Forum Activity for @Nicole5

Hi Julie!  Do you have a list of available items?

email sent

I'll see if I can figure out how to send you a PM.

I have a caramel cutter I might be able to sell to you.  Where in the U.S. are you?

Okay, I think it is Clay's option 2, (prah-li-nay), based on the spelling with the accent on the 'e', which is in the book.  Do you know if it's available for purchase in larger quantities, or do I have to make my own?  Any recommendations?

I am reading one of Jean-Pierre Wybauw's books, and "praline" is an ingredient in many formulas.  I've always considered a praline a finished product.  Can anyone enlighten me on what this ingredient is?  Thank you!

Where is the table located?

Thanks all.  I tested my know-how again using good, solid molds from Tomric (my own family's company had just one tray of three different shapes). Anyway, every single mold fell out beautifully.

@Mark-allan, maybe Fat Daddio was not what we got then.  I know that is a name I've seen around.  In any case, I do believe now that what i have been provided is crappy tools, and they are just going to have to spend the extra money if they want good molds and fewer losses of product.

Thanks again!

Hi all,  

I don't claim to be a chocolatier, just a candy maker, but I do a pretty good job.  I was hired by someone who decided to open a handmade candy business based on my skill and I get paid really well.  Because I'm not a chocolatier, I need help with a shell mold question.  The owner bought me some molds for our creams (I pipe them) from sellers on Amazon.  One brand was called, I think, Fat Daddio or something.  They didn't go to Tomric as I suggested, I imagine thinking they are saving a few dollars.  Anyway, the molds are no where near as heavy weight, and I'm not having a lot of success getting them out of the molds. 

Is there such thing as a crappy shell mold, or do I just stink at this?

Thanks

I just use LouAna Coconut Oil from a grocery store; it's near every other type of oil in a white container.  I temper milk chocolate, add melted (but cooled) coconut oil and flavor in with the chocolate.  I pipe the filling into milk chocolate shells, let them set and back them.  I know there is a difference between refined and unrefined, but I've forgotten which is which.  I just keep using the same thing I've always used!

I've never had any stick around long enough to know what happens after a while!

Would the ratios of chocolate to coconut oil be the same as chocolate to cream to achieve a meltaway?  I currenly pipe my meltaways into a shell and they are very popular, but I'd like to try some that are not shelled.  I don't know how to get that meltaway texture without it being too soft.

Actually, no, I didn't realize it would still pop out cleaning if it's not tempered.  Ugh!  I'll remember that next time!

Hi Andrea!  No, I have never cleaned with cotton balls, only a soft cloth.  Unfortunately, with all the breakage, I've had to wash them (only with hot water) a million times, which I've read (somewhere) is not recommended.

I'll let them set up a little longer, although I have to say that I fear shells becoming too thick.  Clearly, I'm on the wrong path right now, though!

Thank you!

Can anyone tell me why I might have 50% of my shell molds pop out beautifully, and the other 50% break within the same tray?  My thought is that because I bought these used, perhaps some cavities were cleaned out with something abrasive?  Sometimes the entire circumference breaks, sometimes just a piece at the top.  But I always get some portion of the molds that are perfect.

Can you send along your contact info?  I'm in Maryland, too.

So, I was tempering my milk chocolate, and after thinking it was ready, I filled a whole lot of shell molds.  Then I realized, I never added the seed chocolate.  Now I have a whole lot of mess to clean out of the molds.  (and a lot of wasted time).

I accidentally added an extra 75% cream than what was called for to a caramel I made recently.  While texturally it seems fine right now, I wonder if there might be any negative impact in the shelf life?  Perhaps it will just have better, richer taste?  Better 'stand up' quallity?  Would you use it?  Thanks!

Are you only selling all of the equipment together, or are you willing to separate?

I don't know the science of it all, but mine stuck in my teeth until I was told to add lecithin. My formula does have a small amount of corn syrup.

Thank you so much for helping me with this!

I've been making a peanut butter meltaway using peanut butter, milk chocolate and coconut oil. There are times when that meltaway center develops a...texture. It's not quite gritty, because the little lumps melt away, but it's not as smooth as I'd like it.

I'm not sure if this has something to do with the temps of each item in the meltaway, or the order in which they are put together.

Can anyone shed light on this? Most often they are perfect.

We are going to take some old equipment out of storage to ramp up production. This is equipment that really hasn't been used since Dad died: Savage (?) mixer, additional stove and kettle, and deep fryer for nuts.

