I would look into a large syringe over a funnel. There's a link in a couple threads either here on the Chocolate Life or on Chocolate Alchemy. You can be very precise with them and they're not messy. Larger inclusions would be a problem, though.
So far I have provided at most a few hundred pieces at a time, all boxed thus far. I am interested in your mention of "open-stock." In those situations what was done to keep heat and humidity from the chocolates? Since I wrote my initial message, I have spoken with the baker, whose shop will open in a month or so. He is planning to have a small retail area with local products, so as long as he has a cooler, that is perfect for me--it means just putting one box out for display. The restaurant is another matter.
So I am wanting .01 of a gram accuracy, and the bar is 28 g. And I currently use a different mold (polycarbonate) and because it is rigid, and the shape of the bar narrower, I don't have as much deviation in the weight of each bar. I fill them by hand either with a scoop, or the spout on my Perfect Air temperer. And then I scrap off excess. It is very messy and if I could afford a fancy tempering machine with the depositor that would probably eliminate alot of trouble. In the meantime, we are currently looking at buying a scale that reads to .01g and then purchasing a funnel to deposit the chocolate, but I am concerned about how time consuming that process will be. Also we are trying to get a funnel that can handle inclusions.
What do other folks use who don't have the fancy machines to do it for them?
I've been through this a bunch of times with different resellers, including retail, restaurants and cafes/bakeries. Some pre-boxed and some as open-stock. Each situation posed unique challenges and it wasn't always possible to achieve long-term financial success with some locations.
How much stock do you provide on consignment?
Could I ask how you are filling them now?
Hi Brian,
The 50 lbs. of the Brazilian Trinatario are from the 2015 harvest and are $170. Give me a few days to get you a good quote on shipping.
Thanks,
Ali
I'll send you my UPS number. PM me with a phone number.
Brian
I don't have the answer, but whoever does is going to want to know what accuracy you are seeing and what your target is (i.e., +/- x grams for each case).
I have sold boxes of chocolates on a consignment basis with some success. I seal each box in plastic (not vacuumed), and the seller stores them in a cooler. I include directions to bring the box to room temp before opening the plastic, and this procedure controls condensation. I include an extra open box (covered in plastic wrap) for display so that buyers can see what they will get. I like the consignment arrangement because it gives me control over freshness--there is no incentive for the vendor to keep the chocolates beyond their estimated shelf life. It does end up costing me, but to me that is less important than my reputation, and certainly less important than health concerns for the eventual consumer.
Now I have two new reseller possibilities, a bakery and a restaurant, which present somewhat different issues. The bakery might agree to sell plastic-wrapped boxes as I have been doing (though I imagine their customers may want to buy individual pieces as in a chocolate shop), but the restaurant would want the chocolates available as customers order them from the dessert menu, not with an hour-long delay for the bag to come to room temp before it is opened. In neither case would I expect a humidity-controlled storage cabinet. I've seen what happens to chocolate exposed to humidity, and it is not a pretty picture.
If anyone has experience with the issues I mention, I would appreciative having your thoughts.
Hello everyone,
I am looking for a gently used melanger, small or medium, in Northern California.
Thank you,
Cristina
hi there, I am trying to determine the most efficient and effective way to fill molds with an exact amount of chocolate. I recently weighed many of my bars that are coming out of custom made plastic molds (not as rigid as poly-carbonate), and they all come out at different weights. If there is a particular way to use funnels and scales? I am looking for details....ie. what type of scale in order to get precise and also be able to hold the weight of the entire mold (4- 1oz cavities)?
What type of funnel and where would I find it? What type of machine? if there is one that doesn't cost the moon. I really have no idea if there is a small scale depositor that would be in my reach financially, but if so please recommend.
Thanks
Beth
hi there, So I use coconut sugar for my chocolates and I suggest two things; use some sort of desiccant to get all moisture out of the sugar. ALso don't add too much sugar at once.
