Forum Activity for @Jim Dutton

Microwave tempering

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I didn't mean to say a tempering machine is better than a melter. Many people like the melters because they can hold more chocolate and allow you to empty a mold much more easily. And I think it is fairly easy to adjust the temperature up and down so as to deal with over-crystallization. I myself like a tempering machine because I don't use huge amounts of chocolate at a time, and it takes less chocolate to get a tempering machine bowl to a usable level than it does for a melter. I also like that a tempering machine requires less attention and so I can do something else while the process is going on.

Microwave tempering

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

got it! Thanks. I will go ahead with a temper machine. They are absolutely there for a reason.

Microwave tempering

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

My impression from reading (and experience) is that with time too many Type V crystals form, and the chocolate will thicken too much to be usable--even if the temperature reading has not varied at all. At that point there are options (heating up the chocolate a bit or adding some warmer untempered chocolate), but you can't just let the chocolate sit there forever. Tempering machines continually adjust the heat to slow down this process, and with melters, the user can adjust the temp manually, but the over-crystallization is likely to happen eventually--and you can only turn up the temp so far before the chocolate is out of temper.

Microwave tempering

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks Jim.

I tried on milk chocolate and it worked too.

But if I have a 90.5F holding tank with a dispenser, never let it cool down or empty. Would it be fine?

Microwave tempering

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

If you can keep (dark) chocolate at that 90-91F. temperature, you are fine, but sometimes reality intervenes: If, for example, you are using chocolate left over from a previous session, it is very unlikely still to be in temper and must therefore be raised to high enough a temp to melt out all the crystals. I use your method (of very careful melting-though I do it over a water bath and not in a microwave) if I am doing a small amount (e.g., for a ganache or for decorating finished pieces), but it is very difficult to melt a large amount (e.g., for dipping pieces or filling molds) and keep the temp within the final working range.

Microwave tempering

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have this question bothering me for a long time and am happy to find this forum. I hope my question can be answered.

I saw the microwave tempering process-starting with pre-tempered wafer, heat at different interval in microwave. Make sure it is melted but less than 91F. Than the chocolate is tempered. I tried it and it works! So in this logic, I can just have a warmer at constant 90.5Fto melt the chocolate and have tempered chocolate all the time?

If this makes sense, why do I need temper machine, as long as it starts with tempered chocolate? ( I know it can not make sense but what makes it nonsense?)

Thanks!

Susie

updated by @Susie2: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Brandied Cherries for Cordials

Posted in: Recipes

Hello everyone! I'm working on a specialty cordial recipe and have a couple questions. Has anyone used from scratch brandied cherries in their cordials vs jarred maraschinos? Have you had any trouble with additional water content? Also, is there any need to worry about refrigeration when using "fresh" cherries or is the sugar/alcohol content still high enough not to be a worry? l appreciate any thoughts!

updated by @Danielle Stein: 04/19/15 04:06:09

Need your opion and insight..

Posted in: Opinion

I think I do.. but I am worried about making a bad decision..

but more and more I think that to stop selling truffles by unit is the way to go.. I will only offer them in mixed boxes, and I am looking at doing some wine pairings with a local wine shop and create custom truffles that will be sold in pre packaged boxes of 2 and 4.

basically I wanted to see if anyone else went this route.. and do not offer truffles traditionally in a case..

Need your opion and insight..

Posted in: Opinion

I think you should concentrate on what is selling. Sounds like you know what you should do:)

Need your opion and insight..

Posted in: Opinion

I was looking for comments and opinions and comments.. not cocoa beans LOL

Need your opion and insight..

Posted in: Opinion

i am a cocoa farmer from east africa, and i am able to supply any quantity of cocoa bean requested Contact me soonest if interested lopezmariam3@gmail.com

Need your opion and insight..

Posted in: Opinion

Hi, About 6 weeks ago I opened up a chocolate kiosk within a very popular candy store, now what I taught would be smooth sailing has proven to be a real challenge.. I am restricted to 160sq/ft production and retail space.

