That looks to me like it is molded that way.
Having said that, you can only cut chocolate while it is still partially soft. A large round cookie cutter will work, but you will have to clean it before each cut, and the edge of the cut will not be perfect.
Hi all
Can anyone guide me on how to cut a round hole in chocolate, like the attached image?
Thanks in advance
Lisa
There's not much chocolate left in the syringe--just a tiny bit in the nozzle. I just clean it with hot water or put it in the dishwasher.
At the suggestion of Cheebs on the Chocolate Alchemy forum, I got a couple of these and cut the tips to about 1/4":
http://www.calvetsupply.com/product/Feeding_Syringe_140cc/Feeding_Syringes
They work really well for a controlled pour. I would also pour with the mold on a scale.
-Ben
I hand pour my chocolate bars. I need the pour to be accurate (2 oz). Any suggestions for equipment?
Thanks Clay,
I'd read of people using wristbands. I'll look around the workshop today to see if there's something I can ground myself on besides the kitchen faucet since where I live that would be a 2$ option 
Using paper towel to wipe. I see others like makeup pads but are those food grade? Cosmetics aren't nearly as regulated as food industry goods. So I'm very hesitant.
Anyway I'm headed in to work early to do some experiments. Thus baffles me because I work in an environment that's regularly over 70% humidity and can't imagine what kind of static I'd be facing of I were in a 'normal' chocolate making environment.
One way might be simply mechanical. An anti-static mat and wrist strap . Total price under $20.
The other thing might be what you're using to polish the molds with (which is ... ?).
I mold most of my chocolate and thus far have to wash each one with soap and water after every use to avoid left behind cocoa butter marking up the next batch. I do this because the usual method, wiping/polishing, creates static electricity which makes the chocolate fly all over the place as it's going from the syringe into the mold.
Anyone know a solution to this static problem?
A thought: The molds I'm using are not polycarbonite which a quick google seems to suggest has anti static properties (google polycarbonite static and it's all about anti static stuff).
Hi all,
I hope you are all doing well.
My name is Ismael
I own Chocotenango (place of chocolate) in Washington DC
I'm professional trained pastry & savory chef. I been focusing on chocolate since 2005.
I reopened my business in Washington DC in October 2013.
I would like to come and learn more about chocolate making.
I'm very interested to learn about panning.
if any chocolatier out there will take me as student and be my mentor for a week or two please let me know.
Thank you.
Ismael
Thank Mark, but ganache can be set up in refrigerator?
Hi. Try melting all the chocolate in a double boiler (bain-marie) on low, then take off the heat, let cool for a few minutes. Warm the cream up to just lukewarm, about 98f then add it all at once to the melted chocolate and stir in until uniform and thick. Let it set up in the refrigerator.
Good luck!
-Mark
I usechopped chocolate then pour hot cream in bowl stay at 1 minutes and then stir the chocolate mixture but some chocolate have not melt. I reheat the chocolate mixture then result is split. Next I try use to half melt chocolate to do, but this time I stir the mixture better than first time, but when I put butter into mixture to stir, split is happening. why? Thisrecipe use chocolate 1:1 cream and alsochocolate 2:1 cream
How can make your success ganache, Thank
Thanks for the links too.. bookmarked them .
I hear you Brad... I was for the longest time ready to call someone out on the "raw" issue... I am very conscious of walk the talk ideal. That's how I like to work, hence my use of "quotation marks" when responding to the discussion above. How raw is raw? That's the question. I had so many requests for raw and I said I don't believe raw is really completely raw and recounted the process of fermentation etc... I have seen temperature guides vary from 104f to 118f for a product to qualify. I have researched my brands of cocoa butter and cocoa powder... both certified raw and organic. The cocoa powder is definitely different in flavour I concede.... on this issue I've kind of put my hands over my ears and gone with it . I live a largely Vegan lifestyle diet-wise as my partner is 100% vegan so I'm aware of the hidden surprises . The sugar I use is freeze-dried cane juice, powdered, and certified vegan and organic. The White was originally vegan and now is sweetened with raw freeze-dried honey... also certified raw and organic. I've tried to find temperature info regarding manufacturing temperatures but nothing is forthcoming.
On my site I removed the word >chocolate< from my "raw cacao confectionery " because as you said... it isn't.
