Equipment for making caramel / recipe
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Sorry for the late reply but, thank you so much for the information!
Forum Activity for @Susan Van Horn
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Equipment for making caramel / recipe
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Hi, Ruth ~ Could you elaborate on why you would do this? Thank you so much!
Equipment for making caramel / recipe
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Daniel ~ I see in a post to me in February - that I just saw. Sorry! - that you were taught to addcocoa butter to your caramels. How much do you add and when? Would you add it to your recipe above? And since I've never added sorbitol to my caramels, what exactly does it do? Does it help with crystallization? Thanks!
Equipment for making caramel / recipe
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Daniel ~ If you are using a confectionary guitar, does that mean that your caramels a quite soft? I thought that the strings on guitars were too fragile to cut caramels that had some chew to them. And if yours are soft, how do you get them to keep their shape without spreading?
tempering choc too thick
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
You're the best for giving me this information. I will use it on my next attempt. Thank you so much. And you, too Brad, for your help.
tempering choc too thick
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Wow. I have a Chocovision Delta and the same thing happens to me. It ends up in a ball in an hour. After checking with a thermometer, I increased temp to 93-96 but it is no help. I have no idea what to do. Did I not wait long enough? 10-20 minutes.And can I add melted, untempered chocolate to the otehr side to help? If so, how much when it is at this point? I was using Callebaut: 3/4 811NV and 1/4 823NV on this try.
chocoflex for ganache
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Ah. Ok. I was wondering how you did it. I make my own so, if anyone knows how to do it that way, let me know. Thanks for your response!
chocoflex for ganache
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I am curious as to how you manage to fill the molds without the caramel cooling too fast or the caramel in the pan overcooking? I have considered doing this, too, but it seems like I would have one or the other problem with the caramel. Thank you for your help!
Newbie Help!! - Lots of chocolate questions
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
That's what I thought. Thanks for confirming.
Newbie Help!! - Lots of chocolate questions
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Wouldn't the 115 cream take the tempered chocolate out of temper?
Traveling with truffles
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
HaHa! Love it! That would certainly qualify in my part of the woods!
Traveling with truffles
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I've made the trip from LA to Vermont and as long as you are willing to send them through the x-ray machine, you should be fine. Just make sure you don't seal them up in case they want to look at them to make sure they aren't a WMD! 
Have a great trip!
Cleaning Chocolate Molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Brad, you are referring to Red Lightening that Clay mentioned in your most recent post of approx. 14 hours ago?
Revolution (Rev) 3Z Chocolate Tempering Machine Temperer
Posted in: Opinion
Hi, Christine ~ No. I've got the Delta. Would love to know if anyone has used it yet. Enjoyed meeting you earlier in the year at the Fancy Food Show - I think you were doing a showcase at Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn? I'm the one whom you inspired after the Chocoholics Tour of SF. Hope the business is doing great!
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
HaHa! So true, Brad! And Magrietha, the amount I quoted you was without any special decorating like adding contrasting colored stripes, etc. It's just the basic with basic decorations like cocoa powder, sea salt, a sprinkle of nuts, etc.
How many per hour
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Right now, I can roll about 200+ an hour. That includes coating them twice in a light coat of chocolate. I'm working on speed and have been told that you can do 2-3 in your hand at the same time so, that's next on my agenda to attempt. Let me know how it goes! Good luck!
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
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I am going to be taking the Quality Assurance class at Ecole Chocolat, Pam Williams school. When I'm done with that I should, hopefully, be more informed about this whole process. Perhaps the info got lost somewhere in my brain but, I don't put my finished truffles in the fridge to shock them as I didn't think this was a required step in the process. Is it and I just missed that? Mine come out fine but, I have also heard this will give the truffle coating more snap. Since I get a good snap now, will this be even better for it? Is this what you mean by crystallization?
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Fantastic! Don't know if I can do it yet but, you never know. And besides, I would really like to see what they have + pricing.
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Great help, Clay. I appreciate the clarification. Thanks so much.