I am offering a bit of everything.. molded products, truffles, dipped products and a whole lot of chocolate bars

Now I am debating what to do with my truffles.. I think my price point is a bit too high but I am also debating how I will continue to sell them.. right now I have a selection of 21 truffles in a non refrigerated display case that sits on my counter.. I don't sell that many, people coming in are not looking to buy chocolates in the first place so i sell only a few here and there, they are more attracted to my fancy and off the wall chocolate bar flavors.. I am wondering if I would not just be better off to eliminate the case and pack the truffles in mixed chocolate boxes and stop selling by unit.. and gain back some counter space for faster selling items.

Anyone else has dropped selling truffles by the unit and just went pre packaged ? If I had a ton of space i would continue but right now the amount I am selling anyways doesn't feel like it is making good use of that counter.. comments ? ideas ?

updated by @Stephane Laviolette: 04/12/15 04:01:03

conche machine

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Clay, probably too busy, but if you could give me the contact of serious peru awesome. many thanks

conche machine

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Clay,

Hi Clay, thanks for your help and expertise, could you tell me what cost has this machine Peru?

conche machine

Posted in: Opinion

Mariano:

I would not buy directly from China unless you are prepared, immediately upon arrival, to examine all of the electrics and electronics and completely re-wire the machine. I would also make sure to ask what material the blades and the inner surfaces of the machine are made of. They have to be made from extremely hard (expensive) steel. Otherwise they will wear down quickly and you will get a lot of metal in the chocolate. Ask what kind of steel and then let me know, I can tell you if it's the right kind.

These are the sorts of details that the Peruvian company I work with takes care of for you. We also work hard to ensure the quality and finish of the welding is good. They are little things - but unless you are prepared to do the work yourself, it makes sense to spend the extra money and have them done for you.

conche machine

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Clay, thanks for the reply. that contact would be interesting. I was offered my 50 L that machine to $ 3300 in china. you think?

conche machine

Posted in: Opinion

Mariano:

This type machine is called a Universal and it can be used to grind, refine, and conche chocolate.

If you are interested in a machine of this type I work with a supplier down in Peru who can provide them in either 40L or 100L capacities and ship directly to you in Honduras. I have worked with the supplier to make minor modifications on the smaller machine to improve air flow (and therefore conching ability).

:: Clay

conche machine

Posted in: Opinion

Hi all,

anyone know if this machine is good for conching chocolate?

thnks...

updated by @mariano garcia: 04/11/15 12:16:43

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

For a hobby? not at all.

For commercial purposes - depends on where you live, as the laws are different by country.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

For the hobby / small producer who needs to keep costs down how often would you be required to test for this if your beans are coming from a consistent source?Thank you to everyone on here for being so generous with their knowledge.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Herein lies the importance of effective winnowing - ensuring as much shell as possible is out of the testing stream is helpful in ensuring as much beans as possible pass.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Speaking from the South American perspective, no individual grower I've ever heard of has the capacity or resources to do this testing. and its not necessary as they sell mostly to middlemen who in turn sell to aggregators who turn bulk beans into cheap liquor for cheap nestle and winter products. No individual small producer could be held to account under the current value chain.

I assume the big co-ops in San Martin must cooperate with their US and EU clients, either here on site or there at the destination end, testing finished origin products or they couldn't comply with US / EU regs. The Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture has been concerned about this and actively opposed the latest, stricter EU cadmium regs.

As for Maraon chocolate, we have had our Pure Nacional beans and Fortunato #4 couverture tested in the US and EU and we meet all regs for cadmium content. We are fortunate that our location in the Maraon Canyon has naturally compliant soils!

