Forum Activity for @Dirke Botsford

Hi Wendy

Yes, I still have them. They weren't used that often, lightly for about a year. Let me know if you have any other questions. 

Cheers

Quantity 16 Molds, asking $15 each or $200 for all of them -

Polycarbonate mold, 3 cavities, 6x3 1/8x.5in, approximately 6oz, Cocoa pod grid pattern.
Approximate measures and weight supplied by the manufacturer.

All in great shape.

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I've started using coconut cream in my ganache and it works perfectly. Question in how long will the shelf life be?

Check out Chocovisions tempering machines, varied sizes and not overly expensive. Sounds like you might be over seeding your chocolate?

I used the tempering machine from Perfect Equipment out of Quebec, it doesn't pump but it works amazingly well for creating bars just with the standard set up. Check them out, they might have something up your alley?

I have a new vibrating table that attaches to the Perfect equipment tempering machine. I just don't use it, it's been used once. Selling for $850 bought it for $950. email me at dirke@urgechocolates.com or call 604-839-5977

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Thanks Jayne, I will give it another go using this technique. 

I bought a multi wheel caramel cutter from Tomric and am having a heck of a time using it. Either the caramel sticks to it and then rolls up with the cutter or if I make a stiffer caramel it doesn't cut through it? AM I doing something wrong or is there a trick to it? I have watched a few youtube videos and it look so easy...

Caramel is 3/4 inch thick and a medium bite. Does the cutter need to be lubricated? Any suggestions would be appreciated.   

I bought a multi wheel caramel cutter from Tomric and am having a heck of a time using it. Either the caramel sticks to it and then rolls up with the cutter or if I make a stiffer caramel it doesn't cut through it? AM I doing something wrong or is there a trick to it? I have watched a few youtube videos and it look so easy...

Caramel is 3/4 inch thick and a medium bite. Does the cutter need to be lubricated? Any suggestions would be appreciated.   

Perfect, all the best.

Look at Glerup revere or nashville wraps.com they have a good selection of rigid boxes

Have you tried Glerup revere or nashville wraps? Not sure if they have something like that but it might be worth looking

I have a soup kitchen size double boiler with an extra pot. Use twice. Great for someone who want to melt chocolate or start with a large volume then a small tempering machine. Like new. Let know if your interested

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Is your center cold? that might explain the bloom and the collapse? warm it up a bit maybe that'll help?

I'm in the same boat and have been looking at the "perfect equipment" line, I bought the tempering machine and just waiting to afford the erobing portion. Very resonably priced $14000 compared to $25000+ starting every where else I've seen. Check them out -  http://www.perfectchoco.com/en/perfect-equipments

Lorraine oils has a champagne oil that tastes very much like champagne -  http://shop.lorannoils.com/chocolates/super-strength-flavors

I just bought some equipment from Perfect. Fit our budget, went with a 20kg tempering unit which is more then enough for us for a couple of years and will buy the enrober in a few months. Thank you for all your input, I researched all the equipment that was mentioned. It was great seeing everything that was out there and the features, helped narrow down what would be the best fit for us. Came down to price, availability of parts and features. Thankfully Perfect equipment is in Canada so no duties! always a killer on the budget.

I'm very glad and thankful to have had all of you to ask, this forum is such a useful resource. Thanks Clay!

Daniel, that's perfect! Exactly what I am looking for and in Canada to boot! Brilliant! Thank you so much. I have just sent them an email to get pricing. Cheers

Currently looking for a tempering system with the idea of having an enrobing line to attach to it later down the road. I was looking at the Chocovision 3z as I like their equipment and their support is first class but they are still working on an enrobing line that has the wax paper take off.

Looked at the Tomric and Selmi solutions but they are really expensive where as the chocovision system is affordable and I believe we get a discount through chocolate life? Any recommendations would be appreciated, the pro's & cons.....

I cook all the sugars, corn syrups, butters etc together first and bring it up to 240 then add the creams then bring it back up again. Reduces the time by about 20 minutes for me. similar taste to a traditional caramel BUT not exactly the same.

I've tried to do the same but gave up, ended up wasting more then we were making. Having the right balance of heat and correct agitation was difficult to achieve. If you find a way I'd love to hear about it. We ended up altering our recipe to make it a little quicker and with less agitation.

Good to know, Thanks Sebastian. It turns out I had simply not mixed it enough, the result being grainy. I reheated and mixed it a lot and it turned out well. I've only just started using coconut products for shelf stability as customers want it. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

good point, I will try that. Thanks

I am attempting to create a shelf stable truffle by using coconut oil instead of heavy cream but am finding the resulting ganache is grainy. Does anyone else use a similar recipe for extending shelf life. I want a smooth ganache that I would getting using a heavy cream. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

For me, I have always been a foodie but chocolate was just something I quickly grabbed while waiting at the check out isle at the grocery store. Until of course I did a winery tour and they offered me a tasting of ice wine in a chocolate cup. I loved the combination and of course wanted to share the experience with friends at home but couldn't find the cups anywhere. That lead me to trying to make my own and that's where I starting playing with chocolate, quickly finding it very interesting with the desire to learn more.

As I played with chocolate and discovered new combinations while learning the science behind it all, I found it a natural fit. I was so intrigued by it that I bought and read endless books about it and eventually went to school for it. My friends (aka guinea pigs) loved what I made and wanted to buy them, so I eventually built a business around it. I am lucky to have found something I am so passion about other then my family. But I am also fortunate enough to have a family that supports my crazy ways. I am a chocolatier, I love what I do. There is much more to this story but this is the general gist of it.

Cheers

I am still trying to find this, I am starting to think it doesn't exist unless you have $30,000+ to play with. Let me know if you find anything...

