Forum Activity for @Sebastian

That should do the trick!

It's most likely just a solvent extracted product, with that solvent being ethanol, maybe a little color or top noting flavors added.  A little heat, a little pressure, and ethanol's actually a pretty good extraction agent for many things.   It's also quite flammable, and may require a governmental accounting of it's use (depending on the volume), so tread carefully.

Can anyone recommend a fine flavor bulk chocolate that is certified kosher besides Callebaut. I'm interested in a high end chocolate.

I am not talking about a confection, but rather a bottled liqueur that could be sold at a liquor store. Godiva makes a version of this http://www.godivaliqueurs.com/ . I wonder how to go about formulating and processing a bottled product. I'm wondering if any special emulsifying equipment or homogenizing equipment is necessary. I would love to hear any input. Thank you!!!

Daniel

Are you talking about a soft white creme center, or a clear center (sugar crust liquor)?

Are you sure you're making a meltaway?  With enough off the coconut milk and agave syrup, you'll be making a type of ganache, an oil in water emulsion. 

Nibs are pre-roasted and the mass temp was 131. I'll look into more CB for fluidity. 

Can you be more precise? Does over 100 degrees mean 101, or 199?  I'd shoot for a chocolate mass temperature of 130-140.  Depending on if you have well fermented nibs or not (well fermented nibs = higher cocoa butter) - you may need to add more cocoa butter and/or lecithin to help fluidize.

I assume the nibs have been roasted?

Hello mark,

Can you tell me more about that course? where does it take place?

I have taught bean to bar courses, including hands on work, they take 2 weeks. 

It's 69 degrees in the room and the bowl has about 3lbs of nibs by the time it starts to become thick. The temperature of the chocolate is over 100 degrees.

Temperature of the room and of the mass inside the bowl?

Hi all,

I'm encountering this weird melanger problem.

(1) I add 4 oz melted CB to my CT 12SL melanger

(2) I add nibs, handful at a time until total 90 oz weight

After 10-15 minutes, maybe 30 oz of nibs in, the batch starts to become viscous and white-ish. My room humidity is 59% which I know is on the high end, but I've never had the problem before.

Could it be because I didn't winnow well enough? I can't think of anything else. 

There's no chance that anyway water or moisture got into the batch.

Thoughts?

ab

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Nicole5: Thanks for that information.  Since I already have some "virgin," unrefined coconut oil (with full coconut taste), I think I'll try mixing that with milk chocolate (so we get a bit of the Almond Joy flavors) and see how it goes.  I'll keep some for a while just to check shelf life and leakage.  When I get some refined coconut oil, I'll try other flavors, such as mint and peanut butter (separately), both of which are in Peter Greweling's Chocolates and Confections.

I just use LouAna Coconut Oil from a grocery store; it's near every other type of oil in a white container.  I temper milk chocolate, add melted (but cooled) coconut oil and flavor in with the chocolate.  I pipe the filling into milk chocolate shells, let them set and back them.  I know there is a difference between refined and unrefined, but I've forgotten which is which.  I just keep using the same thing I've always used!

I've never had any stick around long enough to know what happens after a while!

Hi Everyone,

I have been able to source organic cacoa/cocoa mass/liqour  http://www.realfoodstore.co.uk/organic-criollo-cocoa-cacao-mass-liquor-drops/  however I don't have a basic recipe or method, am I right in thinking I only need to add powdered sugar and cocoa butter and if so can these just be melted and tempered to form couveteure chocolate or is there other processes to take into consideration?

What I am wanting to do is use this as a base then temper it to dip truffles or mould chocolates, also how should this be stored after it is tempered if I have some chocolate left over,

please advise and thanks in advance!!

Hi.

I have a condensed time frame to make some desserts and am trying to find a mirror glaze that doesn't use cocoa powder - just couverture.

Can anyone help?

Cheers

Brad

Hi Mark,

I would suggest doing a bit of reading on what "chocolate tempering" actually means.

