Forum Activity for @Daniel Herskovic

Thanks Lana!

Would I be correct to assume if that I simply cook it until it is crisp and then folded it into the chocolate it is safe for several months?

I know we have all seen a lot of bacon and chocolate together in the past few years. Does anyone know how to make the bacon shelf stable when combined in a chocolate confection? Does the bacon need to be candied first? I greatly look forward to hearing your responses. Thanks!

Daniel

Hi there,

We create custom candy bars for various businesses and events. Please check out this link http://www.mayanachocolate.com/custom-candy-bars.html . Our work has been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Epicurious, Candy Industry Magazine, and various other trade magazines. Let me know if I can help. Thanks!

Daniel

Thanks Al!

I think your summary is excellent ! I am definitely experiencing enrober envy at the moment! I would love to see the Sollich in action.I wonderhow the LCM machines would compare? Perhapsthey wouldbe like aBentley?

Thanks for all your feedback. You have definitely inspired me to sell more chocolate so I can get one of these fine machines.

Daniel

Hi Al,

I completely respect your point of view. For me, managing the chocolate has not been too much of an issue on a wheel machine because I have the option of heated air in the blower.

If the chocolate begins to get too cool or thick I will simply have heated air going through the blower. When the chocolate gets too warm, I run cool air through the blower. If I did not have this option, it would be a lot more challenging and I would be using a heat gun often to melt out thick chocolate. Because I have the option of heated air, I will use the machine for 10 hours without ever picking up a heat gun.

Perhaps if I acquired a machine such as a Selmi, FBM, or LCM, I might feel the same way as you and never turn back to a wheel machine. Has the Selmi improved the quality of your finished chocolate confections? Does it enrobe better? Are there feet on your chocolate bon bons? How about air bubbles? Thanks for sharing your experiences?

Daniel

Hi Al,

What kind of wheel tempering machine and enrober did you have? I would like to hear more about why it did not work out for you.

Daniel

Hi Dirke,

A few years ago, I posted a review of Perfect Equipments entry level enrober. Check it out here http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/what-s-your-dream-machine . I think it is a very good entry level enrober. They are about $12 or $13,000 USD new. There are certainly more advanced enrobers out there. I use my enrober 3 or 4 times a week -- often all day long. This machine has helped my business tremendously. I certainly dream of getting a fancy LCM enrobing line that will cost $50k, but the machine I have has done the job very well.

I personally am not a fan of the chocovision enrober because I simply don't understand how it works. I would not invest in a machine without a paper take off. Then again, it depends on the quantity and the resulting look that you want to achieve. Do you want a more rustic look or a more refined confection with a very thin coating? The latter is very important to me so a blower is a must. Ihave never owned a chocovision so I amdefinitely not an expert on the machine. Perhaps a rep for the company might want to chime in on how the enrober will work?

Again, there arefancier machines than what I have, but I believe that I have the best machine that is under $15k .

Good luck with the decision. It's certainly is a big investment.

Daniel

This is a really good question and I too would love to hear from other members, especially those with sales experience. I wonder what kind of arrangement sales people are looking for? If sales people are open to commission only what percentage makes it worth theie time? If sales people need some type of base payment, I would really like to know what they require? what kind of arrangement keeps a sales person motivated to sell?

Thanks a lot Andy!

I actually just got done reading your thread from a few years ago. It sounds like you really went through a lot to make toffee work for your business. I read in your thread that you were looking to simply break up slabs of chocolate covered toffee versus enrobing each piece separately. Is that what worked out for you and provides you a 6 month shelf life? I know that a fully enrobed piece will last longer, but it is more expensive from a labor perspective. I also like the look of a broken up piece with the toffee exposed better. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

Thanks Sebastian for your reply! Your input is always very insightful. In the case of Enstrom Toffee, there is apparently so much butter in their recipe that they require their sealed boxes to be stored in refrigeration or a freezer. The issue being that the fats in the butter will go rancid if not refrigerated. I am wondering how much butter is too much and at what point does one pass the point at which toffee can be stored at room temperature when sealed.

I am starting to think about adding toffee to our product line. I learned that Enstroms Toffee is actually considered a dairy product and requires refrigeration. I am wondering how others store toffee. I plan on sealing the bags of toffee, but I know that most retailers that we work with will not have available fridge or freezer space. I've certainly seen other brands of toffee displayed and sold at room temperature. How can one determine if toffee is safe to store at room temperature? if it is able to be at room temperature, does anyone know the shelf life of it? It is my plan to make slabs of chocolate covered toffee and then break it up versus fully enrobed pieces (which I imagine would have an even longer shelf life). Thanks for your input!