Alright! I did it. Thanks for all the invaluable info. I bought the dedy from DR.ca. once I looked at the quality of how it was built compared to the plastic based guitar I could really see why it made sense to go with the metal based base. Sure it cost a little more but you get what you pay for.

Thank you all so much for your advice and pointing me in the right direction. I feel I made a purchase I won't regret and have to resell in a short time, thanks to you. All the best!

I'm just checking them out now, looks good. May have to cancel and switch....cheers

Thanks for the advice Daniel, much appreciated. I just actually found one from Bakedeco (NYC) that I bought, just waiting now for the delivery. It's not metal based but it has three frames and from my research seemed fairly common place. So fingers crossed. I am really looking forward to not having to use a knife anymore! Hopefully it will last me a long time! Cheers and thanks again....Happy Easter!

I am thinking of biting the bullet and buying a guitar cutter, and looking for a supplier in Canada. Anyone know of anyone? or even a used one....

Secondly, any recommendations? Double guitar or single? Pros or cons...do you find you use it enough to justify the cost? I am sure it beats using a knife but just wondering if it's worth it and would love to know your thoughts.

Thanks in advance!

I had a customer request for a chocolate crescent wrench, I've been looking online for one and came across some hobby PVC but the detail wasn't there, I know it sounds picky but I'm after more then just the general shape. They want one that looks like an actual tool. I could make a silicone mold but they want quantity and that won't do the trick.

Anyone know where I might be able to find a Poly mold of a crescent wrench, or an wrench? If it's PVC that would be fine too just has to have some sort of detail. Thanks for any assitance in advance!

Wow this is amazing. Fantastic response and so much great feedback! Thank you to everyone for sharing....I got a lot of experimenting to do and I gather we all got a little something out of this, hopefully you did anyways. Thanks everyone, what a great forum for conversations like these....

Thanks for the replies. So from the response I'm in line with time and batch counts. I've been in touch with Savage, we'll see where to go from here....

Besides loving to eat caramel. yes by the handful, I make it and it's a great seller. only problem is I need some equipment to make it in large batches and faster then what I am doing on a stove top. I need help and suggestions. If you have any great recipes and want to share, I would love it.

I have a great recipe but I think it needs to be tweeked or changed altogether as it takes 2-3 hours sometimes to make a large batch. Maybe I am crazy and it does take that long but I don't know many others that have the patience to make caramel so they don't. I've only just started digging deeper into the world of caramel so any seasoned advice would be greatly appreciated. this stuff is tricky!

Thanks in advance.

We attempted a coffee and chocolate pairing with a local roaster as I agree it seems like a natural pairing. Tried a variety of different types of beans and coffees, there are so many commonalities it was easy to come up with concepts to discuss. BUT... after doing marketing andpromotionalthere turned out to be very little interest in the general concept from potential clients. We've sold our products in coffee shops but again people tended to buy more baked goods then chocolate with their coffee. Maybe it's a west coast thing?

So in a nut shell we didn't find it worthwhile to pursue any further. It was fun exploring the pairing but beer, wine and scotches seems to be more agreeable. I don't think people care as much about the process or nuances of coffee as they do wine or beer etc. I maybe wrong but I asked a few people while doing research after to see if I could find a reason why it didn't work and the generalconsensuswas they just liked there coffee because they need their coffee fix. nothing more.

Not to put a damper on your question or the experience as you may find you get a great response? You just never know. Good luck with it and have fun.

Cheers,

Dirke

Keep in mind,if you do get boxes made you will have to get a diecut made. These tend to be a little pricey ranging from $200+ depending on the complexity of the box. Standard offset printing ( I believe Mark is referring to ) is great if you are doing large amounts and will reprint in the future as metal plates are used for the printing process and can be reused. However again, they are metal plates and cost. Alternative solution would be to go digital print, it's cost effective for lower quantities, gives you the flexibility to create different looks or make changes without the over head of making new plates. BUT, there are different forms of digital print, highend and basically color photocopiers. Ask your local printer if they do both or can offer any suggestions. I've been in the print business for 20 years and still do print brokering on the side to bring in extra income in the slower chocolate months. Any questions I'm happy to help.

You know the funny thing about chocolate is that so much of it is based on science. Not my strongest point in school but love the complexity of it all. I guess age does change things, and I ain't gettin any younger, yet!

thanks again all!

That appears to be exactly what it was, cooling it quicker did the trick. I did a test and tried it several ways because I guess I am a geek that way? I just had to know....thank you all for your suggestions. I am blessed to be a part of a group like this that is so supportive. Not that I am preaching just happy it's finally figured out. Time for a beer to celebrate! Cheers!

No disrespect Linda & Victor, I've been making chocolate for years and temper chocolate everyday. That's not the issue. the chocolate is tempered as I mentioned I made bars and dipped some truffles with the same chocolate without issue, they were all perfect.

I narrowed it down I think to two things, I need to cool the bark quicker and or my X3210 is outta wack but doesn't makes sense since the other products where fine. Appreciate the feedback either way. I had a new holey baffle that I am not used to which may have been part of it. Smaller items where ok but larger barks maybe less forgiving?

I will soon find out as I am using my regular baffle this time around.....tempering now.

I put some dried cranberries, everything room temp. the bark itself was 1/4 inch thick. Everything was cooled at room temp, maybe that is the problem although the bark that did work out was done the same way. Maybe I will try refrigerating it for a minute or two to set it? What do you think?

Thanks for your help Andrea. For something so simple it's really frustrating me.....

I forgot to mention the truffles and bars were perfect as well...just the bark for some reason...

I have 10lbs of tempered chocolate, I make a few bars and dip some truffles. With the rest I make bark and it all blooms? Tried it again.....bloom?

I used my smaller machine, perfect. WTF? I don't get it....any suggestions cause I can't figure it out.