Forum Activity for @Cotton

What is closest Guittard chocolate to what See's uses?

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

Have you tried searching the Guittard inventory at Chocosphere?  It seems rather robust to me. In wafers alone, they have 31 different listings for dark, 11 for milk, and 7 for white.  Keep in mind that there are duplicate counts due to different quantities for each flavor, e.g., buying 1Kg, 3Kg, or 25 lbs packages.  Still, it's a solid list to choose from, and I find that Chocosphere organizes quite well.

https://www.chocosphere.com/

Piping issue

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

Thanks, Jim.  Before I got your note, I tried reviving the ganache while still in the piping bag, so I now know what you mean to remove it from the bag first then proceed with the re-warming process.  Experience is a heckuva teacher, no?!  

Piping issue

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

First, amateur here (with aspirations for more, of course!)  I am making several kinds of truffles for a fundraising event at my church this weekend, and I made three different ganaches yesterday with the hopes of piping them into molds last night.  I missed my target and ran out of time.  I'm ready to pipe them tonight, but the ganaches have set and are quite stiff.  Is there any way to soften the ganache in the bag so that I can pipe, or must I start over?  (My hunch is that if I try to "micro" the mass, it will upset the fat content and lead to separation, correct?)

Any feedback is much appreciated!

Typical yield of molded truffles from 1 lb chocolate?

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

Thank you, Brad.  What I'm hearing you say is that I'm following/focusing on the wrong metric.  In other words, focus on costs, not weight.

Good advice.  Much appreciated!

Typical yield of molded truffles from 1 lb chocolate?

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

I've been lurking here for some time, but this is my first question to ask out loud: how many molded truffles should I expect out of 1 lb (or 1 kg) of dark chocolate?  If you can't tell, I'm quite the amateur... but I'm working on it!  I guess I'm hoping to find information that would provide a range of proficiency, something like:  1) a novice would successfully convert 50% of the tempered chocolate into "x" truffles, 2) a mid-experienced artisan would convert 75% of the chocolate into "y" truffles, and 3) a real pro can convert 90% of it into "z" truffles.  (Of course, these all made-up numbers; I merely offer a scheme that might allow a consistent discussion.)

A follow-on question is: what is the best way to salvage to remaining tempered chocolate after I've completed my molding? Right now, I use a 1/4-size baking sheet lined with parchment paper where I pour the remaining chocolate and smooth it out as thinly as I can.  I then cover it with another piece of parchment and place it in a fridge to set. Once hardened, I break it into smaller pieces and store in left-over plastic tubs with tight-sealing lids.

Oh, I am in south Texas where it stays quite warm much of the year!  (To wit, here it is mid-October and we hit 90 degrees today.)

Some more background:  I'm still switching back and forth between seeding and tabling my chocolate for tempering; I'm not sure which method I prefer yet  I'm using mostly 21-cavity polycarbonate molds from Fat Daddio and Pavoni, but I just received my order of a couple of Chocolate World molds (with 24 cavities each) and I'm really excited to use those.  I'm using mostly Callebaut and El Rey chocolates in the 54% to 6o+% range; sometimes, I bite the bullet and attempt to use Valrhona, but its cost makes me quiver a bit!  I don't have fancy equipment (not yet) to keep the chocolate in-temper.  I usually use a stainless steel bowl and put in the microwave at 50% power (evidently, the round shape of the bowl does not produce the sparks that usually come with metal in the microwave).  At my skill level and my lack of control of continuously keeping the chocolate in-temper, I usually prepare no more than two molds at a time.  (I've tried three molds a couple of times, but the "peter principle" keeps rearing its ugly head!)  Finally, I am using a basic cream ganache with some flavorings added, like chili powder or coffee, or Lor-Ann oil flavorings.

In summary, I am inefficient in my use of the chocolate and I want to get better at it.  Any suggestions?

updated by @Cotton: 10/14/16 08:42:47PM

Dehumidifier for Retail Space

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

Clay, I'm trolling this subject.  I am in San Antonio, TX, which is cold right now (and unusually so), but we can get plenty warm starting in mid April and lasting through late October.  Temps reach 96+ fairly easily, and too often over 100; humidity is all over the place, but usually a wide range between 30% and 85% (if not raining).  So, controlling heat/humidity is an issue here, too.  What about the plastic industrial curtains like in the link below; are they effective in helping control temp/humidity for chocolate purposes?... or do they just invite the possibility of shocking chocolate?

http://www.barefrigeration.com/Products/Walk-In-Cooler-Strip-Curtain-40--x-84-.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAmuCnBRCLj4D7nMWqp1USJABcT4dfbUuwhsxQzebA3JsX1CWZR9iV_4TdPTCbB80Ou5d04RoCeGfw_wcB

 

Where is the tempering error(s)?

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

Peter, please allow me to "troll" this topic a bit.  Specifically, could you address the mold temperature question?... i.e., should it be close to the temp of the chocolate when first poured into it?  (to avoid "shocking" it... that's my gut-feel anyway)  I'm a rookie and would appreciate any insight.  Many thanks!

Is Ecole Chocolate online program for me?

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Or-m,

I recently took Ecole Chocolat's Professional Chocolatier program, and I echo what Andrea already offered.  I don't have the professional culinary background that you have, yet there is one other thing that I found very helpful that you might like, too:  you would be taking this course with other students from many different locales.  Worldwide, in fact.  While I live in Texas, my "cohort" group consisted of folks as far away as Germany, England, Kuwait, Ecuador, and southeast Asia.  Obviously, there were folks from all across the USA as well as Canada, too. Each of us was invited to submit information/results of our various exercises as we progressed through the curriculum.  The exercises are monitored and graded by professional chocolatiers who are on staff at Ecole Chocolat (and they are quite good in that capacity, too).  While each individual assignment is submitted in private for official grading, we were encouraged to share our results and questions within an open forum. This was particularly helpful to me as we could converse online and share our successes as well as our troubles and challenges.  I personally fell behind on a few things (temperature control in south Texas is a bit of challenge during much of the year!), but the EC staff are graciously allowing me to catch up this spring.  Yes, the actual work and assignments are done all on your own, but you are potentially building a network of "cohorts" who you might someday want to contact and bounce ideas back and forth with.  To me, it's worth it.

Cotton