Forum Activity for @Reneelg

We're scaling up our manufacturing and no longer need our molds (purchased from Micelli Chocolate Mold Company).  We're asking $8 a tray ($16 a book on the small molds.

SMALL MOLDS are
egg shaped custom book molds, 2.5-3.0 gram per mold. 54 cavities (9X6) per book, poly carbonate with post and anchor set up, no magnets. 
440 trays (220 books)

LARGE MOLDS are
.95" diameter hemispheres, 5 gram per cavity, 24 cavities per tray (8X3), poly carbonate 
210 trays

Please email me if you're interested and I will send pictures. rlmck72@gmail.com

I will agree with that.

It was just a general statement that acidity from the liquor could or should be removed during conching.

Not necessarily.  That depends entirely on which acids were formed during fermentation and the type of equipment you have.  Not all are volatile, and not all conching is created equal.

That acidic part of tase/flavour should be removed during conching leaving just the fruity notes.

If you're not looking to temper the chocolate - simply melt it, then two stock pots will easily do what you need.  I've melted thousands of pounds of cocoa butter this way.

One large stock pot holds the water, and the other (slightly smaller) sits in it with the water going up the side of the smaller one about 6 inches.

This is simply the layman's version of a $8,000 water jacketed Savage Melter.

You don't even need the expensive kind of stock pots.  Jut make sure they are stainless steel.  I think mine cost me about $50 each 7 years ago.

No need to buy a fancy machine if you are just melting chocolate.

Brad

Hello Everyone,

Does anyone have a Nutricional Fact sheet on Cocoa Beans?  I know that it varies based on origin and fat content but if anyone can post here Nutrutional Fact sheets for both Roasted and Raw Cocoa Beans that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a better source for organic and ethically sourced cocoa liquor/mass. The one I'm currently using is a mix of Peruvian criollo, trinitario, and cn51, but it's pretty acidic. If anyone has experience and suggestions, I'd really appreciate it!

Thank you,

A relatively new chocolatier,

Stephen

FYI, have been using the 12kg Mol d'Art melter for a while now and love it!

Perfect, all the best.

Thank you, Dirke! We use Nashville Wraps for a lot of boxes now. But I hadn't heard of Glerup. Thanks for the referral. They look great!

Adding any liquid oil will accomplish this for you - the exact amount of which will be up to you to decide in terms of achieving the right consistency.  Note:  liquid oils are typically more susceptable to oxidation than solid oils, and you'll want to watch that, especially in your hot environment.  I might suggest a coconut or palm fraction to begin with.

There actually is - there're a number of patents on it, and major companies are using it in india as we speak.  The issue for you is that, as a small buyer of chocolate, you're not going to have access to any of these.  Appropriately packaged product will be your friend, but that's only half of your battle - for as you well know the thousands of shopes that your courrier will delivery to will also not be 'thermally attractive' to your chocolate - so ensuring it arrives to them in good condition will be your first (solvable) issue - the next(and harder one) will be what to do once it arrives to them....

use suitable packaging like ice packs along your packing within thermocol boxes.

Can anyone help me make chocolate paste that doesnot hardens like chocolate and can be used to fill in the chocolate shell like a ganache (but without using dairy cream)

I have heard the name of TTM molds and shunda molds they make both polycarbonate and acrylic molds. Acrylic molds tend to crack over time but polycarbonate molds are made for commercial purpose.

Hi @don-holt i am interested in few molds would like to know what is the weight of a piece in grams.

Look at Glerup revere or nashville wraps.com they have a good selection of rigid boxes

Have you tried Glerup revere or nashville wraps? Not sure if they have something like that but it might be worth looking

I have a soup kitchen size double boiler with an extra pot. Use twice. Great for someone who want to melt chocolate or start with a large volume then a small tempering machine. Like new. Let know if your interested

 double boiler.jpg - 4KB

240v 50Hz single phase. Two years old.

located in New Zealand.

$12,999 NZD

 IMG_3620.jpg - 471KB

User refurbished water jacketed colloid mill for sale.  Unit has new v-belts, upgraded electrical compenents and an extra long power cord installed, used only a handful of times.  

We used this mill to make nut butters but it is well suited for small batch cocoa liquor production! We have also used for the unit for chocolate flavor development, this is best suited for chocolates with high fat content or added emulsifiers.

Throughput is dependent on inputs, we were running around 15 lbs of nut butter per hour.

Electric: 110v 60hz 18 amp motor
Price: $2,000

We are located on Long Island, NY.  The mill is available for pick up, we are also willing to ship.

 colloidmill.jpg - 151KB

Hi Aura, this item has been sold.  I'm sorry!

julie@sibusura.com

Can you send along your contact info?  I'm in Maryland, too.

I've been informed by my FDA inspector, that starting in August next year (2016), all wholesale food companies need to have logs of all production codes that are used in a production batch of all products created for wholesale use.  So another words...Each time we create a small batch of truffles (for example) I have to keep track of the product code (and invoice number and date) of the chocolate used, the cream used, the flavorings used, and any other food item (cocoa butter, decorations) that are used to create that batch of truffles.  Then I need to give this one batch of truffle a production code that I create that somehow is all logged into a program (computer or paper trail) that I will be able to print out and hand all the files to the inspector when they come for inspection again.  I also have to keep track of which customer receives this batch of truffles.  It is like I need 1 person who does nothing but log in the production codes and keep track of everything on a computer program. 

Does anyone have a computer program to keep track of these production batches and make it easier to adhere to the new FDA guidelines? 

very interested

interested sent you an email

my email is aura@ambrosiapastry.com

please email me so we can discuss further.  