What is everyone's preferred method for cleaning such equipment? Simple Green and a scrub brush? Power washing?

Thanks!

Does anyone have thoughts on a hot chocolate dispenser? We are making our hot chocolate with ganache, and wonder if you can help us anticipate any problems. This machine

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/cecilware-choco-1-delice-countertop-hot-chocolate-dispenser-120v/385CHOCO1.html

is what we are thinking about getting.

Thanks

We are looking at buying some new equipment, but would like to see if we can gather some feedback on a couple of pieces. Does anyone here use the fully automated tempering machine from Savage? (maybe there is more than one?) It's got lots of bells and whistles, such as being able to set it 7 days in advance to have chocolate ready at such-and-such a time. The more bells and whistles, however, may mean more repairs, etc.

Thanks!

I actually have no answers about selling online, but I do have a thought that has worked for me in my state. Check your cottage business laws. I am selling through farmer's markets and at vendor fairs, and I've established a solid reputation in just 18 mos. I've also had a few people ask me if they can invest in setting me up with a storefront.

Not sure if this is in the same category as your problem or not, but I took notice of your post. I'm using Peter's Broc as well. For my peanut butter eggs, I'm getting a "marbled" look on only some of the eggs in the tray, while most of them are just right. Does it sound the same to you?

Thank you, Lee, for your response! Your explanation could be the problem, and if I could inquire a little more, I'd be grateful. These molds are (big surprise!) bunnies. When you say uneven cooling, could it be that if our guy is putting more chocolate in the ears of the bunny mold, but less for the body, that that might be part of it? He hasn't told me where the molds are cracking, or if it's always in the same place, so I'll check on that. In the meantime, this is a major problem at this time of year!

In my family's shop a new employee is having trouble with our Easter hollow molds. Since my father's passing we are on a rapid learning curve since he knew everything and we just followed his instructions.

Anyway, as we are trying to do the hollow molds, the chocolate is cracking while setting up. It's is visible from the outside of the mold.

I'm thinking that it's too thin of a shell and/or the viscosity of the chocolate. We are using Broc 90 (?). Should we be using 125 for hollow molds?

Is this enough info for thoughts?

Hi Mr. Le,

I cannot say that I am a chocolatier like others on this forum, but my family has been in the chocolate/confectionery business for over 65 years. To have a custom mold made, you could probably contact Tomric at www.tomric.com . If you hope to have someone else make your chocolate bars, I have no idea who you could call. If you want to make your own, I can't think of anything you would need other than a tempering machine, the molds and the wrappers. Don't know what a copacker is, and costs and minimums will depend on who you are buying from, best to contact those companies. For boxes or wraps for your bars, you can contact ModPac. Their stuff is very basic, and probably good to start with.

I'm no chemist, but my husband told me that alcohol is all some sort of fermented sugar, and presumably that is why the adjustments need to be made as Mark has said. My caramel tasted sooooo good, but I don't know how to adjust formulas, so I guess I'll have to skip it.

Has anyone tried adding liquor to a batch of caramel? I'm thinking of Christmas (can't believe I'm thinking about it already) and adding rum as well as spices for a "hot buttered rum" type caramel. In my experimenting, I'm getting some crystallization (I'm a novice, so I think that's what it's called) around the edges of the batch: sides and bottom. I've thought that liquor would work in caramels and toffees, etc., as long as they didn't have sugar of their own in them, like I think Kahlua would, for example.

Does anyone have experience or thoughts on this?

Thanks!

Does anyone have an idea on how to make chocolate toppings for soft serve ice cream? We would like to include a chocolate dip on our menu, and perhaps maple, caramel, vanilla, etc., but we don't want the hard waxy shell from the paraffin wax. The chocolate/chocolate compound needs to go on the ice cream between 70-75 degrees (we want to use real chocolate, but can't figure out how), leave a thin coat and firm up enough for a coating, but not a hard shell.

I've got thoughts running around in my head of how this can be accomplished, but I keep coming up with glitches. We don't want to have to buy it.

Thanks!

Good afternoon,

Mod Pac sells boxes for 1/4lb., 1/2lb. and 1lb. chocolate eggs; the kinds that are filled with peanut butter filling, coconut, raspberry, etc. I am having trouble find the starch mold that is the right size to fit in those ModPac boxes. Does anyone here know the source for the appropriate size mold?

Thanks for any help!

May I ask where you are, and what your experience is?