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Post by Alan on Feb 13, 2006 14:06:31 GMT -5
Hello all, I have been thinking about the way my newly made chocolate tastes. I made it using this formulation: chocolatetalk.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=formulations&action=display&thread=1139281065I have decided that part of the reason it tastes so fruity is due to the amount of vanilla I added, which can be tasted quite clearly. In fact it amazes me how strong vanilla actually is. For the formulation listed at the above link, I added 1/3 of a dry whole vanilla bean. I am interested in knowing two things: 1) How much vanilla do most of you add to your chocolate. I guess that some proportion like 1 bean for every X grams of total chocolate weight, would be a useful way to talk about it. 2) What would be the average range for factory made chocolates regarding the amount of vanilla added? I assume that some makers add much more than others, and some use better quality vanilla than others, not to mention the fact that some makers use the man-made vanillin ( ). I am just trying to get a feel for the general range of the amount of vanilla used in chocolate I have been eating (artisanal and otherwise) compared to what is in mine currently. Thank you for your input, Alan
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Post by Alan on Feb 14, 2006 20:15:29 GMT -5
Dear all,
Well, in one of S. Beckett's books I found a number of formulations and the vanilla added ranged from as low as .04% to .2 % of the total product weight.
It seems that I added somewhere around .08% vanilla to my last batch, which is about in the mid-range for what occurs in the different formulations in his book.
So, though the vanilla flavor seems pretty obvious to me, it doesn't seem I've over done it from the perspective of what is usually done...and it tastes pretty good, so I think I might stick right around that percentage.
Now here's a question, has anyone ever added salt to their chocolate? That is another thing added in some of Beckett's cited formulations. Interesting....
Alan
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Post by Sebastian on Feb 15, 2006 7:57:26 GMT -5
All the time. Again, as with vanilla, the goal isn't necessarily to add so much that it tastes salty, but to use it as a taste modifier to smooth out and round out the flavors. IMO, if you taste salt, you've added too much. Tyipcally added more to milks than darks.
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Post by sugaralchemy on Feb 25, 2006 16:03:42 GMT -5
Salt is a very potent flavor modifier. Protein has a certain "saltiness" to it that is synergistic with salt (partially due to free glutimate and other umami stimulating components), so adding a very low level of salt to a milk or white chocolate would accentuate the milk characteristics and possibly allow for a lower level of milk solids. Salt is also capable of masking bitterness to some extent, even at low levels in sweet applications. Use more and it cuts down on bitterness, so a little bit may also help round out the more mild, gentle chocolates. You may read more about umami here: www.umamiinfo.com/what_exactly_is_umami?/I believe the role of umami in sweet applications is poorly documented but likely to prove both important and useful.
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Post by Alan on Feb 28, 2006 9:41:09 GMT -5
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Post by sugaralchemy on Mar 1, 2006 4:57:00 GMT -5
That is an excellent resource! I don't think I've seen anywhere else with prices that low! I'm fairly sure that I will have to be trying some of their products... I can never get enough delicious vanilla flavor.
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Post by Brad on Mar 1, 2006 15:04:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the information on the vanilla beans. I have one (maybe) obvious question: What is the shelf life for the 1 lb of Vanilla beans? I'm not quite ready to make (or sit down and eat ) 100+ pounds of chocolate! If it will last a while (like a year) that might be an option.
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 1, 2006 15:10:25 GMT -5
The beans have been soaked in ethanol during processing, so they're moisture content will be fairly low. Keep 'em cool, dry, and in the dark and they'll keep for a while. As with all fresh foods, the longer you keep them the more they degrade. If you start to see crystallization on the surface of the beans, that's a sign that they're aging and you may want to replenish them (the crystals are vanillin - natural vanilla is 80-90% natural vanillin).
Alternatively, do this - take those beans you don't think you'll use for chocolate, slice 'em open lengthwise, and put them in a container of vodka. Put that bottle away and let it sit for a few months, and you'll have a very nice tasting alcohol. Use it for drinking or cooking.
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Post by Alchemist on Mar 1, 2006 15:15:11 GMT -5
I am going to make a polite request (and I am not upset Alan).
I would appreciate that competing product link not be posted. I think you can understand in principal why I would make that request.
I appreciate wanting to find a good source of products. How about if you do, pass the information along privately.
Thanks.
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Post by Alan on Mar 1, 2006 16:53:06 GMT -5
I am going to make a polite request (and I am not upset Alan). I would appreciate that competing product link not be posted. I think you can understand in principal why I would make that request. I appreciate wanting to find a good source of products. How about if you do, pass the information along privately. Thanks. Oops, sorry John. It didn't cross my mind for some reason. I'll be mindful of that in the future. At any rate, since you have probably sourced a number of different varieties of vanilla, what have you learned about their flavor profiles and qualities? I don't know much about the different types, but I recall hearing something about "bourbon vanilla" I think?? Do you know anything about this? Alan
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 1, 2006 19:05:51 GMT -5
It's the common name given to the most popular of vanillas. Like all products, it can be very good or not so good, so simply because something says bourbon on it, don't assume it's top o' the line (same as criollo doesn't automatically imply that it's better). Almost all of it's grown in madagascar (the economics of it are fascinating - at one time in the not so distant past there was essentially a vanilla 'cartel' that ruled the worlds vanilla supply - they had such a strong hold on it that the world bank stopped lending money to madagascar until they addressed it...). I'm not positive on this point, but i think the reason it got it's name bourbon is because it's a critical flavor used in the development of fine alcohols.
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Post by sugaralchemy on Mar 2, 2006 2:29:09 GMT -5
For what it is worth, "Bourbon" refers to a region and/or a process for processing vanilla beans that developed in that region. Bourbon vanilla comes from a certain cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean, including Madagascar. I believe other islands are included in the term "Bourbon" but I'm pretty sure the definition varies a little depending on who you ask. You will also see "Bourbon-style" vanilla beans which are not from that region but are processed in the same way.
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Post by Alan on Mar 12, 2006 11:53:56 GMT -5
Dear all,
Speaking of vanilla, I notice that some people use the whole bean and some just scrape out the insides. Which is it that you choose to do? In my last batch I used the whole bean, and if I recall correctly, Scharffen Berger uses the whole bean as well. Any thoughts?
Alan
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Post by sugaralchemy on Mar 12, 2006 20:48:07 GMT -5
I don't see any reason not to use the whole bean for your application, considering that any process grinding sugar below the threshold for perception of texture is going to make a vanilla bean's bits amazingly tiny, basically invisible even in white chocolate. Using only the specs would just waste vanilla taste. Do note, however, that a lot of commercial chocolate makers actually use vanillin. Vanillin is the ingredient responsible for much - but far from all - of the taste of vanilla. The insanely low cost, dead consistent supply and pricing, and tiny amount required makes vanillin so popular. (Conversely, vanilla varies in quality, is expensive, varies in price, etc...) Furthermore, vanillin is typically worked with as fine crystalline powder, which requires is less trouble than trying to work with fresh vanilla beans that have to be used in a definite time period, and refined down until very fine. Take a look at a random sampling of all the chocolates made with vanillin in this link, or just read the label of your nearest bar of chocolate: froogle.google.com/froogle?btnG=Search&q=vanillin+gourmet+chocolate&lmode=online&cat=542&lnk=catsugg(Sorry, that link is broken by the stupid forum. Please copy and paste the entire URL into your web browser manually)
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Post by Alan on Mar 12, 2006 20:59:48 GMT -5
Thanks.
It makes me wonder why any company would only use the insides then. It seems that it would be a waste of money. Is there some other factor that we aren't taking into consideration?
Alan
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