Sorry Paul, but you can'tcall what you're doing"raw chocolate". It's not raw. Period. Here's why:
1. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter, when processed, FAR exceed the 120 degree threshold commonly accepted in the "raw" food industry.
2. If it tastes like chocolate it isn't raw. Cocoa beans, when unroasted taste like crap, and absolutely NOTHING like chocolate. Coffee beans when unroasted don't taste like coffee, and bread when untoasted doesn't taste like toast. It's a heat triggered chemical reaction (called a Maillard reaction)that changes the protiens in the food to create the coffee flavour, the chocolate flavour, and the toast flavour. That heat must be above 170 degrees F - high enough to kill pathogens, change the flavour and negate the ability to call it raw.
Oh... one other thing....
You use the term "vegan raw white".... Did you know that a significant amount of cane sugar is processed using bone char? It isn't in the ingredient list on the sugar bag, but sure negates the whole "vegan" marketing schtick.
Here are some links:
http://www.lantic.ca/faq.php?lg=en#4
http://www.sucrose.com/bonechar.html
You seem like a guy who cares about what you market and sell. It's important to do your research into terms you wish to use, and the ingredients that could negate the ability to use those terms. I have found that vegans and raw foodies are often well read, and will call you on it. Be prepared.
Cheers
Brad
you'll need all the same equipment you need for chocolate mfr (as you'll still need to particle size reduce sugar and milk, and emulsify), PLUS you'll need something similar to a high shear mixer to get the cocoa butter and cocoa solids to 'recombine' - note you're going to have a difficult time recombining the cocoa solids and butter in a way that gets them to be the same as the original liquor from which they were derived..
I have been delving into Raw chocolate confectionery . I Have been combining Cocoa Powder and cocoa butter and dehydrated raw cane juice powder ... with a 400w cuisinart immersion blender I have created "chocolate" which I then temper and pipe into discs for sale... they are not at all what you would expect a bean to bar chocolate to be, but I am very happy with the result, not at all grainy or sandy , very smooth mouthfeel and melt. The white is a challenge , I was asked for a vegan raw white , so I used Maca and some mesquite powder along with the dehydrated cane juice powder and vanilla bean... I have sold about 50lbs in the past 4 months and have had nothing but good responses.... So, in short, and with all due respect to our Bean to Bar experts, my answer would be yes... you can produce a blended chocolate confection from cocoa powder and cocoa butter... but don't expect couverture quality... it's more a novelty than anything else.
ThanksSebastian, i really appreciate the reply, in your opinion, what is the the machinery i would need, i don't have much experience, but theoretically, couldn't i "reconstitute" the ingredients in a santha or other such stone mill?
Chocolate is made by grinding beans up to form liquor. You make cocoa powder by squeezing that liquor very hard until most of the fat comes out.
Not only will you find that trying to re-convert powder+butter into liquor will result in a suboptimal product, you'll find that the equipment requirements necessary to do so are likely more expensive than simply making chocolate; plus the product you end up with, legally, isn't going to be able to be called chocolate in most place i'm afraid.
Hello All,
I'm posting again after a long time. I unfortunately had to abandon the idea of Bean to bar due to cost constraints. In order to reduce my cost on machinery i was wondering if its possible to process cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar into chocolate using a stone grinder or conch. Also i read somewhere on here that if the cocoa powder is added at the beginning of the refining process the chocolate has a "slick" or "rubbery" mouth feel due to the particle size of the cocoa powder getting even smaller than it already is. Is this true?? If this is the case does it make sense to refine the sugar and butter first and add the cocoa powder at a later stage??
With regards to the formulation i'm guessing i would need to double the amount of cocoa butter to compensate for the fat content lost if i was starting from the bean??
Looking forward to your valuable advice.
Regards
Sebastian and Kristofer, Thank you for your recommendations. I'm still not entirely sure what causes the blemishes. It might be scratches. But it's strange that I don't see any spots or scratches on the molds when they are empty and clean. I will purchase a few new of these molds to see if the problem persists or not.
Sebastian and Kristofer, Thank you for your recommendations. I'm still not entirely sure what causes the blemishes. It might be scratches. But it's strange that I don't see any spots or scratches on the molds when they are empty and clean. I will purchase a few new of these molds to see if the problem persists or not.
