A colleague of mine is trying her hand at cosmetics, however shes using a non deodorized cocoa butter. She says she can stand the smell, but has 50# of the stuff (I gotta agree with her, it smells like...not something Id put on my face, if I put stuff on my face...). She asked me to ask here... how do you deodorize it? Is it something she can do herself? heat or???
cheers
alan
I was about to ship out some samples and I saw this on my raspberry filling, and my honey almond....
please see attached pic
1st issue
chocolate, callebaut c811 with 5% coco butter
filling, oragnic rasp, glucose, vodka, waxy maize and carrageenan.
2nd issue
honey almond filling, its a sugar sweating through...why?
Im thinking the shell thickness was to thin....
thoughts?
cheers!
Alan
attached are 2 photos
Im getting some real nice sheen on the praline, but theres also swirl
what causes the swirl?
any help appreciated
cheers
alan
this is the cut view....
Ive been working on making a line of pralines
scenario; microwave tempered Callebaut C811(54%)+ 5% cocoa butter
mold at 26C (from a very cool oven, not a heat lamp or
ambient at 18-19C
single batches/trays
for the most part the temper is aok,
filling temp ambient
Q's;
Why would I get an odd corner of a praline that is massively untempered but the rest is ok.(see pic)
This particular mold is nice, it releases easy ( I presume its do to its shape). However it also tends to be the only one that has this odd, pattern on the side(see pic). I do think it has to do with the cooling...but I want to know how to eliminate it. Suggestions welcome.
I would welcome some hints at finishing the bottom. you can see from the pic the bottom is kinda sucky. When the chocolate goes on, its smooth. My problem is this; the filling is a touch too high, and when I scrape off the excess, its evident that the filling is too high (occasionally itss poke out like a turtle head.). If I fill it less the bottom becomes too thick. I have a very nice thin sides that quite a few testers have commented on. Id like to keep it that way.... the fillings are not very fluid, so they are piped in. I smack them down as much as possible, but after a while they just wont settle...
Thoughts?
Cheers
Alan
Thank you Mark. Will try that out.
Cheers!
Alan
Ive been dabbling a bit lately with making bonbons.
I have used a friends tempering machine to get the temper right. For the first batch of bonbons
Ive had a few bonbons stick, but thats a different post.
Ive gotten a bit of "leftover" choc. Its from when I empty the molds. Ive tried to reheat the choc to retemper it. I put the choc into a small plastic container, into the water bath of my thermocirculator. 48C till its all melted, and I checked the temp. It was kind of lumpy, small sand grain sized "lumps". They are barely perceptible on your palate, but you definitely see it.
I bumped the temp upto 50C, and let it sit for 45 min. No better. I have attached a pic of the choc, at 50C after I tried to blend out the lumps with a stick blender.
Whats going on?
-choc; is callebaut callet c811
Cheers
Alan
So I reattached the stem to the bowl, its a wee bit of a wobble, but its not like it didnt have one before...
I ended up using a poly-urethane adhesive used in the construction industry, called PL Premium.
I first tried it on a rock and piece of scarp steel. Be darned if I had to chisel it off.
Next i let a small blob cure for 14 days... then heated it in some hot water and chewed it..... I wanted to know if it had flavor or off gassing.....
Seemed not to,,, so I glued the stem/stalk back in, waited 14 days, and gave it a few cleanes with some sugar and a cycle in the oven.
All seems ok.
But now Im trying to figure out the tension with the Link-V belt.... the crappy belt I got from the auto store self destructed before one batch was out. <12hours. I think it was a) too wide 1/2" vs 3/8", b) too short (33") and it was tight!!!!
Before I put the Santha back together, can some one tell me how much slack should be on the the Link V belt?
At the area between the pulleys, how many inches slack should I see?
Cheers
Alan
Adam,
Thanks for the pic.
I guess I need to know at this point, what kind of adhesive to use for reattaching the stalk to the bowl. I think Im partial to a latex (think liquid nails type). Thoughts anyone?
It does seem the stalk is adhered to the bowl/stone top and bottom, and I melted the bottom...we'll see if I can "git'er dun".
Cheers
Alan
A few weeks ago I was asking about alternatives to the Champion juicer. One of the suggestions that was given was to preheat the bowl/rollers.....
Well in a plan that wasnt quite as well thought out, I left the bowl ontop of a coffee pot warmer for far too long. It melted the base of the main stalk that is in the middle of the bowl. Not a big deal I can gently carve the melted plastic away. It still fits onto the melangeur.
But the stalk stem, what ever its called has come out. Any idea what kind of adhesive its set with? Could someone take a pic of the bottom of their bowl and show me a pic, so I know just how much I melted? Im hoping theres a chance its only the adhesive that bubbled out and smells like a$$, it doesnt smell like a plastic to me, but when its been on the heat for x hours.....you never know.
On a side note, I was looking at the Santha USA site. It looks like the center stalk is now steel, vs the plastic mine has. Any idea when that change happened? I got mine in may and it was sold as a Model 11 (part #9 drum with base , http://www.santhausa.com/MelangerPartsAccessories.htm )
Cheers All!
