Hi everyone,

I'm not a regular reader of this newsgroup and thought this would be the
appropriate place to ask for some advice.

While looking for Christmas presents, I found chocolate coated brownies
(pastries section) and chocolate coated cheesecake petits fours. I don't
have much experience with chocolate besides melting it over a double boiler
for dipping cookies. What I'm wondering is, can I make chocolate coated
brownies/cakes at home (to give as gifts) without buying really expensive
enrobing equipment? What would be my best bet to try at home or should I
even attempt it? Lastly, is there anything I should add to the chocolate to
prevent it from melting in people's hands when it's picked up (for the
brownie example)? I've heard of adding a wax of some sort to make chocolates
appear shinier, but wouldn't that taste kind of gross?

I've also considered buying a tempering machine. What's the smallest size I
should look for that would be appropriate for home use but still produce
somewhat reliable results? I guess my price range is anything less than
$1000 for now. I'd rather start with a broader search and narrow it down
later on, plus I'm just now getting really interested in learning about
chocolate and candy-making so who knows, a semi-professional machine might
come in handy in a year or two I figure. =)

Thanks in advance,
chocolate amateur Amy

at Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:03:07 GMT in
>,
(Amaryllia J Liu) wrote :

>Hi everyone,
>
>I'm not a regular reader of this newsgroup and thought this would be the
>appropriate place to ask for some advice.
>
>While looking for Christmas presents, I found chocolate coated brownies
>(pastries section) and chocolate coated cheesecake petits fours. I don't
>have much experience with chocolate besides melting it over a double
>boiler for dipping cookies. What I'm wondering is, can I make chocolate
>coated brownies/cakes at home (to give as gifts) without buying really
>expensive enrobing equipment? What would be my best bet to try at home
>or should I even attempt it? Lastly, is there anything I should add to
>the chocolate to prevent it from melting in people's hands when it's
>picked up (for the brownie example)? I've heard of adding a wax of some
>sort to make chocolates appear shinier, but wouldn't that taste kind of
>gross?

The key thing is that you're going to need to temper the chocolate. There
are several ways this can be done. The classic technique is, after the
you've melted the chocolate, you dump about 1/2 out onto a marble slab,
spade it around with a metal spatula until it just begins to solidfy, then
quickly scrape it in with the rest of the melted chocolate and stir.

The second method you do all in the pot - here what you do is you pull some
of the chocolate up the sides of the pot, off the heat, stir it until that
top "rim solidifies, then stir all together again.

The third method is that you reserve a small amount of chocolate unmelted,
and when the melted chocolate has cooled to lukewarm, dump that chocolate
in and mix around.

The marble slab method is the most foolproof, but also does require some
large, cold nonporous surface - it doesn't have to be marble but a plastic
cutting board doesn't work - and I'm guessing that this falls into the
category of "special equipment". The third method - "seeding" is also
pretty reliable, but for best results getting an accurate thermometer with
high precision in the range of 120-80 F (50-25 C) is a wise investment and
not at all expensive. You can get tempering thermometers for about $10.
Also, a good mercury-bulb medical thermometer will work pretty well,
although you need to be careful about putting it in melted chocolate that's
actually hot.

Use a fork to dip the brownies, and multiple passes to get a smooth, thick
coat without pinholes.

It may sound like a lot of work, but it's really not at all bad.

You need also to make sure that your chocolate is "couverture" - that is,
with a high percentage of cocoa butter or it will not melt or coat well.
Most eating chocolate bars qualify, but chocolate chips do NOT, and neither
does "baking chocolate" of the format that comes in those blocks - the
classic example being Baker's - whose use in *any* application is in any
case very questionable. (See my many posts on this) However, Ghirardelli's
bars are often labelled "for baking" but they're couverture-grade chocolate
suitable for your purposes. I might add that if your brownie recipe calls
for chocolate, Ghirardelli's chocolates at all grades are quite good and an
excellent choice for the brownies themselves.

There's no really easy way to avoid the melt-in-your-hands issue, if you
are using pure chocolate. If you are determined to avoid it, then you need
to use "compound coating". Compound coating replaces the cocoa butter with
another fat, typically palm kernel oil, and doesn't need to be tempered.
This does make it more convenient, but as you might expect, there's a
tradeoff. Compound coating tastes worse, having a flat, somewhat cardboardy
taste, and has much poorer texture, being filmy and almost slimy in how it
melts (most people react to the texture much more than the taste).

