Forum Activity for @Andrea3

Small equipment for pouring chocolate.

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

I don't know how large you are looking for but Wilton makes a small, very cheap one. http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E310260-475A-BAC0-592FC83E2DC134E2&killnav=1 You can pick them up at Wal-Mart or other stores that have a cake/candy decorating section.Andrea

Printing on chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Most use transfer sheets. Just Google 'Chocolate Transfer Sheets' and you should get many hits on places that you can buy them from, some places will do customizing for you.They also have printers that will print directly on the chocolate, but I have no actual experience with those.Andrea

Writing Ingredient labels

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Unfortunately you have to list every single ingredient that goes into the chocolates. The reason is quite important though. Many people have severe allergies to odd ingredients that are not covered under the main 8 common allergies that you must also list separately after the ingredient list.I feel your second example is a good way to do it but you only have to list an ingredient once; Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, vanilla, skimmed milk powder, full cream milk powder, lactose... if space is your issue then this might be a better way to go. http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/default.htm "Do ingredients of standardized foods have to be listed when the standardized food is an ingredient in a non-standardized food?The ingredients of the standardized food may be declared parenthetically following the name of the standardized ingredient or may be declared by dispersing each ingredient in its order of predominance in the ingredient statement without naming the standardized food."Aren't the many FDA rules fun?Andrea

Where do I start as an aspiring chocolate seller?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

I think my post must have come across as snotty, so I deleted it. Sorry if it was misunderstood.Andrea

Question regarding the use of a commercial kitchen

Posted in: Opinion

I don't know what the rules are for NY, but most states you will have to have a health inspector approve the establishment for your production. That means the owners of the kitchen will pretty much be inspected all over again, which may deter a few of them from allowing you to produce there, it's not fun. They would basically be sub-leasing the area to you so you would have that contract as verification for your place of production, assuming you are using a contract. But, as I said, I don't know the rules for NY, I could be totally off base. Just a few things you might want to think about though. Good Luck!Andrea

Business start-ups with no experience?

Posted in: Opinion

I'm talking about the people that have never made any chocolate and are already starting the steps to open shops, who don't seem to plan on making any until their shop is open. I've only been making bean to bar chocolate for about 2 years now, I have worked with chocolate since I was 15, but making it is a whole different ball game. It takes practice to really get it and experience takes time.The only thing you said that is part of the reason I worry about this is "I am making good progress and decent chocolate." This way of thinking confuses me. You (or I, if I decide to start a business) have some really great makers to compete with, is decent going to be enough? *I apologize if this comment seems confrontational, I really don't mean it to be, I'd just like to see this topic from all sides.My husband completely agrees with your view point on the market. That's why I posed this question here, this site has everyone from the new guys to the well established guys, I'm very curious to see what some of the well known makers might say about this. I think I may be looking at it from the view point of a start up maker with no reputation, and worry the reputation of so many inexperienced start ups will infringe on the way people see all start ups. (did that make any sense?)Andrea

Business start-ups with no experience?

Posted in: Opinion

I have been noticing on many of the different how to make chocolate websites that a lot of people are planning to start bean to bar chocolate companies. That is fine except most of them have never made a batch of chocolate in their lives. My expectation with the wave of inexperienced makers is that the market will be flooded with some really awful chocolate. The reputation of what is considered artisinal chocolate makers is going to be tarnished. The way I see it with so many people that have no idea what they are doing calling themselves artisinal makers it's going to hurt the reputation of even the well established makers when it comes to public opinion. Something like "I've tried artisinal chocolate and it was awful, I'll stick with the 'cheap' stuff." I've read a review recently of exactly this (wish I had bookmarked the page), it was something like "If this is high quality chocolate, I'll keep buying Hershey's." I think this will effect everyone, from well established to the new guys who have put the time and experience into it.Now, so no one feels I am misleading anyone, I've kicked around the idea of starting a business that would include bean to bar chocolate, because I love doing it, and I would not sell anything until I feel it is the best it can be. Oddly enough it all started with a chocolate covered croissant from the Netherlands, it's funny how things work.Opinions?Andrea
updated by @Andrea3: 05/03/15 06:25:13AM

Vanilla Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

No, I never tried it both ways, but I will try it with my next batch and compare it with the one I just made, same recipe. I'm curious also.Andrea