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Many thanks, Clay! Am I correct in my statement about Wine Coolers? Or is there a type I don't know about?
Wine Cooler/Cabinet for Chocolate Truffles/Pralines Storage
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Hi, Clay ~ do you think that I could use something like the CoolBot here in California? The Wine Coolers sound great but, the ones I have seen are really expensive and the shelves are angled. Plus, they don't seem very big.
Freezing Chocolates
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thanks so much, Lana. Yes, I do put them in a FoodSaver bag, single layer, and then vacuum seal it. This is the information I needed! Perfect!
Freezing Chocolates
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Lana & Ruth ~ When I have vacuum packed my finished rolled chocolates, the "vacuuming" has ended up cracking the shells. Now, I didn't have them in layers in a box, either. I am just wondering if putting them in boxes will help mitigate this problem. Do you stop the vacuum process when the bag is really tight around the box or ??? How can you tell when to stop so that I don't crack the shells? I would love to be able to vacuum seal my finished pieces. It would save a boatload of time and last minute orders would be so much easier to fill. Right now, I have opted to vacuum seal the rolled balls and that works fine.
working with airbrushing with chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Here's hoping!
working with airbrushing with chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I'd love to see an in depth one from multiple angles so I can really see what's going on!
I ‘d love your comments and feedback on Chocolate Mold designs
Posted in: Opinion
I love A, C, F and H. I agree that most on the market seem tired and overused. Air bubbles can be a problem.If you need someone to test them for you, please let me know. I'd love the opportunity.And, yes. More breakaway bar molds would be great!!!
blending couverture
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Sorry for the delay in answering. Your info is much appreciated. I'm making a batch this weekend so, we shall see!
blending couverture
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Along the same line as blending like couvertures, what about blending dark with milk?
Why is my chocolate so shiny but soft and pliable?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Wow~! Brad, thank you so much for enlightening me on this issue. I had figured it was at the reheating stage where the problem was but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Duh! I forgot some basics and you saved me a lot of time. Many thanks!
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thanks, Jeff! Back at ya!
The Business of Chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Hi, Jeff ~ Brad has given you some very good information to start with. It will at least give you a good idea of numbers.
I have taken the Ecole Chocolat course and am taking the current September Quality Assurance course and I have found their information wonderful to have at your fingertips. I am one of those who believe in the saying "Time is Money" and having an enormous amount of research done for you and supplied to you is incredibly helpful. Could I find that information myself? Of course. Most of us could but, I don't want to spend the time doing it when I could actually be working doing what I love. Ecole is a fantastic place to start. You will be educated as to the basics of the chocolate confectionary business and are supplied with recipes and assignments that all require your participation and research. Never underestimate how great it is to have some of the websites made available to you when you need to do research. It really is a very time intensive course but you can make it work with your schedule.
The articles are not focused on the dates but, rather, on the information provided which has saved me on many an occasion. And yes, like most courses, you will have to purchase a minimum of chocolate gear but they also supply you with discounts from providers.
Suzanne is correct in stating that you can find videos of tempering on YouTube. You can also find many more things about the chocolate world there. But, I now have a clearer idea of what I am looking for and what I want to do. I am more informed and experienced having taken the course at Ecole. In essence, I know what I don't know.
And lastly, the Forum that is comprised of Graduates, working chocolatiers, chocolate makers, large chocolate producers as well as equipment suppliers is a fantastic place to get help from your peers. We all have questions about our craft from time to time or want help "fixing" or "figuring" things. There is a huge range of experience on the Graduate Forum. It is also a wonderful place to check into when you just need a little support or need to share some good news.
I find that this network of support that has been generated by Pam Williams and Ecole Chocolate is something that fits in perfectly for those of us who are looking at career changes and can't travel to go to a brick and mortar school or can't afford it.
A phone call will get you any help you need while taking the course and thi instructors are well known, working and successful Chocolatiers.
I am so sorry that Suzanne did not like the course but, I can tell you that there are probably more of us out here who did.
Best of luck to you.
Susan