"water marks" are #2 in my initial post - dissolved minerals left behind as the water evaporates. Best thing to do is to remove the offending minerals so they're not there to be left behind. If it is mineral deposits that causing it, i'm afraid warming up the mould is only going to result in warm minerals that leave marks - the minerals may be a little more comfortable if it's cold outside, but won't help you with your problem. Wiping and polishing will work for a short time, but what results over time is the minerals scour the moulds when you polish them, and will result in a permanently scratched mould.
I suggest using a warming cabinet
http://www.moldart.be/chocolate_heating
for future cleaning. Once you use your molds once, and turn out your chocolate, just don't return them to the water from there. They should be fine.
Thank you both for your replies. I live in California, and our water here is not hard at all. However, I know that some professionals recommend to not washing the molds, but I thought it would not be a problem with the soft water we got. What to do then if it's the water? Are these molds damaged or is there a way to get all the water marks off? Cacao butter solution? Thanks so much!
These may be water marks left over from washing your molds. We never wash our molds in water; we simply heat, wipe and polish. Do you have especially hard water where you live? Take a look at your molds and see if you can spot the water marks.
It's one of two things:
1) Most likely it's what's called a 'pull mark', and is caused by the dynamics of heat removal between your chocolate, whatever material the mold is made of, the chocolate:mould mass ratio, and the cooling environment you're using. OR..
2) It could also be a mineral deposit, if the water you're using to clean your molds has minerals in it, those minerals will be left behind and can result in what you see. I don't think this is it, but it could be.
To fix #1, my guess is you're going to have to do a fair bit of work i'm afraid. i'd suggest getting a very accurate thermometer and ensuring you're chocolate, initial mold temperature, and you're cooling temperature(s) are very accurate/consistent. Then, slowly change ONE of them slightly, recording the results until you find the combo that is suitable for your formula, your mold composition, your mold:chocolate ratio, and your cooling environment.
It may be more work than it's worth 8-)
I make dark chocolate bars and thin wavers in different sizes. The temper seems to be fine since the bars release nicely from the mold after I take them out of the fridge. But the bars often have slight blemishes (You might call them cooling marks??). It's not cacao butter stains, just spots or lines where there is a little less shine. Often it's only visible when I look at the bar under a bright light, but for me, it's just not perfect. And it's frustrating because I don't know what causes it. I work with Felchlin molds that I wash with warm water, dry with soft towels and clean with cotton before each use. Before I pour chocolate in the mold, I heat the mold with the hot air blower so it reaches the same temperature as the tempered chocolate. The blemishes are worst when I make bars with the Bolivian "wild" 68% -couverture from Felchlin. When working with the 65% Maracaibo Clasificado or the Organic 74% from Felchlin, the bars look much better. I also have less issues with milk chocolate.
I tried different things to solve the issue:
-Left the filled mold in room temperature for about 2 to 5 minutes before putting it in the fridge for about 30 minutes
-Put the mold in the fridge immediately after filling it with chocolate
-Put the mold on a cold sheet pan with a parchment paper
-Put the mold on a warmer sheet pan with and without parchment paper
None of these "remedies" solved the problem. I have attached a photo for illustration.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Any food testing lab will do it. Silliker, covance, etc. Many universities will have the equipment as well.
I would like to have the water activity , or the AW, of my chocolate products tested. Do you know where I can find a lab that does this? I live in Wisconsin so anywhere in the Midwest would be good.
Thanks!
Daniel
Good point about asking people who don't buy from me. I must be doing something right because the large part of my clientele order again and again.
Piped ganache is my thing , indeed, and I am good at it and I love doing it, 'nuf said I guess! Passion sells.
I ask here because I know you are in the same business and I value opinion from professionals.
If I can offer my two bits...
For fun, and maybe something "exclusive" to offer your customers do what you're passionate about.
For business, don't bother asking people on this forum what you should do. They/we aren't your customers. ...And don't ask your customerseither. Theyalready like your product. Poll people in your area who don't buy from you what you should do. After all, they are the ones who should be paying your rent but aren't.
I would do what you are passionate about. If pipedganache is your thing and you are good at it go for it. People love to support someone who is passionate about their craft. Many chocolatiers in the usa do use color. There are a few who don't use color and are quite successful because their chocolate is excellent. I especially admire Lionel Clement of Nuubia Chocolate.
