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Post by Chip on Mar 8, 2023 8:47:24 GMT -5
Bigger equipment to start. 20lb minimum. Ben, may I please ask what you're using if you're not using stone grinders? I would've bought two roasters and more beans at one time. I'm going to have the opportunity to replace all of my equipment since all of it was lost in the housefire. I also would've purchased more "professional" complementary equipment. A nice tempering machine and a wine cooler for after molding. I also could save money I'm not buying little pieces of equipment that I thought would work, but really don't. Things such as a small plastic, chocolate depositor, a small cement mixer motor to try to make a vibrating table out, an airbrush, and inexpensive flimsy molds. These are just some of the examples of where I would save money. II know there's more but right now I can't think of it.
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Post by Chip on Jan 17, 2023 18:25:29 GMT -5
@ron, Yes I did.
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Post by Chip on Dec 12, 2022 10:19:02 GMT -5
On October 28th my wife and I closed on our "new to us" retirement house. Out in the country, two barns, etc. We moved almost everything over to the new house including all of my chocolate making supplies. DCM 20, DCM 10 tilt (x2), all my moulds, supplies......everything. The basement was perfect for making my new chocolate kitchen! Stainless steel double commercial sink, 2 stainless tables, loads of built in cupboards, etc. Then two days before Thanksgiving the house burned down. Everything is a total loss. I lost every single piece of my chocolate making "stuff." We will have to rebuild, but that will take up to a year.....or more. We are now living in a rented condo (the insurance company is paying) and there is no room for even the smallest of any chocolate equipment. Overall I do give thanks because no one was hurt. My wife was at work and I was at our home we sold packing up some last minute stuff to go to the new house. That morning on my way out I decided (and I now know it was Divine intervention) to take my two labradors with me. If I had left them, they would have perished. So all in all it will be a PITA to start over, and I'm pondering not starting over, but I give thanks that we found a place to live, that no one including first responders got hurt, and that stuff can be replaced, but people and pets can't. Hang in there my fellow amateur and professional (Ben, Brad, etc.) chocolatiers! Have a safe and Merry Christmas, a blessed New Year, Happy Holiday season, Happy Hanukkah, and just overall blessings. Chip
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Post by Chip on Oct 26, 2022 8:53:15 GMT -5
There are a few companies making small machines that turn cocoa butter into "silk," basically by tempering it over several hours at a temperature that maximizes the Type V crystal content. As these machines seem quite expensive (from $500-1000), I'm wondering whether I could achieve the same end by using a much less expensive small desktop laboratory incubator, since it appears to do the same thing, i.e., allow one to set a precise temperature and maintain it for several hours. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge that might shed light on whether my hunch might be right? Thanks! Ben, Tempering Butter Solid Silk Silk mini-nuggets silk chunks silk gravel LOLOLOL
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Post by Chip on Oct 26, 2022 6:57:58 GMT -5
kohsamuichocolatier, I use a simple, inexpensive sous vide and a large container. I vacuum seal regular cocoa butter, all chopped up, put it in the water and let it "cook" for 24-36 hours. Comes out perfect. I followed these instructions: chocolatealchemy.com/how-to-make-cocoa-butter-silk?rq=silkI purchased my sous vide on Amazon for around $75 back in 2018. Don't know if they are still that price, but I know they get pretty pricey. John also sells one. It's not as difficult as it looks. I highly recommend the vacuum sealer however.
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Post by Chip on Oct 2, 2022 14:47:54 GMT -5
Ben, Do you know who is the owner/top level admin is for the board? Is it John?
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Post by Chip on Oct 1, 2022 17:30:16 GMT -5
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Post by Chip on Oct 1, 2022 6:37:43 GMT -5
Ben, I will never understand why someone wants to spam the users of a bulletin board hundreds of times. It serves no purpose. But I am not a scammer/spammer, and I know they do it all of the time. Some use the site as a home base to spam the entire internet. I maintain two websites but use Wordpress. For those sites I use an add-on called "New User Approve" and another called "Ban Hammer." They both work as intended! Good luck!
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Post by Chip on Sept 30, 2022 8:35:37 GMT -5
Hundreds of emails! I would be glad to help but I am not a moderator.
Whoever this is, is using a bot to continue to scam everyone on the board.
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Post by Chip on Jun 18, 2022 6:50:31 GMT -5
Buy some couverture chocolate from your local store or Amazon. Callebaut makes a fine couveture.
Slowly melt it in your microwave; put some in a small glass bowl and zap it for 30 seconds at first, then you will see if you can increase the time. BE CAREFUL not to burn the chocolate.
I find the easiest way to temper is to use "seed" that you can buy from this site. Or search the site for Brad's two bowl method of tempering.
Take it out, temper it, stir it, let it get down to pouring temp and put it into any type of mold you want.
Chip
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Post by Chip on May 24, 2022 9:41:16 GMT -5
Yes, please let us know!
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Post by Chip on May 16, 2022 17:56:29 GMT -5
caffeinator69, I am in Connecticut, where are you? I have a 4 year old, WELL USED Diamond Custom Machines 10 pound tilting melange that I would be willing to let go for $100 plus shipping. I will even throw in a couple new replacement stones, a few different stone holders, and two large large drums and a small drum. However, all of this will weigh quite a bit so shipping will be pricey. You can get an 8 pound non-titling one for $300 new from DCM online. It also has free shipping.
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Post by Chip on Mar 24, 2022 9:46:38 GMT -5
I've even heard anecdotes that the chocolate tasted *better* when the beans were two years old compared to the fresh beans. As have I! I know that some beans will be like fine wine and get better with age. . Now, if I could only adapt that to my body's aging process. LOLOL
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Post by Chip on Mar 21, 2022 10:27:47 GMT -5
Mitch30, The timing of your batch has many reasons, and you have to find the one YOU like. 1. To offload some of the nasty aromatics that are naturally inherent in cocao beans 2. To totally combine all of the ingredients and make a batch as smooth as possible without adding artifical chemical to achieve the great "mouth feel" 3. To season the chocolate for a particular flavor, aroma and taste. I'm sure Ben will have more intelligent answers, but that is my take on it. However, I've heard of people running batches for 72+ hours. IMHO that would tend to make a dull, lifeless and bland chocolate. I am sure there are some rather astringent beans out there that would need that much time, but I've never run across them. The longest I have run a batch is 36 hours, and that was for a stubborn bean I had.
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Post by Chip on Mar 20, 2022 6:51:57 GMT -5
torch, Thank you. It was just a shot in the dark but I'm glad it worked. Happy chocolatiering!
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