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Post by krzysiastevens on Mar 2, 2006 7:21:34 GMT -5
That's a good idea, I have a soft brush for cleaning my tempering machine, I'll try that with hot water and no soap.
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Post by sharkman on Mar 23, 2007 3:00:57 GMT -5
Aloha chocolate people! You folks are such a great resource for playing with chocolate. I've been making alot of it out here on the Big Island;mostly because I have more beans than I know what to do with. I'm lacking alot in the tempering and finishing portion of the program because i really haven't practiced. i can add one trick in response to Brad's mold filling tools. I picked up a pair of those plastic ,yellow and red mustard and ketchup containers from Wall-mart{$1.50] and cut the tops to desired flow openings. Now I just fill the bottles through a funnel and go to squeezing. Thanks for all the help Aloha Sharkman
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Post by ripvanwinkle on Dec 22, 2007 8:26:32 GMT -5
Thanks, brad, the 500 ml funnel sounds good. I buy flavors and fragrances for other projects. The one trouble is that even the extracts often have water in them. Yikes! OK for fake xylitol maple syrup but not in chocolate. For molds I have used silicone molds. They do develop "hot spots" - thank you Alchemist - but I get a very glossy sheen on them although the air side is dull. I need to get some 'bar' chocolate forms one day. Optimally I would like to cast <= 1/4 inch pieces with deep grooves for breaking. BUT - how can I get the chocolate to pour flat? When tempered mine tends to be too viscous to self level. The recipe is 35% cocoa butter and 50% xylitol plus a touch less than 1.5% lecithin, trace of vanilla and the remainder of about 13+% Lido whole-milk solids. I am not anxious to get thinning with more cocoa butter but what else. Yeah, I will reduce the Lecithin to 1/2% next. I tried plowing the surface of the molds to level them just to make a mess. Any pointers for this muddling beginner? And. per other posts. I need help in getting Danisco to wake up and give me information about their Minolac2 dry milk powder.
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Post by Brad on Dec 22, 2007 19:37:06 GMT -5
Rip;
You're using WAY too much lecithin.
You shouldn't use more that 0.5% (one third of what you're using right now). If you use more, lecithin will have the opposite effect and actually make your chocolate thicker.
I use about 0.4% and the chocolate lays down just fine.
Brad.
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Post by ripvanwinkle on Dec 22, 2007 20:29:49 GMT -5
brad, Hokay! I will restrain myself next batch. Severely! I wonder if the lower amount will also help soften the final product. I have been staying away from my silicone molds 'cause the thick pieces are not so easy to bite off. Yikes.
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Post by ripvanwinkle on Apr 1, 2008 7:52:44 GMT -5
Now I am a bit worried. I have been "molding" using silicone rubber molds with little prep other than whacking them on the counter to dry them when I take them out of the dishwasher. I daub off any remaining droplets with a dish towel.
I don't coat the molds before dumping the tempered chocolate into them. I have had other things on my mind in these first few batches so I havent spent time inspecting for glossiness but it seems that I get a nice shine, at least on the mold side. Guess I better go inspect.
On the lighter side I like to make thin-sheet chocolate. I do this by ladeling the chocolate onto plastic container lids and into their containers. Interesting to see "Glad" imprinted on a sheet of chocolate! HA! ;D
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Post by joyojoy on Apr 2, 2008 11:57:36 GMT -5
I use the polycarbonate molds as much as possible, too. I clean them by blasting them with my heat gun (it's the type used for shrink-wrapping -- you can get them for about $50) just long enough to melt the chocolate, then I wipe them off with a cotton towel.
By the way, the heat gun is also handy for cleaning up chocolate from most surfaces. A quick blast, followed by a cotton towel or paper towel works great. I also use my heat gun when I'm starting a batch in my Santha. I warm the rollers and drum with it, and also warm up the mixture a bit as it's getting started. Also, when I'm working with tempered chocolate that has started to cool & set, a quick blast from the heat gun raises the temperature a couple of degrees without upsetting the temper. Overall, it's a very handy tool for working with chocolate.
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