Vanilla Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

I have never added the entire bean to my chocolate. After asking this same question at the Chocolate Alchemy forum, I discovered that this is how some of the makers do it. Then I got to wondering if the people here do the same. I was really surprised to see that this is what seems to be the norm.Why add the vanilla bark to the chocolate? When using whole vanilla beans in a pudding or a custard, for example, you soak the whole bean and scrape the marrow. This is what I do for chocolate. I preheat the cocoa butter and soak my vanilla in it, then scrape out the marrow and add the vanilla/cocoa butter to the liquor, I toss the bark.It may be more work this way, but to me filling the chocolate full of bark is like adding the cocoa husk. We take care to winnow the cocoa beans, why not do the same for the vanilla? The bark of the vanilla bean is basically the husk, right (or maybe the pod shell)? I am not saying this way is right or wrong, I will continue to do it this way because it's my way, but I was curious to see how many others add the whole bean. Anyone care to comment?Andrea
updated by @Andrea3: 05/06/15 09:39:43PM

Has anyone heard of xocai the healthy chocolate

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

I don't know why but it won't let me reply to you directly, but I'm responding to this;Samantha;You were so busy unneccessarily defending yourself, you forgot to add in my thanks to your corrective post about cocoa alkalization.Actually.... I thanked you TWICE in the same post for two different things.Wow..... I DID get the picture in Blue Ray Hi-Def. The picture is that you have some serious issues.I hope you resolve them some day, and truly wish you the best in all your endeavors.Respectfully,BradBrad~ We can all see that you thanked Sam twice and that it was very sarcastic and condescending. This last post is the second time you told her to get over her 'issues'. As far as I can tell you seem to be the only one with issues here. Sam KNOWS what she is talking about on this topic and it's ridiculous to argue about third world cocoa production with her, someone who has much more experience than you. How many times have you visited the plantations you buy your beans from? I know you claim that you're "an expert in the field' but you still have a lot to learn.I've also noticed you only seem to take the arrogant tone and make snide "I'm better than you" comments when debating with women. Does it make you feel good to put us women in our place? Maybe you just don't see how the way you write thing looks to everyone else, or maybe you're just a bully with a huge inferiority complex, I've wondered this for a while (honestly, I can't imagine anyone being that mean all the time).This may be one of the most condescending comments I have ever read from you (notice it's to a woman also?), it seems to fit this very well. "One last thing (I know I said that before, but I get the impression Gwen Brad, that your business is quite small. Hopefully you can use this tip to your benefit):" Listen and learn from others that have the knowledge to teach you. The world is not out to get you, you don't have to keep fighting everyone, and believe it or not, you're NOT always right.I know you'll try to make me regret posting this..... I'm not going to argue with you, I've said my piece and I'm done.Andrea

Has anyone heard of xocai the healthy chocolate

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

And not very well 'disguised' either. As I understand it the Xocia branded chocolate is one of those pyramid type companies, just like Pampered Chef or Avon....so people have an interest in promoting it for their advantage. Are any of the claims they make true at all?By the way, I tried a raw chocolate bar the other day (can't remember the name) and can honestly say I will never ever ever eat another raw bar again. BLAH!Andrea

Women and Chocolate

Posted in: Opinion

"the exact type of pressure a lot of women don't traditionally handle well."I take offense to this statement. You try juggling being on the phone to make a doctor appointment for a sick two year old while he's throwing up all over you, during which you're cooking dinner for a large family (on a time crunch), the other kid's whining that they don't like what your cooking...all while keeping a smile on your face so everyone else in the house doesn't have to deal with all hell breaking loose. And don't forget you have to keep it all cleaned up and don't burn the dinner because the last thing you want after all of that is for anyone else to be grumpy. Sort of how you would handle a commercial kitchen I'd say. Honestly I think women handle stress great, we just don't expect a pat on the back for it. Maybe that is what our problem is.Andrea