Daniel

Hi there,

I'm going to make some truffles for a special project and thought I would try out some truffle shells. I plan on filling themand then sending them through our enrober. I am wondering if it is necessary to cap them prior to enrobing? Thanks for your input!

He Glenn,

My enrober is definitely my most important piece of equipment. I have the Perfect 6 inch enrober. I have never seen the Chocovision enrober in action. I don't understand how it releases the chocolate. Most enrobers have a paper take off so that the enrobed pieces end up on a piece of paper. You then cut the paper and put it on a tray to fully crystallize. This chocovision is definitely the cheapest enrobing option I have seen. I wonder if there is a video of the machine in action?

I would head straight to Christophe Morel! I have never been to his shop; however, I have studied with him. He is one of the best chocolatiers in North America for sure!

I would advise you to cancel the order you just purchased. Way back when I bought a guitar I bought the guitar with the plastic base. It was so difficult to clean that I sold it after 2 uses and bought the Dedy from Bakedeco .Here is the link http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=8883&categoryid=371#.U1PAnMJOX4g . This is the base only. You would need to purchase a frame to match. If you have a 5 mm base you will most likely want a 25mm frame . If you have a 7.5 mm base you will want a 22.5 mm frame.Let us know what you end up with.

Hello Dirke,

I make my living making chocolate confections and I will tell you that my confectionery guitar is one of my most important pieces of equipment. They are pricey pieces of equipment, but ultimately this tool helps me save money and make money. Several years ago when I was cutting with a knife, I would end up throwing a good amount of chocolate away because the resulting ganache was either too big or too small or funny shaped. Prior to chocolate I spent 10 years cooking in fine dining. I have excellent knife skills; however, cutting ganache is tricky and sticky and it is very hard to cut thousands of pieces into perfect squares. These days, I have very little waste and the guitar helps me produce more chocolate confections in a much shorter amount of time.

If you are looking for a confectionery guitar, I highly recommend the dedy brand from Germany. TCF sales in Texas is a great resource for these. Tom Polk who runs the company is a great guy. I have the base and just 1 frame. It cost me around $2,000 . I am not a fan of the cheaper guitars with a plastic base. They are very hard to clean and the frames that accompany them have a very cheap handle. The Dedy handle makes cutting much better and allows you to distribute your weight on the handle more evenly. The base of the Dedy is metal and it is so much easier to clean. It might be a few hundred more, but you will be glad you spent the extra money. I typically don't see a whole lot of used guitars. I would never sell mine. Whether you buy a used or new guitar, you will be very glad you made the investment! Good luck!!!

What about Caramels using Beer? These days it is popular to flavor caramel with beer. Tocreate a caramel candy,When should one add the beer to the recipe? Should one reduce it separately and cook the alcohol off first? I create a soft caramel, but one that we cut and then enrobe.

Thanks very much for this thoughtful response. Now that our weather is very cold and conditions are very dry, I noticed that my caramel is setting up at lower temperatures. I now know why. Thank you for the insight!

what effects does no humidity have on caramel and crystallization?

Mark,

Your insight is very helpful. I never knew that about Alcohol. Understanding and controlling how caramel crystallizes is so important. During the summer, I find that is when I have the most problems with crystallization. Do you know if Sorbitol will help? What about Lecithin? I add a bit of lemon juice to my recipe. I also add a good amount of glucose. Thanks again for your contributions.

Daniel

Thanks to both of you! I greatly value your scientific perspective.

I would like to have the water activity , or the AW, of my chocolate products tested. Do you know where I can find a lab that does this? I live in Wisconsin so anywhere in the Midwest would be good.

Thanks!

Daniel

I would do what you are passionate about. If pipedganache is your thing and you are good at it go for it. People love to support someone who is passionate about their craft. Many chocolatiers in the usa do use color. There are a few who don't use color and are quite successful because their chocolate is excellent. I especially admire Lionel Clement of Nuubia Chocolate.

One option is to create a Morello Cherry Pate De Fruit on top of a white chocolate ganache. This would work well for a square bon bon.

Hi Samantha,

Send me a message. We have an enrober and use mostly organic ingredients in our production. I look forward to hearing from you,

Daniel

Thanks Sebastian for the great insight. I guess I need to revisit some of Jean Pierre Wybauw's books as he writes extensively about measuring AW. I might even look into facilities that do testing.

