Forum Activity for @Greg Gould

Me!  silverchildconfectionaries@gmail.com

I have a Martellato full size double guitar and it's incredibly frustrating. I'm not sure if another brand would be better, but I know a large company who had a Dedy, sold theirs and cut by hand now.

Strings break all the time and you'll wreck your fingers trying to restring it with piano wire.  Cleaning it is a pain in the ass, something to consider if you need to wash between every recipe.

A guitar cutter should be a great thing and at some point I hope to try and work with it again, if I can hire a piano tuner to restring the frames.  In the meantime, I score with a caramel cutter and cut with a blade.

That's what I'm doing​ now.  In the winter, they dry out perfectly after a day.  In the summer, even with a dehumidifier in the room, after 6 hours they're sticky.  After a day they're unsellable.  I don't think the dehumidifier is strong enough to get the whole room so I'm wondering if a much smaller area might work.  

That's not working during the humid months.  In the winter that's fine.

I'm making chocolate dipped  caramels and Pate De Fruit but humidity is always a problem in the summer. I'm thinking of having a box built like a Hillards cooling cabinet but instead of an AC it would be hooked up to a dehumidifier.   The intake would be on the inside of the box and would vent out. The room itself is cool so I don't see the need to use an AC.  

Thoughts?  Would this even work?

Just realized you're enrobing chocolates.  If you can find a way to go from the fridge to room temperature, with something in between like a wine cooler,that might work.

My local home depot has thermometer/humidity monitors or about $15.  I have to run a dehumidifier in the summer here non stop, more than the AC, and even then I get some condensation sometimes.

Switching to a Hillards cooling cabinet instead of a fridge will also help because the temperature of the molds won't be so low as to cause condensation.

One trick I learned after using the firdge/freezer to get stuck chocolates out: wrap the mold in plastic wrap so it's airtight.  If there's no air, there's no condensation.   

I use the warming draw at the bottom of my oven.

Thank you

Bumping this up bexcuse I'd like to know.  Does anyone have an answer?

I might be interested.  greggould1000@gmail.com

I have a Hilliards and I love it!

I haven't figured a way.  I bought a caramel roller and it doesn't get through caramel.  The handle has a terrible grip.   It is great for scoring them before you cut them.   Don't get a guitar cutter.

If you want to speed things up, I'd recommend getting a Chocovision Delta to automate up your chocolate tempering.  They're used on eBay regularly.  

I am making ganaches, filling every thing by hand on a scale.   I've seen depositing machines online but don't know much about them.  
I figured I could boil more cream than necessary, that's probably the way to go.  When I add the oil depends on the recipe but it isn't in the cream. Some flavors do go in the cream but I can compensate.  
Thank You Clay

I make shell molded bon bons and I'm struggling with accurate dosing from piece to piece.  There are weight variations from batch to batch, but the amount of cannabis oil I add remains constant.   I'm assuming its because moisture evaporates from the cream when I'm boiling it.  

Also, I've switched to clear distillate and I'm wondering if anyone else has.

Is this still availabe?  Whats your email?

I have 8 of these -->  http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/squares-magnetic-28-cavities.asp
and 8 of these -->  http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/rounds-magnetic-28-cavities.asp

They're just too small for me.  $20 each plus shipping or take all 16 for $320 and I'll pay shipping.

I have 2 and am looking for a couple more.  I can't even find any on line to buy new.

If you're wondering what they are:

http://consciouscat.net/2013/10/08/katzenzungen-unique-candy-cat-lovers/

I've made my own praline paste and I've used canned.  Honestly, the canned tastes more like what people expect from hazelnut, and the consistency is better, but I keep making mine from scratch.  Usually, when it's from a can, it's just roasted nuts and sugar that hasn't been caramelized.

Why are you getting rid of it?  Is hand filling easier?  

I was gifted two blocks of gianduja, a Callebut milk that was opened with a best by date was in March, the other a Valrhona dark with a packaged date of july 2014 and a best by date of July of last year.  Should I toss them?  The Callebut seems fine.  

I have a hard time finding gianduja so this is a big deal.  I usually make my own,

The title pretty much says it all.  I'm looking for some frames.  I'm looking for the Maratello 5 plastic frame set but the full size one, not the mini.  I'll take other frames too, 12x12x1/4" and 12x12x1/2" are the other sizes I want but I'm flexible. 

I'm also looking for frames for my pate defruit.

Bump. 

Also would you mind giving other advice?  

What width strings should i use?  

Can you recommend ganache frames?  Whats the highest I would want to go?  Are acetate sheets preferable to silicone mats?  I will be making two layer ganaches.  I also make pate de fruit.

Im thinking of buying the cart built for the cutter but its $300.  What I like is I have no room for the cutter and i can store my 5 frames underneath perfectly.  Any reason to get something else?

Here's some pictures.  Thank you.

 IMG_20160311_163105661.jpg - 1.8MB

Hi everyone!   I just picked up a used cutter and some of the strings are broken on a couple of frames.  Do I neeed a special tool to loosen the bolts on the frame so I can replace strings?

Don't get one used. I bought a used one in January through ebay, it came broken, and I'm still disputing it with the seller.

I bought a Dedy double guitar cutter from eBay.  Thye box came banged up, I contacted the seller and he wanted me to check it out before I returned it.  It has a couple of problems and I dont know how severe.  I paid $1800 with three cutting frames which I think is a crazy good deal.  

O)ne of the brackets to hold the arm is bent.  I cant get the frame in there.  I could most likely straighten it out with breaking it but Im concerned it wont line up any more.

The other arm doesnt seen to line up with the grid.  I have to pull it away from the back of the bracket slot about an 1/8 of an inch to get it to line up.  I wonder if I'll have to wiggle it to get it to cut properly, but maybe thats normal. I dont know.

Thoughts?  Should I put in a claim through eBay to return it when it was listed in as new condition?

i could try and take a video to show you what I mean.

Its 2015 and this is thr best we can come up with.

I do the same as Jayne.  It works every time but I dont do bean to bar.

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout - you should be abvle to get this anywhere

Boatswain Chocolate Stout - I get mine at Trader Joes

and my favorite beer of all: Gearys Winter Ale - the brewery is a mile from home.  

I need a caramel cutter and I need a guitar cutter.  I can not afford the guitar cutter until the fall but I can get a caramel cutter probably this month.  Is there any reason why I should not cut up a slab of ganache with a caramel cutter?  Am I missing anything?

Thank you everyone in advance.

I want to make pate de fruit for two layer pralines.  I've tried a dozen times with 2 recipies and it never sets but I now understand that I need aple pectin, or something.  I see special pate de fruit pectin on Chef Rubber and I'm wondering if it's that worth paying more or will apple pectin be fine?  Is there anywhere cheaper than Chef Rubber for apple pectin?

I won another award.

1. What do you want to know?

2. It already has

:D

Thank you Clay!

Would someone provide links to some roll mills?

Yes I meanpralin. Thank you everyone for your answers. I'm glad I didn't buy the Robot Coupe.

I'm making my own nut pastes but I can't get them as smooth as the ones in the can. Inevitably, a few people complain it's gritty. I've tried using a Wearing commercial food processor but that's not doing the trick. Would a robo-coupe be better or am I not going to be able to get it perfect with a fod processor?

The best recipes I found are the Marco (Cognac & marzipan) which I think is in book 1, the coconut caramel and banana from book 2 and the blueberry from book 3. They are all beyond fantastic. FYI: I omit the sorbitol.

Someone shared a picture of a chocolate turntable. I have no idea where it came from. Google only comes up with a silicone ice cube mold and that's not it. Can anyone tell me where it came from?