the main problems with the vortex design are similar to most winnowers, specifically how to handle differently sized nibs & shell efficiently. It doesn't sound like the actual vortex separation aspect is the problem--the problem actually being one of feeding a consistent size to the winnower.*

If that's the case, it should be possible to modify a dust deputy to achieve a different separation than it currently achieves. My first thoughts on how to do this would be

• modify the length or width of the center tube in the DD
• add a valve to the bucket lid where the DD is mounted to allow a little airflow up through the DD from the bottom. It looks like the BC winnower does this.
• add a valve between the winnowing DD and the shell collection DD (which would be an unmodified DD) to allow for adjusting the strength of the vacuum on the winnowing DD. This would not be inline, but at a T to the main line to reduce the airflow being drawn from the winnowing DD.

The two valves would be somewhat similar in function to the Chocolate Alchemist design that I use.

I'm definitely interested in messing around with this. I have an absurdly small 'factory', so space is always at a premium. A winnower that could fit under a table would be incredibly useful for me.

-Ben

*I use a Champion juicer for cracking and have been pretty happy with the size consistency of the nibs that it produces. But the problem could also be solved as you say with post-cracking classification by size.

The dust deputy is not built for winnowing, it's a filter that collects dust and small particles that would otherwise get sucked into a shop vac and clog the fan, lowering the suction of the fan.

From personal experience I can tell you that the Brooklyn Cacao Vortex winnower does not work as advertised.

One reason is that the built-in cracker over-cracks the beans resulting in lots of size differentiation. This results in very inefficient winnowing unless you use the cracker as a cracker and then pre-classify and separately put the different fractions through the machine, altering the vacuum setting for each run.

At $35,000 this is obviously not an ideal situation - you want something that is basically fill it and forget it.

Now - the BC winnower is a two-stage device. You could theoretically add extra stages and handle the classification that way but that increases the complexity of engineering (the need to control the vacuum and votex precisely in each stage) and the cost.

It's a fun idea, hugely expensive for what it delivers, in part because of the cost of parts (lots of custom-blown glass).

FWIW - pre-classifying works extremely well and when it's used on conjunction with a zig-zag design, ( http://www.thechocolatelife.com/video/diy-seedcleaner )throughput and efficiency are very good.

Thanks!

After posting yesterday, I started thinking that it wouldn't be too hard to test different lengths and/or widths of tube by cutting out the existing tube and replacing it with PVC.

You should post what you've done so far in the new DIY forum: http://www.thechocolatelife.com/group/diy

Here is the picture of my winnower that Clement is referring to:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=436345333073116&set=pb.124491320925187.-2207520000.1379333424.&type=3&theater

The Dust Deputy just collects the winnowed husk, though. It doesn't do any actual winnowing. Its intended use is as a dust collector, so it is designed to capture as much as possible in the bucket. It would need to be modified somehow to suck the lighter husks out of the vortex while letting the heavier nib drop.

A while ago (after seeing the Brookly Cacao winnower: http://brooklyncacao.com/machines/vortexWinnower.html ), I was thinking about trying this, but never got around to it.

Take a look at Ptomac chocolate. A nice picture is on the timeline.

updated by @Clement Olando Bobb: 11/22/15 19:33:41

3 tier chocolate mould required

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hi, I am looking for a 3 tier chocolate mould in the UK. I have found many which you join the two halves together to make on whole cake. I am looking for a polycarbonate mould which would allow me to make it seamlessly in one piece without having to join the two halves together. If anybody knows where I can get one from please let me know.

updated by @Azra Chocolates: 04/07/25 13:00:14

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Wow. Talk about a treasure trove of gianduiotto information. Fascinating. I'm getting some TGL and giving it a shot.

*here goes nothing*

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thank you so much, Scott! I am on my way over to do some reading right now.

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Andrea,

That is so good of you to go to the trouble to see my reply--or glimpses of it rather! Thank you! (I am not sure why my reply disappeared but to type this I'm trying a new computer at least!)

That is very helpful info about Wybauw's recipe, and it would be wonderful to have something cleaner. I'm amazed and encouraged about the shelf life.

And yes, the chocolate is listed as having anhydrous milk fat (the peanut butter has peanuts, sugar, palm kernel oil, lactose, salt, and soy lecithin).

Thank you so much for this!! It is so appreciated.

Amber

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

What you're seeing is fat migration. (For a brief explanation with photo, see Note 13 in this item on gianduia: http://dallasfood.org/2011/08/gianduia-gianduja-nutella-part-29/ .) The chocolate around your store-bought peanut butter cup is engineered to better withstand and/or conceal the movement of oil. The block of chocolate you're putting it on is not.

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Amber,

Your reply pops up and then quickly disappears. I've tried on 2 computers to read it. As best as I can tell there arequite a fewingredients in your purchased peanut butter cups (all natural yes, but I think it could still be "cleaner").

