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Post by nuage9 on Jul 24, 2023 18:43:12 GMT -5
Hello, I’m completely new to chocolate making. I make my own chocolate using whole dates as sweetener and it turns out really well but it’s a bit taxing on my blender and doesn’t come out as smooth as i’d like. I also want to create my own nut butters (raw and roasted) and again too much effort in my Vitamix. So i was recommended the following refiners: - Premier Tilting Melanger Refiner -11 LBS www.mixandgrind.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/1115/s/premier-tilting-chocolate-melanger-refiner/category/65/- Premier Chocolate Melanger Refiner 8 LBS www.mixandgrind.com.au/premier-wonder-chocolate-melanger-refinerSlight price difference between the two but i don’t mind. I just want to get the best one for my purpose. Not going to be making massive batches. Just the occasional chocolate and maybe grind 1-1.5kg nuts into nut butter. I’ll probably make nut butters more often than chocolate. I just want something sturdy that will do the job. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you
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Post by Ben on Jul 25, 2023 10:48:18 GMT -5
Either of those should work well for you. There's not really a quality difference between the two--just a size difference. If you're only ever doing very small batches, I'd recommend getting the smaller one.
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Post by Ben on Jul 25, 2023 11:52:38 GMT -5
Oops, I should have mentioned that you really don't want to be grinding anything with any moisture with the chocolate. Water and chocolate are not friends and can cause the chocolate to seize. I'm not sure of the moisture level of dates, but they may be a problem. You could experiment with fully drying them first in a dehydrator.
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Post by nuage9 on Jul 26, 2023 3:05:35 GMT -5
Thanks Ben! really appreciate the response. I’d probably turn 1-2kg of nuts into nut butter at most in one go - do you think the small one could handle that? Also probably 3-6 standard size chocolate bars So i understand there’s no difference in terms of power, sturdiness etc? Thanks so much!
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Post by Ben on Jul 26, 2023 8:10:04 GMT -5
Yep, the little one will be able to handle that amount with no problem--with the caveat about the moisture in the dates mentioned in my previous comment, but that's an issue inherent in chocolate making, not in the machine.
The larger one may be a bit more powerful to be able to handle larger batches, but the little ones will have plenty of power. Build quality is the same on both as they're from the same company. I've been running several of the little ones for years.
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Post by nuage9 on Jul 27, 2023 7:54:19 GMT -5
Thanks so much Ben! Just ordered the small version, can’t wait to start using it when it arrives. In terms of dates, a dehydrator is next on my list to purchase so i can dry them up further and use them as sweetener Do you happen to know if it’s possible to temper sugar-free chocolate?
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Post by soseattle on Jul 27, 2023 17:32:04 GMT -5
Technically not "sugar free" since dates do have sugars in them. It would be more accurately be called "refined sugar free" since there would be no refined sugar added to the chocolate. Yes, it is possible to temper chocolate that is sugar free or refined sugar free. I use allulose in my chocolate and can temper it.
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Post by nuage9 on Jul 27, 2023 18:28:13 GMT -5
I know, but refined sugar free seems to also imply things like maple syrup, agave, etc which I also like to avoid. So maybe fruit-sweetened? Haha.
So adding an ingredient such as allulose is crucial for tempering chocolate that’s refined sugar-free?
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Post by Thomas on Jul 28, 2023 10:50:38 GMT -5
You can temper chocolate without sugar. If you make 100% chocolate (i.e. just cocoa beans), it will temper. I suspect you will have trouble with your chocolate if you add any dehydrated fruit in the melanger. Not sure if that is your intention. It would be because there is still moisture in the dehydrated fruit. If your adding pieces of the fruit while molding the tempered chocolate, there will not be an issue.
I would suggest you search for tempering post in this forum. There is lots of information that will help you.
