Forum Activity for @dd

F/S Savage brothers tempering machine

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

Hi Trevor, i am interested in the tempering machine. Can you send me some more details and pictures? Where is it located? etc.

d.duernberger@gmx.at

kind regards, daniel

turning chocolate into gold

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

I thought some of you would be interested in this "trick".

I found the thread on reddit yesterday.

turning chocolate into gold

In the comments there are a few descriptions of how it works.

They say there are some gold flakes suspended in some kind of cacao or coffee powder and only the gold will stick to the bonbon because of some hydrophobic process?

just take a look at the link and you will see.

updated by @dd: 08/20/16 07:48:22

Low-cost / DIY temper meter?

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)

I also was thinking about why these tempermeters are that expensive. After some research i found this page a few years ago: soncodipaul.weebly.com/tempermeter.html
It shows a cheap build tempermeter, but no description. After I sent him an email he replied with some info. He mentioned that the biggest problem is in recording the exact temperature at the exact time. But he also mentioned that this could be fixed with the right equipment and coding (or "just" some detailed temperature/time measering equipment?)

It was two years ago and I lost the interest in building such thing..  But maybe you are interested in it, would be happy to see some plans of building a tempermeter buy yourself )

seeking connector arm for Spectra 20

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

Do you mean these parts?
http://www.santhausa.com/MelangerPartsAccessories.htm

Part 1: Fact Checking Georg Bernardini's "Chocolate - The Reference Standard"

Posted in: Opinion

I dont see such a big problem in releasing a book that reviews a lot of chocolate products. He does not lie like the mast brothers, so there is no reason to compare him with them or even say that he is worse. He just writes down his opinion about the products he tasted and writes a bit about the company. I like this concept. I did find new companies that i wasnt even aware of and tasted also alot. Some I like, some I dont. And guess what: There are some products Bernardini likes and I dont. Thats just normal since every Person has his own opinion about taste and flavor.

@brad-churchill

Calling the author "... narcisistic, bloated, self indulgent wingnuts ..." and that his book is garbage is just a childish reaction from someone who got a bad review in the book. And still after reading it I would test your chocolate if I travel to Canada, because (as mentioned before) people have different opinions about taste and flavor in chocolates.

Still you post some accolades on your business homepage like "Best Hot Chocolate ", "Top Chocolatier", ... even if they are tasted from random persons.
Sorry, but reading your comment I had to write this because it seemed very unfair to the author to say that his book is garbage and should be pulled.

The author writes alot of information about what bean to bar is and what the difference is about companies who use industrial made chocolate and people who make their own chocolate from the bean. It is good for people who doesnt know a lot about chocolate and after reading his book they will know much more about what the difference is about small artisan chocolatiers and big commercially made chocolate like lindt or nestle.. . I think this is a good way for the chocolate community. 

The title of the book is truly not the best as it claims to be "THE standard reference", but everyone who reads this book will know that the reviews are just from ONE person.

what machine is this?

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

By "hand blender" i meant a stick blender. Thank you for the response that i dont have to invest that much money . Maybe i will invest a little bit in a better stick blender (more rpm) since mine is really old and not made for 2 kg batches. I also will try to optimize my recipe for ganache. Just for information: I ONLY make ganache to cut and coat it later in our enrobing line. So i try to make the recipe as smooth and fine as possible which is still "cut-able". I also make a bottom and a top chocolate (foot?)  and cut it with the guitarcutter while the top (foot?) still soft to get perfect edges. This works great for me. Still i will experiment more for finding a better recipe.
So i guess the Vacuum unit at some mixers is only good for better shelf life and doesnt affect the texture of the ganache. 

(sry for my "not so well" english )

what machine is this?

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

Thank you for the information. Sounds logic to use either a stephan mixer OR a Cadix but not together.

ok, the reason why I am so interested in such things is because i tried some great ganaches from top chocolatiers from paris, like henri le roux or patrick roger, and (apart from there delicious taste) they got a very smooth and still cutable ganache. Especially I like the texture of the ganache. I made alot of ganaches by myself and never got that smooth and fine texture (tried alot of different ratios, added glucose,invert,sorbit,hony,...), so I was thinking it has something to do with my equipment (hand blender) and so i started looking what they use (and found the machine which you see in the pictures).
After seeing that alot chocolatiers use a stephan mixer with vacuum I am thinking my process adds some air into the ganache which affect the texture. unfortunatly these machines are very expensive.

