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Post by chadmart1076 on Jan 15, 2014 16:38:39 GMT -5
So, I'm looking into getting into the chocolate hobby, and as such I am looking at machines like the Cocoa Town and Santha grinders. Oh boy are they expensive! So I've been trying to think of a way to make my own... but getting granite wheels and building a machine myself would probably cost a fair amount of money and I may as well buy the machine.
But then I was watching chocolate making videos on YouTube and came across one where the bowl of the grinder didn't have stones in it, it had steel balls in it, with an agitator to move those balls around and grind the nibs to liquor or to mix the ingredients into chocolate, etc... Then I thought that the machine looks an awful lot like a very large stand mixer, and hey, I happen to have an extra one of those hanging around!
My plan is to simply order 100-200 1/2" stainless steel balls, and use them in my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer to refine my chocolate. I fully realize that the mixer is NOT made to run for extended periods of time and this will certainly put a lot of wear on it... but here's the thing, I have an extra! It was starting to slow down in its old age and we put it out in the garage, replacing it with a newer one. In other words, if this kills the thing, it is no big loss, and I can see if I even enjoy making chocolate myself and maybe work on developing some recipes, etc... until I can afford the CocoaTown Melanger.
I do have one concern however, and that is can I buy stainless steel balls from any source? Or is there a particular kind that would be considered "food grade"?
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gap
Apprentice
Posts: 390
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Post by gap on Jan 16, 2014 6:10:40 GMT -5
I have seen people talk about this but know nothing about trying it. However, I have seen it recommended that you run a magnet through your chocolate once its done to get metal fragments that may have come off the balls in the ball mill setup. Curious to see how you find it goes.
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Post by chadmart1076 on Jan 16, 2014 11:11:02 GMT -5
So, it turns out I am going to be able to buy a melanger after all, so I think I'm going with the Cocoa Town machine. Maybe someday when I need more capacity I will try the homemade ball mill.
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drd
Neophyte
Posts: 1
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Post by drd on Jan 18, 2014 18:39:20 GMT -5
I've been using a Cocoa Town melanger for the past year and am very happy with it. The owner (Andal Balu) has been awarded a Fine Chocolate Industry Association award for product innovation. www.finechocolateindustry.org/excellence.php
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Post by leekohlbradley on Mar 29, 2014 8:11:54 GMT -5
Isn't the Cocoa Town melanger just a rebranded Ultra Grinder? It has an identical housing...
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Post by Alchemist on Apr 21, 2014 8:41:29 GMT -5
Yes it is. And watch out if you have any problems with the Cocoa town unit. There is a reason I don't work with the company anymore.
And I'll note that I played with ball mills years ago. To get enough stainless steel balls to do the job it ended up costing way more than a melanger. For that reason alone I stop experimenting as it seemed a dead end path.
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