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Post by Ben on Nov 25, 2013 19:50:50 GMT -5
I just add them slowly over time. Once some of it has become a little liquid it goes a little quicker. But I generally do a little and then come back 10 minutes later or so and add some more. I'd imagine that using the champion to pregrind 30 lbs of nib would take a good while.
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Post by Ben on Nov 25, 2013 14:41:08 GMT -5
Randy: I've looked at a bunch of different ways to pre-grind, but so far the peanut butter grinder is the least expensive option I've found. There are a few pre-grinders specifically intended for cacao, but they're a lot more expensive. Another option is a vertical cutter mixer, but again, they're a lot more expensive.
I used to use one of the peanut butter grinders, but found that it didn't save me much (if any) time. Now, I just add the nibs directly to the melanger. I've done this using small melangers (spectra-11, cocoatown ecgc-12, premiere wonder grinder) as well as using a spectra-40.
I'm planning to try out a small vertical cutter mixer to see if it can speed the process of loading the melanger. I've heard from another maker that they're using one. I'll probably go with a smaller one that would be able to pregrind about a third of a full batch.
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Post by Ben on Nov 21, 2013 14:49:29 GMT -5
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Post by Ben on Nov 18, 2013 10:04:42 GMT -5
Gap's right--cooling can definitely be a problem. Another thing to try is to put the molds on cooling racks and use a fan to blow air over and under them.
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Post by Ben on Nov 7, 2013 8:58:53 GMT -5
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Post by Ben on Nov 6, 2013 12:14:57 GMT -5
Hard lumps of chocolate? If so, I go back to my earlier question of how have you been trying to remelt it?
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Post by Ben on Nov 5, 2013 9:31:19 GMT -5
Sorry, I didn't realize you were talking about sugar crystals. Sugar crystals won't melt when remelting the chocolate. I'm not sure how the sugar would re-crystalize during aging, though. My guess is that they were not fully refined originally.
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Post by Ben on Nov 3, 2013 10:31:13 GMT -5
In my tests, I've had better results with aging in one big block vs. as tempered bars. I haven't had any problems remelting it, though. How have you tried remelting it?
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Post by Ben on Oct 21, 2013 11:28:56 GMT -5
My first guess without having seen the video was that 6oz wasn't enough to generate enough heat. Once it starts bunching up on the rollers, I'd imagine it cools down pretty quickly. Do you have an infrared thermometer to check the temp? When I do test batches of new beans, I try to do at least a pound or two (usually two).
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Post by Ben on Oct 19, 2013 16:30:36 GMT -5
Hi Max. Your video is private, so we can't view it.
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Post by Ben on Oct 16, 2013 18:06:06 GMT -5
It is definitely possible to temper without tabling or using seed. There are a few methods discussed on this forum about it. One of them is called Turbo Tempering, but there are a couple others if I remember correctly. Just look back through this forum and you'll find them.
I used temper in a santha melanger, but I always used seed. I removed one of the wheels and then controlled the temperature using a fan/heater.
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Post by Ben on Oct 14, 2013 18:59:59 GMT -5
Additional cocoa butter is not necessary. You can make chocolate using just nibs & sugar. Pre-warming the bowl, stones and nibs will help the process go smoother, and you'll want to feed the nibs in slowly over time to avoid overwhelming the machine.
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Post by Ben on Oct 9, 2013 8:51:20 GMT -5
I was thinking of filling the space between the wheel inserts with something like mighty putty in the hopes that stuff wouldn't get stuck there.
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Post by Ben on Oct 7, 2013 23:08:09 GMT -5
Hi Randy. I wasn't going to post, because here in Virginia, there is not a requirement that everything be NSF certified, so I haven't gone through this. When the health inspector first checked out my workshop, I was a little nervous about some of my DIY equipment, but it was no problem.
I have spoken with other makers, though, who work in areas where everything has to be NSF approved. One has gone so far as to put some of their equipment through the NSF certification process. It sounded like a relatively painful process.
You're right that there isn't a lot of NSF certified equipment out there for small chocolate makers. I know my Chocovision tempering machine (x3210) is, but my Savage Brothers doesn't appear to be. As far as I know, none of the melangers are NSF certified.
-Ben
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Post by Ben on Oct 7, 2013 13:02:54 GMT -5
That's an awesome grinder!
I'm surprised the weight of the stones didn't generate enough friction to heat it up. How fast does it spin?
I (and I'm sure others) would love to know more about how you built your grinder. Any chance of getting some video?
Thanks, Ben
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