I have some used equipment I am looking to sell and some new equipment I sell. Please send me an email to erin at indi chocolate dot com (spelled out to avoid scam and spam, please no spam) and we can see what will be most interesting/helpful for you. Thanks
Here's the instruction manual. I would talk to Luc at Bakon USA for the replacement part.
Hope this helps,
Erin
Hi Jennifer (thanks David), full disclosure, I sell the Diamond Custom Machines Commercial Refiner in both 70 and 100 lb capacity. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
You can PM me here but may have a quicker response if you send an email to info@indichocolate.com (no spam please).
Thanks,
Erin
I would be interested in attending too, especially if it could be coordinated with other cacao events happening in Colombia.
When I receive my beans I open the bags and do a quick clean before putting them in sealed bins. This has really helped reduce problems.
If it looks like moths could be a problem I use dry ice at the top of the bin in a dish. This has worked well for me.
If you want the Chocolate Refiners mentioned, they are available at http://indichocolate.com/products/chocolate-refiner?variant=7781420993
Sorry I didn't see this post sooner. I sell the upgraded belts as well as better gears for the demands of making chocolate on my website ( http://indichocolate.com/products/chocolate-machine-replacement-parts?variant=1168767445).
Keep in touch. indi chocolate is the bean to bar chocolate maker in PIke Place Market. We'll be moving to a bigger facility in the Market next year...
When adding the sugar the temperature will go up due to the high friction. If you don't want the temperatures to go up that high, you can add the sugar more slowly and/or release some pressure from the top lock which will reduce the friction on the wheels and so the temperature will not increase. Releasing pressure from the top lock can also help keep your stones spinning if they get stuck.
The bearring material is Delrin (not HDPE) and is stronger, longer wearing, can withstand higher temperatures and is FDA certified and heavily used in the food processing industry.
Generally, I wouldn't recommend putting your bowl and stones in the dishwasher. Melting temp of Delrin is 347 degrees.
It's great and consistent with our feedback that you are consistently getting refinement in a shorter period of time. Congrats!
Happy chocolate making!
Erin
Hi Tim,
Seems the problem is that the machines weren't initially cleaned before being used.
Before using the machine for the first time, it is important to clean out the machine to make certain it is free of excess stone, dust and packaging material. There are instructions for cleaning the machine that come with the machine. You should initially rinse the bowl and stone holder with wheels well in very warm water until the water runs clear. Let the bowl and stones dry completely (allowing over night and/or 24 hours to dry, depending on dryness of surrounding air, is a good idea to ensure no moisture remains that could cause cocoa butter to seize). After the bowl and stones are completely dry, warm cocoa butter to a liquid state. Turn on the machine and slowly pour in the cocoa butter. Let the stones get covered in the warm cocoa butter for about a minute or two. Turn off the machine, empty any excess cocoa butter. Now you are ready to begin making chocolate. This warm cocoa butter is a great lubricant and also begins the process of warming up the stones. Using a hair dryer on the stones and/or placing the bowl and stones in a warm (not hot) oven can also help with refinement and keeping the cocoa butter warm initially.
Making certain that all parts are completely dry is important when working with cocoa butter, due to it's propensity to seize when moisture is present. There was probably some remaining moisture that made it difficult for the wheels to move.
Make certain the wheels are well situated on the shaft to allow movement. When moving the stone holder down the shaft, you will notice that when the stone holder is correctly positioned down the shaft that the wheels will move when stone holder is rotated around the shaft. Once you have the stone holder correctly in position, you will be ready to use the top lock to hold it in position. The top lock places downward pressure on the stones and helps with refinement. You can reduce the pressure in the begining when you are adding nibs to adjust for the big partical size and slowly add more pressure when the particle size is more similar and smaller. The top lock should never be more than finger tight.
For your first few batches, start with smaller batches that come half-way up the wheel. This will allow you to see the stones moving and give you time to learn the cadence for adding ingredients. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll be good to start making larger batches.
There are Chocolate Maker Upgrades available for the Premier Wonder Grinder that include more robust gears for the longer run times required for making chocolate, long wearing Polyurethane belt and fully sealed ball bearings (much better for working with cocoa butter). There are also machines upgraded specifically for the rigors of making chocolate called the Chocolate Refiner ( http://indichocolate.com/products/chocolate-refiner?variant=7781420993).
Work is being done on the website to include instructional and troubleshooting videos for the Wonder Grinder, Chocolate Refiner and Tilting Grinder that should be posted soon.
You can contact me directly from the contact information on the website if you have additional questions, etc.
Hope this is helpful.
Happy chocolate making!
Erin
I sell the Premier Wonder Grinder and the upgraded Chocolate Refiner, and we are seeing an increasing number of people using them for making nut butters. They are liking the texture they are getting and are running them for a shorter period of time than they would for making chocolate. Also great for making things like gianduja.
I second that. That's the place to start and figure it out.
Well, it will not look different because I am already using the same mold and a very similar bag with a sticker.
Hi Howard, I just sent you a message on The Chocolate Life.
Thank you
Can you post it please so we can all get the info? Thank you.
Brad is pointing you to the right place. John Nanci is now making winnowers. I have seen an earlier prototype and it did a very good job of winnowing with a lot less work than your current method. Best of luck to you.
Erin
Hi Richard,
I sent a friend request to you to find out more about your machines.
Thanks,
Erin
Hi Clay, I saw an earlier version of the Aether and the results were much better than the Crankandstein.
Also, I really liked how little dust the earlier version produced. Now that the improvements have been made I am even more interested in it.
This is a fantastic discussion.
I am interested in working with both the farmer/cooperative as well as other smaller chocolate makers that would be interested in group purchasing. I would like to focus on beans from South and Central America with delivery to Seattle. Full (or at least half full) containers will result in transportation cost savings that could be used to offset the costs of distribution from Seattle as well as towards a quality premium for the beans/farmers.
I have had some discussions with a few smaller chocolate makers that may be interested in group purchasing, but have not gotten firm requirements (including quantities, specific qualities, etc.) or commitments (for quantities or money). Feel free to contact me again if those I have spoken to before are still interested.
If there were enough interest, it would be ideal to have several origins and deliveries throughout the year. This would help reduce storage costs for interested parties as well as diversify offerings (and reduce overall impacts associated with drops in availability from any one source).
Interested parties (i.e. farmer/cooperative and chocolate makers and not bean brokers, middle men, etc.) should feel free to reply and/or send me a message. Please indicate where you are located, if you are a farmer and/or buyer, what quantities of beans you are interested in/have available, and timing for those quantities (such as twice a year beginning in October, etc.) as well as what your requirements are (quality of beans, etc.).
Thanks
Hey Seneca, where have you found it in California?
The Food Channel show Unwrapped had a 2008 show titled "Candy Bar Bonanza" that talks in more detail about the Vosage bacon in chocolate process. I know that it showed again on 10/25/10 at 7:30PM. Not certain if you could Hulu it or find it some other way. Hope it helps.
Adeir, that picture is very beautiful and intriguing. I would love the recipe in English.
Chocotec60Instructions.pdf - 377KB