Hi Brian,
The 50 lbs. of the Brazilian Trinatario are from the 2015 harvest and are $170. Give me a few days to get you a good quote on shipping.
Thanks,
Ali
Price and age on the Trinatario please as well as shipping cost to 78231.
Thanks
Brian
Hello!
The following are for sale:
For sale: Brazil Trinitario Organic Cacao Beans from Cacao Bahia farm, 50 lbs., raw
For sale: Peru Chuncho Organic Cacao Beans, 2016-2017, 18 lbs., raw
For sale: Fiji Cacao Beans, 6 lbs., raw
For sale: Various Cacao Beans, 18 lbs., raw
For sale: Granulated Maple Syrup (a.k.a., maple sugar), 32 lbs.
They are all located in SE Connecticut. Contact me for additional information and pricing. Thanks!
Can't seem to access the links you posted.. Getting 404 ERROR - PAGE NOT FOUND
Hello All! I used these boxes for many years before acquiring custom packaging.
Nashville Wraps Jewelry/Candy Boxes: 2-piece rigid setup boxes. Recycled paper is approximately 80% including coverings
http://www.nashvillewraps.com/jewelry-boxes/wholesale-jewelry-boxes/c-011499.html
SIZE COLOR QUANITY
3.5 x 3.5 x 7/8 red 100 boxes
3.5 x 3.5 x 7/8 pink 300 boxes
3.5 x 3.5 x 7/8 light green 300 boxes
3.5 x 3.5 x 1.5 red 300 boxes
3.5 x 3.5 x 1.5 light green 400 boxes
3.5 x 3.5 x 1.5 dark green 100 boxes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
UPS shipping from San Francisco Bay Area. If you send me your zip code and which boxes you would like, I can tell you how much shipping will cost. If you are in the area, you may pickup. Payment via PayPal.
Original Price: $38.00 and $41.40/per case of 100 boxes
My Price: $20.00 per case
T%his would work great for your needs:
http://www.savagebros.com/p.15/gas-candy-stove-ng-or-lp-gas.aspx
We are selling off some of our items still. All items are like new and have been hardly used. Feel free to email with any questions info@starchildchocolate.com
1- $16k - FBM Unica Continuous Tempering Machine
1- $10k - FBM Kleego Conch and Melting machine
1- $1200 - PN2 Old tyme peanut butter grinder - pre grinder
1- $500 - Moldart Melter 6 kg used once
1- $600 - Vibe - vibrating table
1- $3000 - Moffat Turbo Fan convection oven
1- $2800 - True three door worktop fridge with modified thermostat for cooling chocolate
1- $140 Micrometer
Bumping this up bexcuse I'd like to know. Does anyone have an answer?
Having no first-hand experience with the technology, the NPR article raises more questions than it answers
Most of my thoughts echo @peter3 - this is something that will appeal to larger chocolate makers and candy companies as they are the ones that pump chocolate around. In large plants where there are long runs I can see how this might help but as @peter3 also points out, pumping costs are negligible.
I can see the application in compound in candy factories and in enrobing in general. Because compound is reconstituted and not made directly from cocoa liquor the recipe can be optimized for the tech from the outset.
It's also not clear what applying this tech to tempered chocolate will do the temper and there are a lot of applications where that will turn out to be important.
The fat reduction aspect has two components - cost reduction (as a replacement for lecithin?), and fat reduction. I am with @luv-ice-cream when I say that fat has been demonized by the sugar lobby for far too long. So I personally don't find that argument either compelling or interesting.
If it can reduce manufacturing costs and be cost-effective, the tech will be adopted. In large volume applications where chocolate and compound are already being pumped around. I don't see it being useful for smaller makers as a stand-alone tech. If the sieve can also be made to out filter out particles above a certain size (or installed in existing filters), and filter out metal then I can see how it might be a part of a HAACP/FSMA regimen for smaller makers. If the price were right.