Depending on what exactly you are trying to accomplish with your finished product you could probably do a variation of Wybauw's recipe that calls for cocoa butter and confectioner's sugar in addition to a bit of salt and the peanut butter. I do a filled bonbon using this formulation (using all-natural peanut butter with nothing extra added). I had some sit basically all summer (no AC and lots of 90 degree days where it probably reached 80 inside) and I didn't see any fat migration/bloom until after probably 3 months - long after when it should/could be sold.

Not sure about the milk fat. Did I see it say anhydrous before it disappeared on me? If so then it probably serves as a preservative. It could also contribute to mouth feel - it might make it more creamy.

Hope this helps,

Andrea

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

What else is in your peanut butter? You are correct that this should not be happening. As I'm sure you are aware there is a lot of oil in peanut butter so the bloom you are seeing is probably a result of the fat.. You should be able to resolve this issue and still be all natural. Chances are that the ones you sourced have something in them that helps prevent this.Andrea

bloom from a peanut butter cup?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi everyone. I'm working on a new product that has a peanut butter cup sitting on top of a block of solid chocolate. I was surprised to find that, after making a few batches, the block of chocolate bloomed after just a week or two, sort of dusty-looking bloom right around where the peanut butter cup sits. I'm sourcing all-natural peanut butter cups from one of our product providers and am just trying to understand why the chocolate in their peanut butter cups doesn't bloom, but our block of chocolate beneath the cup does. I would love and appreciate any tips or hints! Thank you!!

updated by @Amber Fawson: 04/11/25 09:27:36

How to achieve more vivid colors on molded chocolates?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

https://www.google.com/search?q=colored+cocoa+butter&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox

chef rubber pops up first, I ve used it before, its fine, but they pretty much all are the same.

How to achieve more vivid colors on molded chocolates?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks, do you recomend a specific brand or a website to buy.?

How to achieve more vivid colors on molded chocolates?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

You want to be using colored cocoa butter and either be mixing it with white chocolate or airbrushing it.

How to achieve more vivid colors on molded chocolates?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Greetings im a beginer confectioner im having problems achieving bright colors in my chocolates, usually i use white chocolate with color but i want o do more elaborate and brightful colors. Please help me!!
updated by @Paul Curran: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Cocoa Beans Retail & Wholesale

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Please visit our website for the full list of cocoa beans and products available from our location in Miami:

www.casafranceschi.com

updated by @Tatiana Larionova: 04/10/15 10:11:42

FireMixer or Copper Kettle?

Posted in: Opinion

Thanks Brad!

FireMixer or Copper Kettle?

Posted in: Opinion

George;

Last year I bought the Savage tabletop Firemixer from a woman who closed down her fudge/peanut brittle business.

I have been generally very happy with it. We also use it to heat milk to make the our drinking chocolate base, and the agitator keeps the milk from scalding on the bottom. That alone saves a tremendous amount of time, freeing up staff who before, had to sit there and manually stir the milk while it warmed up on our burners. That ability alone has probably already saved us 1/3 the cost of the machine.

I also have two Savage 50lb tempering machines that have run 24/7 for 5 years now, without issue.

Their equipment is expensive but well worth it if you are needing something to handle daily use.

I have never used the Electrostove, but looking at the photos, I am guessing that the element would generate more heat than what is created by the Tabletop mixer, and that thebowl will hold more product. I also notice that the electrostove may not come with a stirring motor. Be prepared to pay a hefty price for their accessories!

Brad

FireMixer or Copper Kettle?

Posted in: Opinion

I'm hoping to get some advice on what equipment I should get to increase my caramel production.

I'm leaning toward the tabletop Savage FireMixer or the ElectroStove candy kettle.

Any thoughts? Better suggestions?

updated by @George Trejo: 04/13/15 20:02:53

Chocolate Tempering Machine for under 1000$

Posted in: News & New Products Press

I think the only machine that approaches your requirements and price is the ACMC tempering machine which is about $800 and can do 6 lbs/3 kg. You may be better off with one of the Chocovisions (x3210 or delta) though. They're more expensive, but can do 10 lbs with the standard baffle and 17 lbs with the holey baffle. Also, there have been several comments on this forum and on Chocolate Alchemy about problems with the ACMC.

Chocolate Tempering Machine for under 1000$

Posted in: News & New Products Press

Hello Guys

First of all I must say that my experience when it comes to chocolate making is tiny.
So maybe I am asking for the wrong thing anyways if I do correct me,.

I plan to make chocolate for now in the simplest way, the chocolate couverture way.

I intend to buy couverture chocolate, melt them and mold again with different fillings.

Where I come from (Egypt) a lot of people can monetize on that, the sooner that I have enough experience and enough money I'll turn to bean to bar chocolate making.

So from what I know the important thing (or rather the only thing) when making chocolate out of couverture is melting-tempering process.