Regarding your post.

Infrared thermometers are not suitable for accurate reading of chocolate temperature. Try to get a digital stem thermometer and check it against a calibrated mercury thermometer for accuracy (or get it calibrated).

Point 3.

Yes I am ignoring the tempering curve on the package.

You can temper chocolate by using already tempered seed as I have described above.

Or

You can temper chocolate by cooling (to create cocoa butter crystals) and reheating it (to melt undesired crystal form) following the curve recommended by supplier.

One or the other method.

Not both at the same time.

We are transitioning our business and liquidating current assets. Location of items in Maryland.

Interested parties inquire at:

julie@sibusura.com  

Hi Nick,

could you pls send me an email to mark@obolochocolate.cl to discuss further.

 Thanks,

Mark

It is still available. 

Thanks,

Nick

For Sale:

4x8 Three roll mill, water cooled rolls, handwheel adjustments,complete with guides, apron,and motor, on unitized stand.

Electric: 3/60/230-460 volt

The machine has just been refurbished and is in perfect working condition.

Price: $3,500

Unit is located on Long Island, NY

Email contactus@eatingevolved.com if interested!

 Roll Mill.jpg - 189KB

Hi Chris,

Hello from Choco Rush! I realize this post is over a year old, but I wanted to introduce myself. I love Arriba bars, but more so I am interested in taking a trip to Ecuador to visit and perhaps stay at some cacao farms to deepen my understanding of chocolate.

Could you offer me some advice with regards to touring and travel to Ecuador? You can reach me at pashmina [at] chocorush.co

Thank you.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your reply.

I am using an Infrared thermometer.

I seem to be following your steps exactly ... except,

1) I am using mini couverture chocolate chips (so I am not crushing the chocolate in your step 2).
2) I am tempering 500g at a time ... but the ratio I am using is the same.
3) You seem to be ignoring the tempering curve on the packaging of the chocolate, which says to go at: 45 degrees, 26 degrees, 29 degrees. I have only, so far, tempered my chocolate following this curve. Yours seems to be a shortcut (which I have noted on some videos too!); 45 degrees, 29 degrees. I can get it to 29 degrees by stirring like a madman, no problems, and I find the viscosity at this stage to be ideal for molding. But would the chocolate be "tempered" this way? My problem arises when I put the chocolate (at 29 degrees) in the fridge to cool it down to 26 degrees. Here it becomes a little thick ... I'm thinking now, maybe from the moisture of the fridge?

Thanks for the extra hints! :D Will have to go at it again tomorrow! :3

Hi,

I think that you are fighting with physics and this is a fight you will always loose regardless of what youtube videos show...

Good news is your first step almost makes sense so lets start there again.

1. Divide your purchased 1 kg block of moulded and tempered chocolate (not something that has been sitting in heat for a long time) into two parts: 800g and 200g.

2. Crush or grate the 200g part and keep at 25C.

3. Melt the 800g in the microwave: small burst of nuking plus a lot of mixing, repat until you get it to 45C (it would be a good idea to check if your thermometer is accurate).

4. Pour the melted chocolate into stainless steel bowl and keep mixing, scraping the sides to keep uniform temperature, keep going until you get to 35C.

5. Start adding your crushed or grated 200g part in small doses, lets say 50g at the time, keep mixing and stirring like a madman, when added pieces are melted add next small dose. Keep going until you get to 31C (if you have some of the small part left don't add it anymore).

6. Give it a few extra good stirs and smile. Now you have tempered chocolate ready to use.

Extra hints.

Make sure your moulds are clean, dry and at 27-28C before you pour in your tempered chocolate.

All unused chocolate can be melted again and reused (it will be untempered).

Hi, yes it is still available. 

If you email me a shipping address, I'll find out what it will cost to ship. 

Thanks,

Tom Mickln

tmicklin@gmail.com

 If your machine is still available, please let me know. Thank you.

