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Post by Chip on May 3, 2024 11:21:16 GMT -5
The bottom line is that no substitute comes anywhere close to the quality of cocoa butter, especially at 100% replacement (I use 3% sunflower oil in my vegan milk bars to replacement the milk fats). You would be better off raising your prices 200%, because if you swapped your cocoa butter for shea or palm etc, nobody would want to buy your chocolate anymore. The only bar I can think of is the now discontinued Caramac, which used palm, its very sticky and very soft, and was never really marketed as a white chocolate. Absolutely spot on. I once, and only once, tried to use palm oil and it was a total disaster. Cocoa butter is cocoa butter.
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Post by Chip on May 3, 2024 7:33:15 GMT -5
This I do not know. I know Ben has used peanuts so maybe he can chime in. BTW, if you haven't "met" Ben or Brad, they are the resident experts on all things chocolate. . Two really good sources that 99% of the time have the answers.
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Post by Chip on May 2, 2024 7:26:33 GMT -5
Hi torch! I use the following for my PB dark: 650g liquor 15g cocoa butter 300g sugar 35g fat included PB For my milk I use: 300g liquor 300g sugar 200g milk 100g cocoa butter 100g fat included PB Sometimes I run into the following: It's too thick: add more cocoa butter, 10g at a time It's too thin: add more liquor 10g at a time The finished product tempers well, but is softer than a normal non-PB chocolate. I also have an advantage of a "professional taste tester" in my lovely bride of 48 years. . If she approves, then it is good to go. If you try it, please keep me posted.
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Post by Chip on Apr 30, 2024 10:56:06 GMT -5
vkeller, 48 hours is a long time, but not "too long" to have the chocolate in the melange. I've accidentally (memory!!) had some in for up to 72 hours! I am thinking there is something with your formulation. Did any water somehow get into the batch? It sounds like somethings off but the graininess *may* be due to inadvertent water. I would write this batch off and try it again and see if it happens again.
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Post by Chip on Apr 27, 2024 18:03:47 GMT -5
I used 1/2 whole milk powder and 1/2 heavy cream powder. My fat content per calculations was around 52%. torch , Yes! I had to add about 10% more cocoa buttter to make up for the powder, but it was deliscious. I have also used just plain peanut buttter as well. I've tried the "Jif" stuff and the ground peanuts only pb, and can't tell the difference. When you use regular PB, you need to decrease your butter a tad, not a lot, just a little. So what was the final percentage of the bar with the heavy cream included? I’m really trying to get a better handling of my percentages since my last failed attempt at a creamed chocolate bar. Did you go full heavy cream only?
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Post by Chip on Apr 24, 2024 18:00:47 GMT -5
vangogh, Sorry, but I have had 8 people from my close family suffer terrible gas and (some had) diarrhea from sugar alcohols. Xylitol, erythritol, and other "ols." I made 5 pounds of chocolate and took it to my church for my parishioners who asked for them. All 12 of them came back with "terrible gas" stories, some of them absolutely hilarious! So that's 20 people I personally know that have suffered these after effects. Sucralose and splenda, as well as some of the other plant based non-cane sugars seem to do quite well with most people. I am not arguing the negative impact of cane sugar at all. I am simply stating that for many people, sugar alcohols cause gastrointestinal distress. From my, albeit small, personal sampling I stand by that statement. And I am 70, am 5'11" tall and weigh 180 pounds. I regularly use splenda in my tea, coffee and baked goods I make. Have I had health issues? Absolutely. Many of them associated with my time after being drafted in 1971. One last note: I am not saying that all people suffer from adverse effects from sugar alcohols. Maybe it's just the crowd I hang out with. Another thought: sugar alcohols often cause explosive gastrointestinal results. Sorry but your statement is a classic misrepresentation of the facts, as evidenced by the words "often" and "explosive". Most sugar alcohols rarely cause any impact whatsoever when consumed in reasonable amounts, which is why they are now prevalent in countless products at every major grocery store. The few that are linked to varying degrees of mild upset like Xylitol only cause these issues for a subset of people and only above moderate quantities. Meanwhile sugar is indisputably linked to diabetes -- a disease now affecting 38.4 million Americans or 11.6% of the population. Diabetes is currently rated #8 in the top 10 causes of death in the U.S. I just had half of an excellent Erythritol chocolate bar after lunch yesterday and zero, zip, zilch GI impact. Also had sucralose-sweetened tea for breakfast, same w/coffee for lunch, an aspartame Mt. Dew on ice after dinner, and finally a big bowl of Maltitol-sweetened Bryer's sugar-free vanilla ice cream for desert with splendra-sweetened sugar free whip cream and the remaining half of that chocolate bar crushed and sprinkled on top. I had precisely zero GI issues at any point during the day or night, and that entire routine is roughty what I've consumed daily for years. I'm 46, weigh 145lbs, I'm tall/athletic, muscular, and in good health aside from controlled asthma that predated the sugar-free era. Meanwhile my Dad who drank sugar sodas and ate sugar deserts was already obese and diagnosed with diabetes by age 40. He still struggles with diabetes sometimes, but far less now that he's spent a few years on a keto diet and only consumes sugar alcohol products. Cheers.
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Post by Chip on Apr 21, 2024 16:02:48 GMT -5
torch, Yes! I had to add about 10% more cocoa buttter to make up for the powder, but it was deliscious. I have also used just plain peanut buttter as well. I've tried the "Jif" stuff and the ground peanuts only pb, and can't tell the difference. When you use regular PB, you need to decrease your butter a tad, not a lot, just a little.
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Post by Chip on Apr 17, 2024 10:11:51 GMT -5
Hi tszp! I would melt the cocoa butter before putting it in the grinder How long are you grinding? More grinding gives you a smoother outcome and better incorporates all the ingredients. Does it thicken up after sitting?
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Post by Chip on Apr 13, 2024 16:26:12 GMT -5
Another thought: sugar alcohols often cause explosive gastrointestinal results.
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Post by Chip on Apr 7, 2024 6:35:18 GMT -5
That was an interesting watch. Not only the honey, but an alcohol/water based vanilla extract as well. Maybe one of us should try it to see if it works.
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Post by Chip on Apr 7, 2024 6:32:41 GMT -5
A pure (cocoa+sugar) dark chocolate alone COULD last up to 2 years if stored properly. Adding caramel, if it is the kind made with butter, would last 6-9 months. These are estimates based on what I googled. That being said: I would strongly hesitate to eat/sell a caramel bar after a year. Too many opportunities for contaminants to enter the making process, even being extremely careful. There's a lot of "little critters" floating in the air.
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Post by Chip on Mar 7, 2024 17:58:39 GMT -5
I personally don’t think 12 hours is enough time to see if it incorporates into the mixture. I would give it at least another 12
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Post by Chip on Feb 22, 2024 8:12:29 GMT -5
bart , You are welcome. BTW: my sous vide is also an Anova. . 2 degrees too hot.
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Post by Chip on Feb 21, 2024 7:38:20 GMT -5
bart : The cocoa butter should look a bit like oatmeal when finished. That's the best way I can describe it. Also, do you use an external thermeter to verifiy the temp you are holding at is correct? Both sous vides I have purchased show 92.5 yet in actuality were 2 to 3 degrees warmer. When cooking meat that is no problem but when making silk it is a huge problem. Now I set my sous vide on 90.5 and get a perfect 92.4 constant temp. Also, what do you mean by 'molding?'
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Post by Chip on Feb 12, 2024 11:19:00 GMT -5
cktn Where are you located? Thanks.
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