Is the Melanger still available?
Hi Aimee
Would you please email us with your requirment
Thanks
I might be interested. greggould1000@gmail.com
By reduce the viscosity do you mean to make a more fluid chocolate?
Yes
Hi Carlos! I'm eager to see your cabinet, but the pic is no longer there. Any chance you can re-post or send the pic in a message?
Hello,
Is it possible to ship one or two 25kg bag of your beans for test ? What would be the price and the shipping costs then ? My e-mail is : jswachta@gmail.com
Thank you for your help in this matter
Kuba
Hi @luv-ice-cream, thanks for sharing your honest opinion. It was what we were looking for!
However, I believe you are arguing on the contents of the study, not the technology. Reducing fat-content is of secondary interest to most chocolate producers. But many expressed interest in the machine's ability to reduce cocoa butter usage, this is what we wanted your opinion on. Assuming it tastes the same and is cost-efficient, do you believe this technology is something you would want to use? Why? Why not?
[/quote]
Good morning or some other time of day!
I do apologize for a few shortcuts in my response.
While you are correct to say that I am arguing the contents (& really the motivation) of the study & not the tech, I do believe the two are inexorably linked.
The chocolate industry, I find as a somewhat an outsider, is rather set in its ways. It is fairly set in its ways and practices and is slower to change than, say, coffee industry. These are very general statements based on my admittedly limited observations & communications, but that is mho, as in "imho". The likelihood of a chocolate producer embracing new tech is related to cost benefits first and foremost.
The interest in reducing fat content aka cocoa butter content is a FINANCIAL one for the producers, not a health one. Cocoa butter is the single most expensive ingredient in the mix for the producers, unless they use stevia like we do. So, cutting down cocoa butter content reduces the cost. If the gizmometry required to accomplish this makes financial sense from the cost/benefit analysis, then it might have an inroad.
Here is my proviso, however. I come to chocolate from a science R&D background with over 30 years in the latter. I know the path of a technology/invention looking for a problem to solve. We call that pushing a rope.
Using high voltage to orient molecular dipoles is now a classic technique. It was applied in liquid crystals, then in non-linear optics (second harmonic generation in polymers/organics) to pole the molecules then, apparently to lower effective viscosity in fluid dynamics of...be it oil/gas or molten chocolate mass. And, I bet, this is not a complete list.
I am not sure how much other industries have embraced poling technology to reduce viscosity thus far. I know of surfactants, fluorinated additives & coatings making significant inroads into oil/gas. Those approaches are chemically intrusive & not applicable to foodstuff. Still, my fear is that in chocolate processing this is a solution in search of a problem.
My sincere hope is that Clay or some of the other heavy weights of the site will chime in with their thoughts because their experience is broader than mine when it comes to chocolates.
Hello, do you still have the melangeurs? Could you please send me the details and prices at tortecioccolato@gmail.com? We write you from Italy, we should come and pick the machines up! Thank you Maria&Paolo
I read this article when it was first published.
It provides a false argument of fat being bad and completely ignores the impact of sugar on health. In other words, the old & failed war on obesity narrative.
I am not sorry that this sounds overly harsh, but the key driver for the authors (I believe the "research" was sponsored by M&M Mars, afair) was to use less cocoa butter which would allow for higher filler loading. Filler in this context is all the cheaper ingredients from sugar to milk.
To me this study reads like an argument to use filtered cigarettes over cigars because it allows for a cheaper and more plentiful smoke. It completely misses the point.
Hi @luv-ice-cream, thanks for sharing your honest opinion. It was what we were looking for!
However, I believe you are arguing on the contents of the study, not the technology. Reducing fat-content is of secondary interest to most chocolate producers. But many expressed interest in the machine's ability to reduce cocoa butter usage, this is what we wanted your opinion on. Assuming it tastes the same and is cost-efficient, do you believe this technology is something you would want to use? Why? Why not?
