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Post by Brad on Sept 13, 2018 14:02:20 GMT -5
For the benefit of others who might be reading this thread: making silk does NOT require expensive equipment, you can make it using a low cost sous-vide machine purchased off amazon. See John's info on this here: chocolatealchemy.com/silk/#cocoa-butter-silk-introThe first line of the Alchemist's post referred to above is "Silk is just tempered cocoa butter." Tempering cocoa butter so that you can add it to cocoa butter to temper cocoa butter is silly and redundant. It's just as silly as making ice cubes to add to water that you're going to freeze to make ice. If you're working with a lot of chocolate throughout the day, simply heat two bowls of chocolate. One bowl you will temper and use as your working bowl. The second holds chocolate that you have melted and are holding at about 96 degrees. As you draw down on your working bowl, simply stop for a moment, add the same quantity of the warm, decrystalized chocolate to top it up, stir for about 5 minutes and go back to work. You can continue to replenish your working chocolate all day doing this. Again: no need for extra equipment whether it's cheap off of Amazon or not.
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Post by Ben on Sept 14, 2018 10:25:47 GMT -5
Can we move along from this argument? All of the points have been made both here and in other threads. Tempering can be done in many ways. Some find silk useful and some think it's unnecessary. Rehashing it isn't adding anything to the discussion.
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Post by Brad on Sept 14, 2018 13:30:51 GMT -5
Uhhhh... Ben, the question at the start of the thread was answered in the first post. The DISCUSSION as you so put it developed because Siva asked about the need to make silk in the first place, and then you chimed in about the EZTemper. All I did was point out the redundancy of using tempered cocoa butter to create tempered cocoa butter and refute the baseless arguments in favour of wasting time creating silk in the first place.
There's nothing to move on to because my argument can't be refuted sensibly and the original question was answered.
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Post by Ben on Sept 15, 2018 12:39:07 GMT -5
Siva never asked about the need to make silk, but rather had some questions about the process of making silk (why use more silk to temper cocoa butter than you'd use to temper chocolate, etc.). My point is that everyone knows where you stand on the the idea of using silk for tempering (and you're, of course, right that it can be done without silk--I've never used silk myself, for example), and yet some people are still interested in doing so. Continuing to make the same point in every silk-based thread doesn't add anything to the discussion.
The argument of whether silk should be used or not, is a waste of time or not, etc. is the argument that I'm asking we move along from. Or if not, maybe we could start a separate thread instead of rehashing it over and over in every thread about silk.
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Post by bmikiten on Sept 17, 2018 18:40:32 GMT -5
I think that everyone is missing the fact that there are people at all skill levels on this group. Yes, we all know that Brad has his own methods and interests but I would suspect that the vast majority of people here aren't making anywhere close to the volume that some members do in commercial operations. I'm a smaller maker and find that silk is simply more consistent in MY process even in larger production runs. That doesn't mean it right or wrong and I get 100% success. Yes, I can do both methods. For the small scale person (many of whom we all meet at the chocolate shows), silk with a Sous Vide is super simple and works. The EZTemper is a great machine as well if it is in your budget. It is all good and it all makes good snappy chocolate.
Brian Casa Chocolates
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siva
Neophyte
Posts: 4
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Post by siva on Sept 18, 2018 13:06:40 GMT -5
Thank you all for your feedback and sharing. For what it's worth, thus far I"ve only tempered with silk (and by silk I mean silk made by the alchemist's method - not using an EZTemper) but now I am inspired to try doing it with the cooling and heating method - it does sound quite simple!
Hallelujah :-)
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Post by Brad on Sept 18, 2018 15:28:42 GMT -5
Thank you all for your feedback and sharing. For what it's worth, thus far I"ve only tempered with silk (and by silk I mean silk made by the alchemist's method - not using an EZTemper) but now I am inspired to try doing it with the cooling and heating method - it does sound quite simple! Hallelujah :-) Siva: Here's the link to the video. Whatever tempering option you choose, this video has some great tips on how to work with chocolate, and why it behaves the way it does. I truly hope it helps you as it has for the 100's of others who have watched it. www.facebook.com/SoChoklat/videos/1132903850118884/Cheers. Brad
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