For that I need a tempering machine, under 1000 USD with capacity of at least 3-5 kg and please mention if you know how long does it take to melt-temper the chocolate

Cheers

Assem

updated by @Assem A. Hendawi: 03/11/26 06:20:34

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Dear Andy,

How do you cool the chocolate? In a fridge? Perhaps some additional airflow could make a difference? The centre is also where the last heat is concentrated and a active airflow could be of help to reduce quicker the temp of the core of the chocolate?

Best and success

Rodney Nikkels

Amsterdam

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I use thermoformed molds for my bars and usually get these marks, too. But, I have had times where the marks were either very small or nonexistent. I haven't been able to figure out the exact process to minimize or eliminate the marks, but it seems to be a combination of well (perfectly?) tempered chocolate, warmed molds and good cooling.

I'd be interested to see if Larry's idea of reducing the molds' ability to flex would help, too.

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Since the epoxy would be on the back of the mold--not touching the chocolate--would it actually need to be food-safe epoxy? That being said, I believe there are lots of inexpensive epoxies/glues that are food safe after curing--J-B Weld and Gorilla Glue both are, for example.

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Interesting thoughts... Yep, these are thermoform. Picked up 10 for a project. We've got other thermoform moulds though that are large--not this square--one is a 4"x1.25" and we don't see it happen there.

You can definitely see it begin as the chocolate cools and naturally pulls back the last held contact point is that circle/sphere.

Now that the project is past I'll try your suggestion clay about temperature as they were definitely not warm but at room temp (69-70'). In a production run if we were airbrushing I don't think we could keep them warm since the cocoa butter would not be setting-- but for a test its definitely viable.

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The one I have an issue with is a polycarbonate mold, so not sure if your idea would work or not. Probably worth a shot with the more flexible mold when you feel like spending the money . Clay's suggestions are definitely a cheaper way to go. I've tried using my mold in various conditions and have gotten the same result. Luckily I didn't buy loads of this mold and don't feel bad setting it aside for ones I don't have an issue with.

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have a theory on this but haven't ponied up the money to try & fix it.

My theory is that as the chocolate is cooling and retracting, the flexibility of the mold is flexingto thematch the chocolateinstead of holding rigid and releasing properly.This would explain why theproblem is greater in the center of the molded chocolate. - That is the most flexible part of the mold.

I ordered somebusiness card molds and had thesame problem.

My idea to fix this is to get some food grade epoxy or other acceptable rigid material and apply it to the back of the thermoform mold. However food grade epoxy is not cheap and I'm not ready to drop the funds on that experiment. I wish they made business card molds from polycarbonate! They would be worth every penny.

The reinforcing options I've looked at include:

Food Grade Epoxy - i.e. http://www.masterbond.com/certifications/food-grade

Silicone to be molded - i.e. http://www.makeyourownmolds.com/

gluing an aluminum or stainless steel bar to the back of the mold. i.e. run it across the center of the square. This would hopefully reduce the flex of the center.

What other materials can you think of?

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Andy -

These look like thermoform molds. Right?

One possible culprit is that the molds are the wrong temperature, likely too cold, and things are cooling down (too) unevenly.

Try warming the molds (to within a couple of degrees of the chocolate - experiment; a couple of degrees either may make a difference) and make sure the room is not too cold. Also check your airflow. If there is none, try blowing some air past the molds to remove the heat more evenly and efficiently.

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have a square mold that is smaller and deeper than this one but has a smooth top and I run into the same issue. Unfortunately, I don't have a good solution for you since I've never figured out a way to stop it. For a while I thought maybe it had to do with the ambient air temp, humidity, and cooling time of the chocolate. I also polish my molds before each use but the marks keep coming back. I find that molds with a large flat surface on what is the top of the chocolate usually have this issue and I've opted to avoid these types of molds.Maybe someone else has a great solution to fix this problem, but you are not alone and I don't think it is any kind of defect in the mold and I highly doubt it has anything to do with the temper of your chocolate or cooling times. Sorry I don't have anything better to offer.Andrea

Mold Release / Ring Formation Issue in Mold

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

We have a new square mold we've been working with and it's causing me some grief. Upon release there is a round mark within the chocolate. See the pictures.

This round/spherical look doesn't start showing until near the release stage of the mold. We checked it at 5m intervals and it's as if the chocolate's retraction from the mold is creating this look.

When colored and detailed you can't see it unless you're looking for it. But on a plain piece of chocolate it shines through pretty well.

You can see it even leaves the ring within the mold. We polish it out and it comes back the next time. Nothing we did seemed to help obviate it.

We did 500 units of these and about 85% of them showed this type of mal-detailing.

Anyone seen this before?

updated by @Andy Ciordia: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Weird Chocolate flavors

Posted in: Tasting Notes

How is the flavor of this chocolate "weird," David? I don't see how the post text matches the headline.