I definitely fall in to the very small category. I am wondering if measuring the sugar density of a caramel sauce or chocolate sauce can determine if it is safe. It will be a lot easier for me to buy a refractometer verus getting theAWequipment.

Has anyone on this forum successfully preserved achocolate sauce or a caramel sauce that was shelf stable. When I go to specialty stores I often see these sauces by small producerson shelves and I wonder how they do it.

Thanks Sebastian! I really appreciate this info. Your post brings up more questions...How does one measure the AW of a product (without purchasing very expensive equipment)? Could a refractometer, that measures the sugar density, do the job? If so, at which measurement is the product ok to be jarred and shelf stable? You also mentioned heat treatments. How would that work? Would I put sauce into sterilized jar and then put into a pressure canner? Would a steam set up in the oven work? How long would it need to be heat treated? Could the heat treatment cause the sauces to separate? Sorry for all the questions. There seems to be very little information out there about safely jarring products with dairy products.

I am interested in preserving homemade chocolate sauce as well as caramel sauce. Both of these items contain dairy products. I have been researching preserving techniques and I see that both chocolate and caramel sauce have been declared unsafeto preserve as these items are low acid and contain dairy products. I certainly don't want to create a hazard. Isn't there enough sugar in caramel sauce to make it safe to preserve? What about chocolate sauce? I have very little experience preserving and canning. I would love to get your input!!

Great to hear from you Heather! My experience with the city of Chicago is that our inspections are very much dependent on who our inspector is and what kind of day they are having! This discussion has really helped me a lot. I have decided to purchase the grease trap to be on the safe side. Not to mention, I really hate having to call a plumber so I hope this can help me prevent any problems. I look forward to seeing you on the Chicago chocolate circuit!

Daniel

Thanks Clay!

Your advice is incredibly valuable. I never knew such a product existed! Do you think I can get away with using just the enzymatic product once a week and not have a grease trap installed?

Our local department just requires us to have a 3 compartment sink. I was just wondering if I should be concerned about the chocolate being hard on the pipes considering that it is rather viscous and has a high fat content.

Currently I am building a kitchen meant for chocolate confectionery production. I am wondering if I need anything special in regard to plumbing. Is a grease trap necessary. I am open to hearing about your experiences and suggestions. Thanks!

I am beginning to find myself making large batches of caramel slabs -- about 50 pounds a day. To accomplish this I make about several small batches that will fit into the frames that I have. It is time for me to invest in some bigger equipment. I feel as though I could benefit from a cooling table. They are pretty expensive though. I am wondering if there are any cheaper alternatives ( $2k or less) that would allow me to cool a big batch of caramel?

My favorite brand of transfer sheet is PCB and Qzina supplies them. Also, www.bakedeco.com is a excellent source.

I also really like Choco Trasfer Sheets. Nicole and Kurt are great people.

I am a believer in getting a Mol D'art Melter to start. I purchased a 6kg melter and 5 years later I use it all the time. I have made many thousands of chocolates out of that thing. The other tempering machines are nice, but you will be able to produce more chocolates out of the melter.

Hi Valerie,

I would recommend checking out the boxes at Chocolat Chocolat in Quebec. Putting your chocolate bon bons in a candy tray with a candy pad on top of the confections is the safest way for your bon bons to arrive safely. I would just be sure that your bon bons are designed to fit the candy tray. Good luck!

Daniel

Wow! Good luck to you! I look forward to hearing the developments of this project!

I'm going to second Kerry's suggestion. Ultimately, I am sure you will be fine if the package is sealed and you let the transfer sheets come to room temperature prior to using.

Hi! I love talking about enrobers. Check out the link below. You will see my detailed post about my experience with the Mini enrober by Perfect Equipment. Good luck with your decision

http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/what-s-your-dream-machine

It looks like a good machine. I have experience using a 6kg Mol D'art melter. The user must keep the chocolate in temper, but it is easily accomplished. This melter is great to get one started producing molded or dipped confections. Good luck to you!

Sounds great. There certainly is a demand for the machine you are describing. I wish you all the best with this endeavor!

Like Clay says the cold chocolate center will cause your couverture to cool down super fast. Perhaps this soft filling is better suited as a molded chocolate piece instead of a dipped piece ? The Vahlrona Ivoire is excellent couverture.