Forum Activity for @Ilya Snowdon

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
08/19/16 01:21:43AM
20 posts

Straight Through Chocolate Moulding line for solid bars


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

I am planing on setting up a bean to bar Production starting at 250KG a week

so I'm looking for the right solution for molding my bars that is scalable and could see me producing according to demand.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
08/16/16 09:27:18PM
20 posts

Straight Through Chocolate Moulding line for solid bars


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

What do you think about one of  prefamac's machines paired with a second hand cooling tunnel 

Automatic tempering machine with scraper - How to use

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
08/16/16 09:12:28PM
20 posts

Straight Through Chocolate Moulding line for solid bars


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

Hi Clay,

Yes I was just using the picture to demonstrative the basic principal.

yes please share your opinions on the cheaper options,  the pneumatic Mould loader seams an attractive option paired with a tempering machine

and DIY Cooling tunnels, or reconditioning a second hand cooling tunnel. 

I only know how to make chocolate from scratch, the idea is that I want to set up a small production of chocolate bars.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
08/16/16 03:06:44AM
20 posts

Straight Through Chocolate Moulding line for solid bars


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


Whats the most cost effective setup for the production of solid single origin Bars without hand moulding

and manually cooling them in racks in a chiller 

temper unit and a second hand cooling tunnel  and manually demould on the other end.

who has set up a basic straight through production line and for how much money


tunnel_300_400.jpg tunnel_300_400.jpg - 39KB

updated by @Ilya Snowdon: 08/16/16 03:06:48AM
Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/08/15 06:24:42AM
20 posts

adding flavorings - help needed


Posted in: Tasting Notes

Sebastian:
Actually, the alcohol is there because alcohol extracts flavors much differently than does water.  It's a much more effective solvent, and as such the types of flavors you get with alcohol extractions are very different than what you find with water extractions.   You will need to decide for yourself which is better.  Alcohol based flavors are used every day in large scale chocolate manufacture.

No, the original extraction might have been by steam distillation or expression. While things like vanilla will often be extracted by alcohol or Co2.

 

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/06/15 11:01:34PM
20 posts

adding flavorings - help needed


Posted in: Tasting Notes

You don't need to use the alcohol ones. The alcohol is added to make the essential oil water soluble when used in other cooking applications.

Chocolate is a fat mass which means the flavoring doesn't need to be soluble.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/06/15 09:04:28AM
20 posts

adding flavorings - help needed


Posted in: Tasting Notes

if you use Organic essential oils you can be confident they will be food safe, with no traces of pesticides or chemicals. 

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/04/15 05:47:03AM
20 posts

Raw chocolate-- what is it really?


Posted in: Make Mine Raw ...

When People say raw chocolate. it would mean they are looking for the health benefits present in the cocoa beans before Roasting.

So in oder to classify it. one could call it raw if the nutritional value hadn't been cooked of in the processing of the chocolate.

A similar food market to compare it with would be nut butters. 

Roasted nuts taste so much better, but roasting changes the nut-butter fat.

I make nut butter in my chocolate melanger with a mix of roasted and unroasted nuts

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/03/15 01:50:40AM
20 posts

Looking for quality Organic milk powders (s)


Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

I phoned the Coop that process Goats milk but they said it all gets exported as Goats milk Infant formula.

You should contact Fonterra Ingredients Devision instead they produce organic milk powders. and if they don’t sell goats milk as well, they could tell you who does.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/02/15 06:24:45AM
20 posts

Dedy-Brand Mini Moulding Machine


Posted in: Opinion

Could you spill the beans.

what would one of these cost

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 09:32:12PM
20 posts

Looking for quality Organic milk powders (s)


Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

I will find out now for you

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 09:29:39PM
20 posts

Cocoa plantation. Samoa


Posted in: Travels & Adventures

The cocoa is mainly grown in the family village land. 

all members of the family have there own patch of land to build a house, while the family village Land will often extend right back into the mountain were they will have what they call a plantation. I cool it a food Forrest. it will often be mixed cropping with coconuts towering into the sky and cocoa tress growing under the canape along with Bananas. And endless other types of food.

You would get the best experience if you arranged to stay in one of the family Villages.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 09:08:28PM
20 posts

Looking for quality Organic milk powders (s)


Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

If you find it hard to get the Goats And Sheeps milk powders in the US.

There is another smaller dairy cop.  in New Zealand producing them.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 06:16:36AM
20 posts

Looking for quality Organic milk powders (s)


Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

If you can't source it locally.

You will be able to purchase New Zealand Milk powder. (exported Globally) 

Fonterra has a range of organic milk powders.

Some of us kiwis would prefer you didn't support our dairy industry, but we will forgive you for buying organic milk.

Or you could source it from one of the smaller companies.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 06:02:39AM
20 posts

Marketing/Graphic designer for gourmet chocolatier


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Tell us how a Chocolate maker would go about crating a new Product range. and getting the Artwork and branding done with a designer like your self.

Its always a stumbling block for my self. and I'm sure it would be helpfull for others.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 05:51:54AM
20 posts

Small/Medium Sized Grinders


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

Michael Arnovitz:
James - Do you have the 2ltr grinder that tilts? I've been wondering about this unit for a while now; for obvious reasons I really like the tilt feature, but I have been concerned that it might not hold up to long use like the 1.5ltr unit does. In the photos of it I've seen, I don't see any vent-holes for the motor like the 1.5ltr unit has. As I said above, I'm going to be gettin several more of these soon, so if you're using the 2ltr with tilt and they're working well for you I'd love to know. Thanks!

I'v got one it works greate

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
07/01/15 05:40:27AM
20 posts

Bean to bar bitterness / astringency problem


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

If it was from the roasting stage,

You would likely have resolved it on subsequent batches.

As your roast profiles are likely to vary slightly each time if your just trying things out.

how long do you take to make a batch.

I take 3 days. the first two days the chocolate refines in the melanger. then the third day is left for conching this is where the final flavour develops and unwanted bitterness evaporates.

You can actually smell and taste the flavour changers and bitterness coming of the melanger. 

 

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
10/01/14 05:48:22AM
20 posts



I have been using a manual meat grinder. You run the beans through with no Mincing plates in. they crack in the auger Chamber.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
09/14/14 05:35:08AM
20 posts

Cracking cocoa beans using a Brazilian coffee sheller


Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools

I am now going to try out some of those hand cracker cocoa mills.

But if you ever find your self with out one (like Me last week) i found that my little hand cranked mincer worked really well. you run the beans through without and mincing plates in, the cocoa beans crack in the auger Chamber and come out in nice almost cube shaped bits with large bits of separated shell.

Ilya Snowdon
@Ilya Snowdon
09/14/14 05:11:19AM
20 posts

Small-scale (under 100kg) chocolate making equipment


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

I made an experimental Winnower in a hurry last week to put on my second batch of chocolate.

It cost me about $40 dollars. Made out of some large clear flexi tubing and a three way pluming divider.

So you have straight vertical tube and you drop the nibs into the tube via a side tube. The nibs attempt to drop down the tube while the husks are vacuumed upwards. you have a catch bucket to stop the husks entering the Vacuum cleaner.

Now working on a more permanentwinnower (not held together with duck tape)