Saludos, Brian

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Except in the case of the Aussie growers which have soil tested. Oh and i have asked growers from islands that i have made batches for but they dont get testing done but usually these are small plantations.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thanks guys, so the responsibility is on the chocolate manufacturer when it is all said and done and the new bean to bar makers will discover in due course that they need to be doing this testing so they can formulate appropriately to the regs if there are any.So the biggest risk really is then to the hobby chocolate maker who will have absolutely no idea of the heavy metal levels in their beans. I have been making chocolate for almost seven years and have been buying small 1-15kg batches from many origins and have never been given any assurances on heavy metal levels, but then again i have never asked.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

i am a cocoa farmer from east africa, and i am able to supply any quantity of cocoa bean requested Contact me soonest if interested lopezmariam3@gmail.coma bean

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

no sir - rules are rules. the question was do any plantation owners do heavy metals testing, and while there may be one out there, i've yet to meet him. They normally don't have the technical capacity or competency to do so, and frankly it may not be in their best interest to do so even if they could. The responsibility to ensure compliance with the finished product rests with the person offering the finished product, or the person importing the raw material. larger exporters will conduct raw materials testing (pesticides, heavy metals, etc) for customers who are large enough to justify it - but again they're not going to do it for everyone as to be frank it creates a headache for them (a certain amount will fail - and then what? now they've got a pile of rejected beans that they have to find a home for - the more they test the larger the pile is going to be..and frankly they're not selling chocolate, they're selling a component of it, and have no idea at which usage level (i.e. dilution rate) you're going to use it, so they have no idea what level is appropriate for your usage rate..)

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

The limit is not just a guide.

Australian New Zealand Food Standard in Part 1.4.1 sets Maximum Level for heavy metal contaminants in food product and the maximum level for Cadmium in chocolate is 0.5mg/kg (not 0.5ppm as I have written above).

This is a legaly enforeable limit and applies to all chocolates sold in Australia and New Zealand.

As Sebastian correctly written above cocoa beans from some American countries have very high cadmium content which means that they can be used as a very limited percentage of your recipe.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

So is the limit just a guide? Is Haighs only playing by the rules as a way to avoid customers laying any claims against them or is it an offence in itself to exceed the limit?

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Many exporters and brand owners will do heavy metals testing, but i've never met a grower who does. S. and C. American soils are heavily volcanic, which in turn translates into the flesh of the bean. Lead - which often is on the shell - is relatively easy to remove and mitigate. Cadmium - which gets incorporated into the flesh to a higher degree than does lead - becomes more difficult to 'wash off', and blending strategies are employed if there are country specific regulations (Japan's another country with high hurdle regulations, for example)

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Haigh's have to play by the rules.

In Australia (unlike in many other countries) there is maximum limit of 0.5ppm for Cadmium content in chocolate.

This means that beans from places like Ecuador or Venezuela (which have high Cadmium content) can be used only as a small part of total cocoa liquor in recipes.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I do not know of a single grower that routinely does heavy metal testing.

Heavy Metals

Posted in: Chocolate Education

I am wondering with all the new small bean to bar chocolate makers if any are getting heavy metal testing done. This I am curious about because some makers maybe get a bag or two in from obscure sources and heavy metal testing may not be something that they think they need to do. I know that Haigh's here in Adelaide are very concerned about this aspect and every shipment is evaluated for heavy metals. With their import size as well Australian customs would get on their case about the levels too but with smaller imports they may slip through - at least for a little while until customs catch on.

Is it common practice for plantations to have their soils tested or beans tested before export? I would guess no judging by the fact that Haigh's test everything.

Also I do know that the Australian growers have their soils tested and this was a very important aspect of setting up the plantations.

updated by @Tom: 04/10/15 09:43:36

High Grade Sundried Raw Cocoa Beans for sale.

Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)

Specifications

1.Type:Cocoa Bean
2.Processing Type:Sun Dried
3.Maturity:Mature
4.Beans count:91 to 99 beans/kg
5.Place of Origin:Cameroon.