Yes, I think making the quantity of glucose and sugar equal will inhibit crystallization.
Give it a try. See if you like the results. Then I would do some shelf life tests to see how long the caramels can go without going rancid or crystallizing.
Best of luck to you!!
Daniel
Robert Kray,
I saw in another thread you provided a link to an image of a bonbon speckled (quite nicely) using the HotChoc, yet in many other places Krea representatives and the Krea literature have stated that the sprayer requires a half-cocoa butter, half-chocolate mixture and, even more explicitly, that the sprayer is not intended for use with colored cocoa butter. It would be helpful to have a definitive answer to the question many chocolatiers have: can the HotChoc replace an airbrush or sprayers (such as the Fuji) when decorating molds (whether covering the cavities entirely or creating other artistic effects, such as speckling)? I should add that the HotChoc has a very large container for the spraying medium; if the company were to provide a smaller one and if the answer to my question above is positive, I think Krea would open up a new market for itself.
Why wasn't the sprayer right for you? The sprayers are used worldwide. How can we help you? Pl. see our Facebook Forum & YouTube Channel for films, pics, tips & tricks.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KREASwissFoodEquipment/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJW3UBLtm986Mf3qZoDu1wQ
Hi Andre. Good luck!! Should you require the heated chocolate sprayer (hotCHOC) or fast chocMELTER, get in touch with us, KREA Swiss (info@kreaswiss.com). We are also available in Brazil and other South American countries.velvet effect with hotCHOC spray gun by Fernando De Oliveira
Hello, do you still have the machines? If yes, please send me details and price to info@miguelpujols.com
Thank you.
I read this article when it was first published.
It provides a false argument of fat being bad and completely ignores the impact of sugar on health. In other words, the old & failed war on obesity narrative.
I am not sorry that this sounds overly harsh, but the key driver for the authors (I believe the "research" was sponsored by M&M Mars, afair) was to use less cocoa butter which would allow for higher filler loading. Filler in this context is all the cheaper ingredients from sugar to milk.
To me this study reads like an argument to use filtered cigarettes over cigars because it allows for a cheaper and more plentiful smoke. It completely misses the point.
A professor at Temple University recently discovered a technology that helps reduce the viscosity of chocolate by applying an electric-field to the suspension. It can be thought of as running chocolate through an electric sieve. I work at a technology development and commercialization company that has full license to develop and use this device.
I was conducting some market research to see if this technology would be of interest to chocolate makers and why/why not. I would be extremely grateful if some of you could share your thoughts with me on this matter.
Thanks.
Also you can read Professor Tao's paper here:
www.researchgate.net/publication/228987085_Reducing_the_Viscosity_of_Crude_Oil_by_Pulsed_Electric_or_Magnetic_Field
Or a more condensed version here:
www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/25/482538542/with-a-zap-scientists-create-low-fat-chocolate
If I understand correctly the research viscosity reduction is achieved by "aggregating" solid particles to improve "packing rate".
In chocolate manufacturing in some situations* it may be beneficial to be able to produce and use chocolate with lower fat content and suitable viscosity.
* Reducing cocoa butter content can reduce the cost of raw materials used to make chocolate. This reduction will not always reduce total cost of manufacturing and for people making fine chocolates this may be a wrong idea in general.
The main issue I see with using this technology in chocolate manufacturing is that "correct viscosity" is required at use stage where we pour tempered chocolate into moulds, use it to enrobe or coat products. At this stage chocolate contains not only cocoa, sugar and milk solids but also a certain amount of cocoa butter crystals which need to be uniformly dispersed in the mass and not "aggregated" in any way.
Unlike pumping crude oil the cost of pumping chocolate is almost negligible part of the whole manufacturing process.
I would guess that this technology may be more suitable for low cost compound manufacturing where reduction of fat content can help with cost reduction and some compounds are used without tempering.