We owned two Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores which are now closed and we have the following equipment for sale:

Hilliard's 6-Inch Coater  $7,900

Hilliard's Little Dipper (Have 4)   $750 each

Granite Fudge Table with fudge bars  $750

Savage Brothers Electric Candy Stove w/copper kettle and maple kettle stand $3,900

IMC Digital Candy Thermometer Model 769-NX $350

Weigh-tronix SC 321T 100 Ingredients Scale  $200

Weigh-tronix 6720-15 POS scale (Have 4)   $150 each

For more information or if interested please call 308-440-3604 

Aha, maybe the friend is thinking of compound chocolate and not realizing I use pure cacao. Thanks!

The real story here lies in the mechanization of chocolate bar wrapping machinery. David is correct that most bars have a taper to them and when running bars through a commercial wrapping machine, the bars are levated from the infeed conveyor up into the foil and label already cut from rol stock as part of the machine's operation. The bar and wrapping material is then forced upward through a box to initiate the folding. If the bar was introduced to the foil and paper 'bottom up' the taper would not accept the folding action correctly. When folding by hand anything goes but when it comes to machinery this is the only way to achieve a tight and form fitting wrap.

Thanks,

Hi. My name is Jim Greenberg and I co-own Union Confectionery Machinery Company.

We buy, sell and rebuild all machinery in this space and have a 103-year old family legacy and customers in over 100 countries.

If you need high quality used equipment, seek advice on start up or confectionery manufacturing in general, or have equipment to sell just let me know thanks!

The mold should be at or just below the temperature of the tempered chocolate you're using.  If it cools to quickly you can see bloom as type 4 or even 3 crystals will form.  How much depends on the size, percent, and dispersion of the seed.  Chocolate should always cool slow enough to only allow type 5 crystals to continue to grow.  People commonly see swirling on the chocolate surface using molds that are too cool.

However using compound coating using a fat that only crystallizes in one form it may work as you want to cool much faster than chocolate.

With shell molding, some will chill the already set chocolate shell to allow you to fill with a warmer filling so you do not detemper the shell.  But chilling too much may allow some condensate to form on the outside, bringing on sugar bloom. 

What does the FBM do

Curious if anyone has experience with this as a friend is trying to convince me this is the best method. Chilling the mold in ice slush (eep?!) and filling the mold using a pastry bag and a tiny tip. I have been making chocolate for years and do not feel this would work as the chocolate would be set too fast and have bubbles, and th small tip would clog. But am admittedly self taught, so while I suspect my friend is a bit confused on the matter but just thought I would ask some others to settle the discussion. 

I tried this ice slush in a tray years ago to make shells for cherry filled chocolates... when I had no idea what I was doing and it was nearly impossible to keep water out of the mold. May also have been the way I was donig it. I have settled on either spooning or using a squeeze bottle to fill mold while tapping out bubbles and then cooling after the molds are full, but not freezing due to the condensation.

We are currently selling our FBM machine. Excellent condition.

Suitable for those using couvature or for bean-to-bar makers who add

cacao butter.

Please e-mail Ryann at orders@fineandraw.com for more details!

Many thanks,

FINE & RAW

- See more at: https://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/group_discuss/985/fbm-chocolate-laboratory-machine-for-sale#sthash.bJxF5R7c.dpuf

Roasting temperatures are not typically given out by commercial businesses. I would advise experimenting until you find something you like.

For Sale: FBM Compatta Tempering machine, 12kg bowl

$9,500

Located in St. Louis, MO

Pickup or I will ship at your cost for packing and shipping

email me: timw (at) gmail dot com

-        220V 60hz. (3 phase + earth) 60kW

-        Continuous tempering process

-        Night cycle

-        Electronic dosing device with repetitions

-        Removable screw pump

-        Switch to reverse run of screw pump (unload chocolate)

-    Vibrating table

 fbm plate.jpg - 161KB

Hi,

I am searched around the site and cannot find a comparison on the Behmore 1600 Plus and a traditional oven. The reason I am looking for such a comparision is because I have recently moved into a new place and the oven is absolute crap. The temp is always 50-90F above the indicated turn dial temp. I have only roasted a few batches and each time I have to literally sit by the oven, alternating between turning it on and off and opening the door to vent it. This is the only way I can keep the temperature within a 20F range. 

So I am looking for another option. It is a rental unit so I do not want to buy an oven or hack up the current one. The only thing I can seem to find is the Behmore 1600 PLUS. It looks really nice, priced a little high for me, but overall looks like a good machine. My only problem with it is I do not know the roasting temperatures! So evenually when I have a commerical space I will not be able to accurately transfer my roasting times into a bigger capicity. Maybe I am wrong about this?

Thoughts? Is it worth the money for a Behmore and control over temp? or should I just sit by the oven? Any thoughts?

There is no one temperature for roasting beans.  It depends on several factors such as the beans being over or underfermented, the type/source of the beans, and the type of flavor you are trying to achieve.  Looking to toast or roast.  Each lot of beans should be tested to develop the best flavor profile - what you're looking for.  Because of this, if you ask 10 people the best temp, you'll get 12 answers and they can all be right.

Hi Danielle,

I converted a commercial rotisserie into a drum roaster and it works well. I set the roasting temperature  to 300 deg. F and I typically roast for 55 minutes. I do not adjust the temperature when nearing the end of the cycle but I do turn off the heat when done and cool the drum while it is rotating (with the beans in it) using a conventional house fan for about ten to fifteen minutes. I don't know what type of roaster you are using but this process seems to do a great job for me.

Sarah,

    You can get red beet, annatto, tumeric powders with ease on teh internet, but just like Clay said, they will not subsitute for luster and are best used as mixed or steeped into white chocolate and or cocoa butter.