I recommend keeping them 10 days tops but I've tasted some after two weeks and they are fine... yeah I was looking at natural coloured cocoa butter... Thanks for the response, I'm going to have a look at what you are doing.
You can buy natural colored cocoa butter. I do both molded and enrobed pieces. With whipped ganache, don't you have a short shelf life?
I moved to the USA a year ago and started my business selling what I consider to be "european style" chocolates. I learned early in my career to pipe whipped ganache for dipping and I've kind of stuck to that technique and being in the USA discovered that it's a method not commonly used ( from what I've been able to find online at least) . From that perspective I assumed I would have something novel on offer. My experience here is showing me that the trend toward molded and colored products is what sells. I've considered changing my technique but not sure if that's wise seeing as I have a name for "no artificial colors" and purely molded bonbons are a little too old-school in my opinion. Is a divided assortment too sloppy? Some molded and some enrobed? Or do you think it should be one or the other? Curious what you all think...
Sorry but the description is pretty clear in the very first line: Brazil Dark Dipping Chocolate (in the chocolate industry also known as Melting Chocolate or Confectioner's Coating) 25 lbs.
I see nothing misleading there.
Hello Justin,
Thank you very much for these details.
However, I cannot see on your product presentation page at http://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/wholesale-bulk-chocolate-brazil-dark-dipping-chocolate-melting-chocolate-25lb-p-186.html?osCsid=3191015b776c997a1fedb96b0dda4df4
the word " compound" and nowhere does it say that this product contains something that is not chocolate like palm butter . Furthermore confusing to me, it says that it is like couverture but only does not require tempering - "Santa Barbara Chocolate's Dark Dipping Chocolate works just like a couverture chocolate but the only difference is that it doesn't require tempering."
You are right, Palm butter is not evil, Brazialin cacao may be of high quality and of course there is a market for this product, considering its non-tempering characteristics and its price/quality ratio.
If we agree on this, why not clearly describe every ingredients in your product. Most chocolate bars detail what they are made of, including that they've been made on machines that sometimes handle nuts. I am not the only one to beleive that the only way to build trust is through full disclosure.
Sincerely,
Alek
Hi Alek,
My name is Justin and I work at Santa Barbara Chocolate Company, and we clearly state that this is a compound coating in our write-up, also known as confectioner's coating. In no way have we omitted the truth or tried to be dishonest. There is a definite need for this type of product in manufacturing and we do our very best to satisfy our customers and we hope to gain you as a happy customer.
The Santa Barbara Chocolate product known as Brazilian Dipping Chocolate is not a cocoa butter based couverture chocolate. It is technically known as confectioner's coating. We make it using cocoa powder produced in Brazil from 100% top quality Manuas cacao. The cocoa butter has been replaced with palm butter. The palm butter is not hydrogenated and there are no artificial ingredients in our recipe. We made it to be as natural and as close as possible to our real chocolate cocoa butter couvertures (there are many pure chocolates to choose from on our site). We offer the Brazilian Dipping Chocolate as a convenient alternative for pastry chefs and confectioner's who are looking for a great tasting chocolate alternative that does not require tempering.
Sincerely,
Justin
Hi Alek,
My name is Justin and I work at Santa Barbara Chocolate Company, and we clearly state that this is a compound coating in our write-up, also known as confectioner's coating. In no way have we omitted the truth or tried to be dishonest. There is a definite need for this type of product in manufacturing and we do our very best to satisfy our customers and we hope to gain you as a happy customer.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Justin
http://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/wholesale-bulk-chocolate-brazil-dark-dipping-chocolate-melting-chocolate-25lb-p-186.html
Hi Alek,
My name is Justin and I work at Santa Barbara Chocolate. Pleasure to meet you.
The Santa Barbara Chocolate product known as Brazilian Dipping Chocolate is not a cocoa butter based couverture chocolate. It is technically known as confectioner's coating. We make it using cocoa powder produced in Brazil from 100% top quality Manuas cacao. The cocoa butter has been replaced with palm butter. The palm butter is not hydrogenated and there are no artificial ingredients in our recipe. We made it to be as natural and as close as possible to our real chocolate cocoa butter couvertures (there are many pure chocolates to choose from on our site). We offer the Brazilian Dipping Chocolate as a convenient alternative for pastry chefs and confectioner's who are looking for a great tasting chocolate alternative that does not require tempering.
Sincerely,
Justin