High Grade Sun Dried Raw Cocoa Beans for Sale

High quality Cocoa beans producing beans with the strongest flavour
Raw Sun-dried Cocoa Beans
A) Moisture: 5.5% - 6.2% maximum
b) Foreign Matters: 1.29% maximum
c) Beans count: 91 to 99 beans/kg
d) Broken beans / Defective: 0.7% - 0.8% maximum

updated by @Jonathan Harrison: 12/13/24 12:16:49

Advice about specific mould

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Great insights, thanks!

I have just ordered few mold that are 12-14 gr.

I also think that each piece should be two bites.

Advice about specific mould

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

You might visit www.chocolateworld.be and look at their enormous selection of molds, most of which have a weight (in grams) for the finished piece provided. You will find many much less than 13g. The first molds I bought, which were Italian, came from a vendor that does not provide weights, and as there was no easy way of judging the size of a finished piece, I ended up with molds that I now think are quite small, say 10g or less, and those who tried my chocolates found them a little too "dainty." Now I look for molds that are around 15g, which offer--for polite people, at least--two bites rather than one. I myself would not go any lower than 12g and my largest is 18g, but quite a few well-known chocolatiers have single-bite pieces in their collections. To state the obvious, to fill an 18-gram shell takes more ganache than you might expect!

Advice about specific mould

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for the comment, what size/weight is common, what size/weight do you use?

Advice about specific mould

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

13 grams is a small but decent weight. I find making a paper with the dimensions listed helps me to visualize the chocolate.

Could you make a paper/clay/dough/caramel... form with the same size? What do you think about it with a real one in front of you?

is it 1.5CM tall? it seems like those dimensions don't fit the picture. The chocolate in the picture is about as tall as it is wide. 2.5cm tall makes more sense. (I do see where they listed the size on the website) but hey, it could be worth ordering one to test the mold.

Advice about specific mould

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi,

I want to buy a lot of moulds and on aliexpress.com it a great price.

I just wonder about the size of each piece - it is 2.8*2.8*1.5cm, and 13gr in weight.

Is it a good size for a piece or is it too small?

Here is the link to the product:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/21Cavities-Food-Grade-Bell-Shaped-Mould-Bakeware-Clear-Polycarbonate-Chocolate-Mold-DIY-Chocolate-PC-Mold-Chocolate/1953388938.html

Thanks

updated by @Or M: 04/11/25 09:27:36

problem with the premier grinder!

Posted in: Tasting Notes

That does sound like it might be what it is, as it seems to be liquid when warmed and goes hard when cooled. I heard back from the company who have apparently sent out a brand new machine which Is not what I was expecting but great! only wanted to know if they had seen it before. I will use your advice on the new machine and clean it first with oil and sugar, and clean inside the wheels thoroughly too after every batch.

Thanks for the help.

problem with the premier grinder!

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I ran a neutral vegetable oil and white sugar 50/50 when I first got the machine. I think total weight was about 600g. Then discarded the sugar/oil and washed down the grinder. I don't think there's a perfect way of doing it but that's what I did. If you've already run chocolate through it, you've probably done enough "cleaning" and the stone dust should be out by now.

problem with the premier grinder!

Posted in: Tasting Notes

My best guess from talking with a few people is the black "grease" on the axles is a mixture of cocoa butter and refined stone from the grinder. I always clean it off.

problem with the premier grinder!

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hi Gap,

Thanks for the reply. I didn't run oil and sugar through it when I got it, I washed everything, but didn't even occur to me to run oil and sugar through it. Does it have to be much of each to 'clean' it? and I will give that a go. I have cleaned off all the horrible black gunge stuff now, and hopefully that was the last of it.

I have been cleaning the wheels by dismantling it, but left the 'grease' stuff on the axles as I assumed that must be there for a reason and would be properly sealed....but I was wrong. I am still waiting to hear back from the company who told me they were going to take one apart to look at it. also got some samples to send to environmental health just in case.

thanks for the advice