You'll have better dipping results if your brownie recipe leans towards the
fudgy. Fudgy brownies have a dense texture that doesn't crumble in the
chocolate when you're dipping. Cakey brownies are the worst. Large numbers
of air pockets in the latter create pinholes, and the lack of a smooth
surface means adhesion to the surface isn't as good. You'll probably end
up, with cakey brownies, with a coating that cracks and has pinholes.

>I've also considered buying a tempering machine. What's the smallest
>size I should look for that would be appropriate for home use but still
>produce somewhat reliable results? I guess my price range is anything
>less than $1000 for now.

I've not seen any consumer machine that is truly good. The most well-known
brand, Chocovision, sells a semi-professional machine, the X3210, which is
perhaps passable, but I'm not impressed with it, really.

However, you have to think hard about how often you will *really* use a
machine like this. Be very realistic and don't fall for the giddy-greedy
impulse. Very few people are really going to need a tempering machine in a
non-professional environment enough to justify its expense. Using the
marble-slab method is about the highest level of investment that you'll
need and is very reliable, especially when you're making in home
quantities. A tempering machine is really about holding chocolate in stable
temper for long periods of time, when you're making a lot of pieces. That's
not the typical situation you'll have at home.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

To add to what Alex said...

I prefer the tabling method for hand tempering, but you will need an
accurate instant digital thermometer with that method too. After you add the
tabled chocolate back in, the temperature of the whole must be under 85F,
and then you will need to bring it back up a few degrees to work with it.
You will also need a way to keep your tempered chocolate warm--but not too
warm, if it goes above 91F you will have to retemper--while you dip. I
suggest a heating pad in a bowl, with a smaller metal bowl containing your
chocolate nesteled inside it. It's best to have one with several settings,
so that you can adjust as you go along. Keep an eye on your thermometer at
all times. Tempering the chocolate is not difficult, but keeping it in
temper while you dip a number of items is a royal PITA. By the way, if you
happen to have a granite countertop, it is a fine surface for tempering
chocolate. Otherwise I think you'll have to buy a marble slab.

If you want a tempering machine, you have basically two choices for under
$1K that I know of: the lower end Chocovision machines or the ACMC Tabletop
Temperer. The Chocovision company has an Ebay store where they sell new and
reconditioned machines. The ACMC is available from the company directly,
from JB Prince, and from Sugarcraft, to name some online sources. I have an
ACMC machine, use it heavily, and find that it does a good job. The smallest
machine from Chocovision would be fine for hobby use, I would think. It has
a small capacity, but is the least expensive available.

Alex Rast wrote:
>
> I've not seen any consumer machine that is truly good. The most well-known
> brand, Chocovision, sells a semi-professional machine, the X3210, which is
> perhaps passable, but I'm not impressed with it, really.

But earlier you said:

Quoting from:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...4?dmode=source

> Much better appears to be the Revolation X3210 - a far more robust unit
> with significantly more capacity (1.5 lb is useless for any serious work)
> and with better processing internals. Revolation K5 appears to be better
> still - although at $4.5 K it probably makes economic sense only in a
> commercial setting. But at that point I'd start to look at the serious
> professional machines from Chocotec, ChocoMa, etc. The X3210 appears to hit
> the sweet spot of a machine well built enough to serve for light commercial
> duty and semi-professional work, but not badly overbuilt if being used in a
> home setting. I'd like to see a metal baffle, however.

That almost sounds like a different person talking!
Have you changed your mind about this machine?

at Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:13:02 GMT in >,
(Mark Thorson) wrote :

>Alex Rast wrote:
>>
>> I've not seen any consumer machine that is truly good. The most
>> well-known brand, Chocovision, sells a semi-professional machine, the
>> X3210, which is perhaps passable, but I'm not impressed with it,
>> really.
>
>But earlier you said:
>
>Quoting from:
>http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...3f35da1a764?dm
>ode=source
>
>> Much better appears to be the Revolation X3210 - a far more robust
>> unit with significantly more capacity (1.5 lb is useless for any
>> serious work) and with better processing internals. Revolation K5
>> appears to be better still - although at $4.5 K it probably makes
>> economic sense only in a commercial setting. But at that point I'd
>> start to look at the serious professional machines from Chocotec,
>> ChocoMa, etc. The X3210 appears to hit the sweet spot of a machine
>> well built enough to serve for light commercial duty and
>> semi-professional work, but not badly overbuilt if being used in a
>> home setting. I'd like to see a metal baffle, however.
>
>That almost sounds like a different person talking!
>Have you changed your mind about this machine?
>