Women and Chocolate

Posted in: Opinion

I agree with both Sam and llana. Men aren't usually the ones managing their families lives like the majority of women do. A man has an easier time of being accepted as 'professional' over a woman, even if she has better qualifications. Any field that is seen as a hands on type business is usually expected to be a mans field. Just the other day I had a jerk mechanic tell me "What do you know, you're a woman." This was over the transmission in my truck. I have a bust so there for I must not know anything? Pffft!! By the way, I was right and he was wrong.To me it's just crazy that the chocolate industry is not dominated by women. I mean come on folks, women have an intimate relationship with chocolate. More of the woman that try my chocolate taste a lot more of the flavors than the men, the guys usually say something like, "yeah that's really good" where as the women will say, "there is a slight fruity flavor here or the after taste is like this or that". Women, I think, are not as black and white as most men, we see things in many different perspectives. I think this is the main problem for woman and what helps out the men advancing in the field. That of course is not to say ALL women or ALL men fit this description.Wow, sorry for ranting! AndreaOK, just have to add....it also seems that the prettier the woman, the harder it is to be taken seriously as a professional. But for men the more handsome they are the better they are treated.

How small can a small shop be?

Posted in: Opinion

I was under the impression you were making chocolates, not making chocolate. I can't imagine how a 250 sq. ft. area would be enough to make (bean to bar?) chocolate. I do think for making chocolate confections that 250 would be small but doable.Andrea

Tempered Chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

"Just keep in mind that you will need to re-temper every time you want to start over - I don't know how not to re-temper once the chocolate hardens."I'm not trying to pick a fight, but this has worked well for me:Basically your tempered chocolate is a seed, so you take your tempered chocolate and break it up into small pieces. Put about 2/3 into a bowl and heat it up to the melt point (I use the oven), it's different with every chocolate but usually around 90ish, keeping it from all melting completely, you want to keep some of the solid chocolate. Then stir, stir, stir (listen to Brad on this) until it is all evenly melted, just don't let it get too hot. I keep the 1/3 'seed' in case it gets slightly hotter than the target temp. and starts to un-temper. I do all my tempering by hand, so I guess this is sort of a tempering re-melt?I am a little confused though, I've never used a melter, but I thought this is what they did? If not, what's the point of not just buying a tempering machine?Kiran~If you are going to be molding up solid chocolates I have to agree with the others, it seems a lot less time consuming to just temper and mold than to re-melt.

Tempered Chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

It has been my experience that you can melt down tempered chocolate and keep the temper with most chocolate. The trick is to only bring the chocolate to the melt point, and different chocolate brands have different melt points. You should test the chocolate you are using; temper it, mold it, let it set and re-melt and see what happens, then you'll know for sure ahead of time instead of finding out the day you need to get it all done.Are you using a machine or doing this by hand?Good luck!Andrea

Making a hard Chocolate topping for brownies

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

You are heating the chocolate too hot and taking it out of temper. Slowly melt the chocolate chips up to around 92 degrees, making sure to stir very well while melting, and spread over the *cooled* brownies. Tempered chocolate is like the candy or chocolate bars you would buy in the store, they are nice and shiny, snap when you break them and don't melt the second you touch them. Untempered chocolate is like you describe, melts quickly and is not as hard at room temperature. Good Luck!Now I think I will have to make some brownies....

American, Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Makers: A Complete List

Posted in: Tasting Notes

"All of our chocolates are made with a proprietary blend of organic couvertures." From your website.Are you bean to bar or do you blend couverture? If you are making it from the bean, I think you might want to make that clearer on your site. Just a suggestion. Andrea

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

No thanks.Are you going to answer my questions?Andrea

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

You are selling interstate, are you not? If so then you are governed by the USDA and FDA and must adhere to their rules. The State of California can only make exemptions if you are selling strictly within their boundaries.What exactly do you mean you are listed with the USDA and FDA?Andrea

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/SCRIPTs/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=163.111 (a)Description. (1) Chocolate liquor is the solid or semiplastic food prepared by finely grinding cacao nibs.So in order to make cocoa liquor you must grind nibs as defined by the Standards of Identity. You must use cocoa liquor to make chocolate......You can word it however you like, but you are not following the FDA guidelines to be able to call it chocolate. My problem with this is that there is a reason we have these guidelines. So you skip the one tiny detail. Big deal right? I find it is a huge deal, if it becomes standard to ignore federally mandated regulations that are set up to preserve the quality of American chocolate. What exactly makes your company exempt from following the same rules everyone else must follow?Andrea

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/SCRIPTs/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=163.110 "The cacao shell content is not more than 1.75 percent by weight"As far as I can tell, leaving the husk in means you cannot call it chocolate.Can you please tell me if I am wrong since you are a Raw company? I assume you have to follow FDA guidelines in your labeling?Andrea