Forum Activity for @Anne Bennett

GANACHE FEELS CRUMBLY

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

I know that people only consider a truffle a truffle if it's made with cream. I have no idea how the truffles that are in boxes for ages in stores are made.

I use organic, tasteless coconut oil for meltaways. Maybe it would give truffles a longer shelf life. You wouldn't have the bulk of the cream, but you would have centers that melt in your mouth. I'm just throwing this out there. I have no idea if it would work. I don't do much with truffles.

Chocolate Education. What is best?

Posted in: Opinion

You certainly wouldn't want to take a bakery course if you want to do chocolate. My husband and I started with a little dipper and eventually had a store. We were mostly self taught. We did get the name of a woman in PA who would teach us for a few days in her home. Then a year later she came to our store for a few days.

That was back in the early 90's. My husband is deceased. I am just starting a business again and am enjoying it.

The Cargill Co. in Lititz, PA, (I might have spelled that town wrong), has a three day chocolate course for those wanting to start a business. Two days are classroom and then one day of hands on. The hands on is simplistic if you've been making chocolate, but you can pick the experts brains.

I found the class room days to be very interesting.

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

Would tasteless coconut oil do the same thing?

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

It's hard if your not using any nuts. Is your store nut free or do you just have a lot of people that can't eat nuts but want toffee?

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

I think you should try scoring while the toffee is still hot. This should help. If you find any pooling of the butter you can always wipe it off with a paper towel. I agree with Ruth that you might need to try a different chocolate.

Am I the only one out there that dips actual pieces and not the whole sheet? It is more time consuming but when I break these pieces into smaller pieces for bags or boxes I don't get any shearing.

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

I wasn't sure where to go on your website to ask a question so I'll do it now.

I have a question about making caramels. Boy was my arm tired the day I made toffee and caramel in the same day.

My recipe is a typical one, butter, cream, corn syrup, sugar, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.

When I was talking to an expert at the Cargill chocolate company he said I should be using corn syrup solids. I didn't want to show my total ignorance, so I just wrote down the information. Does anyone use this product, and if so, how do you use it?

My supplier only can get in in 50 pound tubs which is way too much for me.

If anyone is interested Cargill Company has a wonderful three day course on how to start a chocolate business. It's two days of classroom and one day of hands on. If your an accomplished chocolatier the hands on might seem simple, but you can pick the experts brains.

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

I make about 14 pounds of finished product at a time. I take 5, 1/2 sheet pans lightly sprayed with Pam into a cold oven. I turn it to 350, and when it reaches that temp I turn off the oven. I do this while I'm melting the butter.

When the toffee is done I put the hot pans on the counter and put some toffee in each of the 5 pans. I can control the thickness because by using 5 pans there's room for the toffee with space left over.

As I said before, I score it and break the pieces when it's still warm, let it air dry for a bit. Then I have a tray covered in nuts. I dip the pieces, drop them on the tray, and let my husband sprinkles the nuts on the top.

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

Did you really mean below 25 degrees or is that a typo? That's below freezing. Do you coat just one side or flip your sheet over to coat the other side?

I'm just curious. My toffee seems to last longer when it's totally enrobed in chocolate.

Anne Bennett

Troubleshooting the Chocolate on Butter Toffee

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

Hi, I'm a new member but fully understand the frustrations of all of you. I have found that I have the least shearing when I let the toffee air dry a bit so the surface isn't as slippery.

The most shearing I ever had was when I made the toffee, scored the toffee, and dipped the pieces as soon as they were at room temp. I had someone to help me for a short period of time and couldn't wait. The chocolate slid right off a lot of pieces when I broke them into smaller pieces for packing,

I make the toffee early in the a.m. and and let the pieces air dry on sheet pans on a rack. In the afternoon I dip the pieces in tempered chocolate and lay them on a sheet tray covered with nuts. My husband or friend then drops nuts on the top of the pieces, and then I put the tray in a cooling cabinet. This way I don't get a lot of chocolate in the nuts. I know it's more time consuming to dip the pieces, but it's not as if the surface has to be perfect because of the nuts. I then break the pieces in 1/4s for packing.

I do not make toffee on a rainy or very humid day. Anne Bennett

Cleaning Chocolate Molds

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

Every comment seems to be about cleaning the molds. Could it be that the molds were too cool? I know that's why chocolate sometimes sticks. I was told that molds are supposed to be 80 degrees. I use my warming oven. I also have a surface temp thermometer that is really helpful.