Glenn

604-263-9878

Hi,

So, I have tried tempering (still new at this). I'm working with Michel Cluizel's 1Kg couverture chocolate. It has tempering guidelines on the package. 

I heat the milk chocolate in microwave, raising slowly the temperature to 45degrees (as indicated). I then add some more unmelted couverture chocolate (seeding), and stir continuously till temperature drops down. Generally, I cannot get it lower than 29 degrees celsius, since I live in a warm country, so I put it in the fridge, and constantly take it out and stir it ... till temperature drops to the suggested 26 degrees celsius. At this stage, I find that the chocolate starts to become more viscuous. The curve requires the temperature to raise to 29 degrees, so I put it back in the microwave and give it short bursts. I start to put the chocolate in the mold, however, my problem is that I find it is a little too thick to work with. Q1) Is this a problem caused because I put the chocolate in the fridge to cool it down to the suggested 26 degrees? 

So, I have filled the mold with the tempered chocolate, and after releasing the chocolate from the mold, they look very shiny, but obviously, they are little chocolate cubes now, as I had trouble making shells. 

I had seen a video somewhere of someone who heats the chocolate to 45degrees, cools it down to 29degrees, and starts working with it. Q2) Is tempering achieved like this? My chocolate doesn't get as runny as say, the Jacques Torres videos on YouTube.

Q3) With excess tempered chocolate, what do you do? Do you put it in the fridge and re-temper when needed? Can I just melt the tempered chocolate and work with it or do I need to start from step 1?

Thanks for you help.

Is this this available? I'm interested.

Hi.  is the Sav Bros 50lb tempering machine still available? thanks.

Thanks for sharing Gap! The November class is full; but, I will keep it in mind for the next workshop.

Tony 

Jean-Marie Auboine runs good panning workshops (depending on your budget)

https://www.jmauboinechocolates.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=10

Thanks Larry, I've just read the material (Good stuff to Start). I've also ordered samples as well and will share results once done.

Tony

I would be very interested in more details on how you make these meltaways.  Is there any difficulty with them once they sit in the shell for a while (such as leaking)?  I'm also curious as to what type of coconut oil you use.  I bought "unrefined, cold-pressed."  It is quite good but has a strong taste of coconut.  This is fine for fillings that I want to have a coconut flavor, but meltaways can also have other flavors, such as mint, and there is, I understand, a "deodorized" coconut oil, but I don't know exactly what to look for.

Thanks for any help.

Tony,

here's a link to a TheChocolateLife discussion with a wealth of technique information.

You've probably already seen it, but I wanted to share it anyway.

In this discussion Jim Greenberg suggested using centerchem.com to acquire polishes etc. I just requested samples from them and am looking foward to playing. I just picked up a Kitchen Aid panning drum and while it is itty bity, it will be good enough to learn on.

Thanks,

Larry

Hello Experts,

I've purchased recently a Twirlo Coating Machine with both SS & Copper kettles 7 Litter each (I have also and Sprayer head connected via heated hose from my Savage tank). I would like to coat Nuts and Coffee beans and possibly at a later stage dried fruits, caramels, marzipans, and Jordan Almonds. Any advice where to start (I need a jumpstart on techniques), do you know any supplier(s) in the US where I can buy quality ingredients?

Many thanks and looking forward to hearing from you!

Tony 

Looks really great! I bet it tastes really good as well.

And sea salt with caramel that sounds interesting

I have one and it is good indeed!

Hi all,

We're looking to purchase a Selmi One or similar automatic tempering machine. Please provide contact info if you are looking to sell. We're located in VA, USA.

Cheers!

ab

With pictures. Better!

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I am wondering how one formulates and processes a shelf stable chocolate liqueur. The creamy varieties that are used for dessert drinks are especially mysterious to me. How does one preserve the dairy products in the liqueur? How do things stay emulsified? Does anyone know?

Thanks!!

Daniel