Regards,
Thomas
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Post by soseattle on Jul 28, 2023 18:23:02 GMT -5
I know, but refined sugar free seems to also imply things like maple syrup, agave, etc which I also like to avoid. So maybe fruit-sweetened? Haha. So adding an ingredient such as allulose is crucial for tempering chocolate that’s refined sugar-free? Or date-sweetened. Allulose is a sweetener that can be used instead of sugar to sweeten chocolate. Allulose does not affect blood sugar the way that sucrose does.
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Post by nuage9 on Jul 31, 2023 20:49:49 GMT -5
Thank you both for the help! Definitely have a lot to learn about chocolate making. Meanwhile, i purchased the premier melanger from the website i linked above but turned out to be a scam Looking to buy a refiner in Australia if anyone is in the know…
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Post by nuage9 on Jul 31, 2023 20:52:31 GMT -5
Would anyone recommend this machine by any chance? It’s the only one i can find from a reputable seller (Amazon): Ultra Chocogrind Chocolate Refiner Cocoa Grinder Melanger amzn.asia/d/8CTgBWLIt’s more expensive than the premier but at this point i’m out of options. And i also wonder if it can make nut butter as efficiently as the Premier ones?
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Post by nuage9 on Jul 31, 2023 22:58:42 GMT -5
You can temper chocolate without sugar. If you make 100% chocolate (i.e. just cocoa beans), it will temper. I suspect you will have trouble with your chocolate if you add any dehydrated fruit in the melanger. Not sure if that is your intention. It would be because there is still moisture in the dehydrated fruit. If your adding pieces of the fruit while molding the tempered chocolate, there will not be an issue. I would suggest you search for tempering post in this forum. There is lots of information that will help you. Regards, Thomas Thanks Thomas! Totally know what you mean about dates causing the mixture to seize up. I managed to alleviate this by adding a handful of cashews to the mix. They seem to help emulsify the mixture. Now I know this isn’t traditional chocolate by any means of the word, and I have to keep it in the freezer cause i guess it’s not properly tempered, but it turns out pretty delicious! 😋 I posted some of my experiments on my blog with pictures: revelinplants.com/recipes/vegan-blue-chocolate/revelinplants.com/recipes/vegan-ruby-chocolate/Of course i’d love to improve these recipes even further and properly temper them if possible, if anyone has suggestions how!
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Post by Thomas on Aug 2, 2023 11:28:03 GMT -5
You can temper chocolate without sugar. If you make 100% chocolate (i.e. just cocoa beans), it will temper. I suspect you will have trouble with your chocolate if you add any dehydrated fruit in the melanger. Not sure if that is your intention. It would be because there is still moisture in the dehydrated fruit. If your adding pieces of the fruit while molding the tempered chocolate, there will not be an issue. I would suggest you search for tempering post in this forum. There is lots of information that will help you. Regards, Thomas Thanks Thomas! Totally know what you mean about dates causing the mixture to seize up. I managed to alleviate this by adding a handful of cashews to the mix. They seem to help emulsify the mixture. Now I know this isn’t traditional chocolate by any means of the word, and I have to keep it in the freezer cause i guess it’s not properly tempered, but it turns out pretty delicious! 😋 I posted some of my experiments on my blog with pictures: revelinplants.com/recipes/vegan-blue-chocolate/revelinplants.com/recipes/vegan-ruby-chocolate/Of course i’d love to improve these recipes even further and properly temper them if possible, if anyone has suggestions how! Hi nuage9, I looked at your recipes and the bars looked very nice. Technically, they probably can’t be called chocolate. I don’t think it has a high enough percentage of Cacao to be considered a chocolate. I doubt you will ever be able to temper something like this. Please note that this is not a criticism and I’m sure they taste great. Others on the forum may think differently. -Thomas
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Post by Ben on Aug 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5
Yep, agreed with Thomas. Not really chocolate but sounds tasty.
I also agree that it's probably impossible to temper. The low-ish percentage of cocoa butter, the moisture from the dates, and the fat from the cashews and coconut, are all going to cause problems.
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