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Post by kohsamuichocolatier on Oct 25, 2022 21:36:21 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!
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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 Ben on Oct 26, 2022 7:46:04 GMT -5
There's a small difference in what Chip is making and the silk that is produced by those machines. The machines hold the cocoa butter at a silky soft texture--thus the name silk--while the cocoa butter produced by a sous vide will solidify and need to be grated or cut up. My guess is that the actual silk will mix in a little easier than the solid stuff and could probably be mixed in at a slightly lower temperature, but otherwise there's no real difference. I do wish we could come up with a different name for the solid, tempered cocoa butter to differentiate it from silk, but that's probably not going to happen at this point.
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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 Ben on Oct 26, 2022 11:18:15 GMT -5
Ha! These are great. I like tempering butter in particular.
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Post by kohsamuichocolatier on Oct 27, 2022 3:04:20 GMT -5
There's a small difference in what Chip is making and the silk that is produced by those machines. The machines hold the cocoa butter at a silky soft texture--thus the name silk--while the cocoa butter produced by a sous vide will solidify and need to be grated or cut up. My guess is that the actual silk will mix in a little easier than the solid stuff and could probably be mixed in at a slightly lower temperature, but otherwise there's no real difference. I do wish we could come up with a different name for the solid, tempered cocoa butter to differentiate it from silk, but that's probably not going to happen at this point. I like the sound of the cocoa butter solidifying (basically, crystalizing in temper, correct?), and then just grating it whenever I need it. Ben, are you saying that the "actual silk" doesn't solidify when we remove it from the machines, i.e., from the heat source? I'm asking because I'd rather not be forced to use all of my "silk" immediately after producing it. The quantity needed is so small that it would be most convenient to produce it, store it in temper, and then take a bit of it whenever necessary. Thanks!
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Post by Ben on Oct 27, 2022 14:47:00 GMT -5
With silk, you don't remove it from the machine until you're ready to use it. The machine just holds an exact temperature and keeps the silk silky. If you're just needing a little at a time and don't want to drop $1000 on a machine, 'tempering butter' may be the better option.
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Post by kohsamuichocolatier on Oct 27, 2022 22:25:26 GMT -5
I'm thinking you're right, Ben. Thanks very much!
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