Does someone made similar experience?

edit: or maybe to summarize: Does a Vacuum mixer (like Stephan) makes a different texture than a handmade (or hand blender-made) ganache?

updated by @dd: 01/11/16 15:11:18

what machine is this?

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

thank you for the answers

I was more interested in the function of this machine. It seems that (2nd picture) it is used to heat up cream (for a ganache) and later it is put together with the chocolate into a stephan mixer. I am curious about why to use such a machine to heat up(cock) cream? or is it because of quantity.

what machine is this?

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

Hi, i just need some little help. I want to know what machine this (image attached) is?
I saw it at a few chocolatiers and it seems it is something for cocking and mixing? (one picture with where cream is inside in the other picture there are caramelized nuts inside).
Does someone know this machine?
friendly regards, dd

looking for a more efficient way to make slabbed ganache

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

Thank you sebastian and gap for sharing your method of making slabbed ganache.
I also have one of these frames you are talking about. As you say they are perfect for making multilayered ganache, but as gap mentioned, if you have 1kg of ganache you need 3 frames.
I mostly make 2-3kg of ganache (peak season) and dont want to have 6 or 9 frames to "play" with.
So i guess i need to "build" such a scrapper by my own. I also was thinking about a scrapper where I can adjust the height, so i can eventually make also multilayerd pralines. I will talk to a metalworker, shouldnt be that difficult.

The other problem with the stainless steel bars (bend and unhandy), i have to rethink.

@gap: you are using silpat for your slabbed ganache? Didnt you have any problems with ganache sticking to the silpat? I have some recipes where the ganache is really soft (but still "cut-able") and i once tried silpat and it was a mess.
Is it a normal silpat or something special?

looking for a more efficient way to make slabbed ganache

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

Hi folks!

I am looking for a more efficient way to make slabbed ganache.

 

This is how i make it now: I have 2 long stainless steel bars, between these bars i put the ganache and spread it even with a plastic board (see attached picture). I use my fingers to prevent the ganache from running over the side of the bars.

Next day i bottom them, turn over and cut em with the guitar.

 

In detail I am looking for

-) a better scrapper to spread the ganache (like in the video below)

-) something more flexible than the stainless steel bars (they bend over time and i cant use them anymore and they are unhandy to store)

-) a alternative to the baking parchment, something i can use more than once (silpat doesnt work well for ganache)

 

A while ago I found this video on the internet. (Le Caramel et le Chocolat Henri Le Roux ) At minute 02:00 you can see how they slab the ganache.

 

Looking forward to some tips and tricks on how you slab ganache and what equipment you use.

 

Any help appreciated!

 

 regards, dd

addition: i uploaded a photo of my last slabbed ganache.

updated by @dd: 10/22/15 11:40:24

EZtemper

Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools (Read-Only)

seems like this is the same technology as the "Magic Temper" Device from CCMS, but smaller and cheaper(?)

Trip to Swiss/Zurich, any tips for chocolate fans

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

so, i just looked around zürich and found some chocolate stores. Mostly Sprüngli stores but also Läderach, Teuscher and Vollenweider. Sprüngli has a big Shop in the Center at Bahnhofstraße with a cafe on the first floor.

Trip to Swiss/Zurich, any tips for chocolate fans

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Hi,

next week i am going to visit chocolate academy in zurich/swiss. I will have 2 days free to look around the city.
Does anybody know any good places about choclate. Are there even any Bean to Bar producders in Zürich?
I guess Lindt&Sprüngli and Läderach i will see anyway (airport?, trainstation?...), so i am more interested in the small chocolate boutiques or even bean to bar producers.
Any hints or tips?

regards, dd

updated by @dd: 04/11/15 00:49:29