" the first Cuisinart food processors were private label Robot Coupes "
hunh! I did not know that.
Vertical Cutter; good to know.
Corona mill; cheap materials- somehow i knew that might come out in the wash. I havent seen much quality in mid americanmanufacturing, IMHO.
thanks Clay
Im not surprised to hear the Cusinart does good. Ive used robo coupes for 20 years and I gotta be honest Ive never been impressed with their power (or is it power delivery). That being said they do take a good amount of abuse (Ive seen one vibrate off the counter and still run. Not bad for a #15 machine.) I do remember using a 20 year old Cusinart this past summer and I was impressed with it.
One of my beefs with the robo is the small bowl, yes there are different sizes. but the your well into the >$2500 range.
I know Clay suggested using a vertical mill chopper, Ive only used them a few times. Without trying it out, I would be hesitant to put my $$$ into one. For one thing youd have to keep stirring it with the built in stirrer. I do like the idea of the corn mill. Load a hopper, and watch it. Possibly less involved than the vertical mill.
just my 0.02$
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Automatic-continuous-Hammer-Mill-Herb-Grinder-pulverizer-machine-25KG-per-hour-/150975226935?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2326d32437
and / or
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-Vertical-Sesame-soybean-Peanut-Butter-colloid-mill-grinder-JML-65-/160992669808?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257be93070
as I try to wrap my mind around what we are doing, I realize that what we are doing needs to be measured. The final product needs to be <30microns, but not everything is measured the same way. Not everything can produce a set of standards that will tell you how a machine will perform. Not everything has the same standard, like the p-b machine. It may only apply "x" amount of force, and produce "x" size particles. But then there is the variables. A cocoa nib has "x" density and requires "x" force and heat to create "x" product....
Aint life funny
hmmmm...
did you have/try new, grinding burrs? being used, it could have been worn. Just trying to figure out where/how the differences in results came from. Model? Used burrs?
Im leary about a Champion juicer because from the little reading Ive done on CA, it sounds like the juicer (parts) will/do wear out within a relatively short time. 100#? 1000#?
anyways a small machine like that is out of my league for home use! maybe a small p-b maker. Having burnt out a belt on my melangeur trying to do make the liquor IN the melangeur, I think its time I do it properly.
I kind of expected to hear that results may vary. The machine I called Pleasant Hills about is a huge commercial machine, $2500....so its probably got a bit more robust grinding system than a small tabletop unit. Its made to make smooooth butters.
Did you ever try putting the "paste" through the home table top butter maker again? Wondering if a second time round would yield better results.
What kind of food processor did/do you use? Im a CuisinArt fan, but I remember Chocolate Alchemy saying some just dont cut it.
Ben,
It seems we think alike. I ran across the monter brewing website a few weeks ago, too. Its more than I want to spend for a small hobby, but maybe?????
I must admit though, Im curious to know how well the monster mill grinds....ugh, I hate being curious. Any idea how the steel roller, grab the dry nibs? It seems like they might just spin ans spin and spin.....That being said, it works for the barley/wheat which are possibly larger and harder, and drier(?)?
Well......
I called Pleasent Hill Grain Nut Butter Machines ( http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/nut_butter_machine.aspx ), at one point they did do a test with cocoa nibs (they couldnt remeber the size of the peices, but I think to us its its irrelavent), and she said, it comes out like a chocolate cake batter. Then hardens after 30 minutes or so.
Do what you will with the info....
Cheers
Alan
Ben, Thanks for posting up, I appreciate it.
I know you can, but how well does it work? It seems to me, the paste that comes out of the wondermill, is about the same consistency as when the nibs start to "gunk up" and stick when grinding them in he melangeur.
Has anyone tried a peanut butter grinder?
Cheers
Alan
Hey Chocophiles,
Ive been doing more and more, playing at home with small batches of beans. <3#. I still dont have a way to make a proper liquor. Doing it in the melanguer, is....far from good and requires babysitting for ~45 minutes....
I was wondering at how well a Wondermill JR or a peanut butter machine would work? The Wondermill JR has a small youtube clip saying it does mash it up, but I was wondering how well that paste processes in a melangeur.
Cheers all!
Hey everyone!
Ive been playing with different beans in my melanguer and the last batch came out after 24hrs of conching. It was all fine and dandy till it set up, it got all grainy, and crumbly. Odd I thought. I tried to melt it down, and temper it, and its still grainy... Any ideas what has happened?
CHeers
Alan
Hello, Chocolate Lifers,
Im new to chocolate making, but not the consumption 
I recently got myself a small melanger, and I have run a few batches of nibs through it, and I see my temp hitting 170F. I have been following the guide on Chocolate Alchemy, its within the range that is mentioned.
When Im done with the refining I pour it onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and double it over till it is cool.
My question is this;
The finished chocolate has ALOT of bloom. Is that normal?
I find it ironic that the one quality we dont want is inherent in the manufacturing process.
Cheers
Al