Not really - but you've captured very nicely the effects of making postings
in different moods and/or frames of mind! Your quote was written at a time
when I was feeling generally upbeat and positive - apt to put things in
their best light. Meanwhile I wrote the second quote feeling in rather a
sour mood - stressed and somewhat annoyed. You'll note that in the second
case even though I was pretty negative I still thought the machine deserved
mention. Meanwhile you'll note that in the first case even though I was
positive I had some quibbles and hints that you can do better. Average them
out and I think you can see what you get - a decent although flawed design.

I will also concede that my opinion of the *company* has gone down somewhat
after hearing of some customer-service horror stories. I've never gone
through that personally, however, so I can't attest to that aspect from
personal experience. Generally, however, I like to separate a company's
administrative policies from their basic product quality.
--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Thanks so much to both of you for your recommendations. I will look into the
Chocovision machine and getting myself a big marble slab =) I'm sure I can
find other uses for it... rolling pie dough or something maybe. And double
thanks for that warning about Baker's chocolate! I actually just bought a
bar thinking that would be more suitable to use (since it said specifically
on that packaging that it's for dipping) instead of regular eating
chocolate. That would probably also explain why it didn't melt smoothly when
I was attempting to make chocolate creme brulee last night... hmm..

~Amy

I have the Chocovision machine - the Revolation I. It's getting a workout
right now, as I make goodies for the neighbors. It has some glitches -
sometimes it needs to be re-started - but all in all, it is fine for my
purposes. I make chocolate candies for my family and friends, in limited
production amounts. I can melt a pound of chocolate in it, provided I dont'
try to put it all in at once. It will temper the chocolate, producing lovely
shiny chocolate coatings. My favorite part is that I can put my chocolate in
to melt, and I don't have to watch it every second. It's also easy enough to
use that I make chocolates more frequently, and my children can help.

It is by no means a professional grade machine, but I'm not expecting
professional results. Probably the only thing I don't like about it is how
loud it is... so we just crank up the holiday music louder.

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
un-STUFF email address to reply




"Amaryllia" > wrote in message
. ..
> Thanks so much to both of you for your recommendations. I will look into
> the Chocovision machine and getting myself a big marble slab =) I'm sure I
> can find other uses for it... rolling pie dough or something maybe. And
> double thanks for that warning about Baker's chocolate! I actually just
> bought a bar thinking that would be more suitable to use (since it said
> specifically on that packaging that it's for dipping) instead of regular
> eating chocolate. That would probably also explain why it didn't melt
> smoothly when I was attempting to make chocolate creme brulee last
> night... hmm..
>
> ~Amy
>

> I will also concede that my opinion of the *company* has gone down
> somewhat
> after hearing of some customer-service horror stories. I've never gone
> through that personally, however, so I can't attest to that aspect from
> personal experience. Generally, however, I like to separate a company's
> administrative policies from their basic product quality.

I thought I ought to weigh in. I had purchased their smaller unit some time
ago and it worked quite well for me. The baffle that it was shipped with
was cracked and they quickly sent out another. (The location on the baffle
where it was cracked would have been easy for a QA dept to overlook.) I
continued to use the cracked baffle and I kept the new baffle as a "spare"
just in case. It worked very well for me and I later upgraded to their
X3210 unit since I needed larger capacity.

Unfortunately, the X3210 unit had a bit of a problem so I called them and
they walked me through a test cycle and the problem still existed and they
were more than willing to take it back for repair. I am anticipating it
arriving back any day now. Hopefully, it will come before Christmas as I
have a bunch of untempered chocolate that I made in my melangeur that I
would like to run through it as last minute Christmas gifts. (I really
don't feel like doing it by hand.) As a point of note, the X3210 worked just
fine on their pre-programmed settings it is only when I pushed it to work
with custom temperatures that it had problems. I suspect it is a bug in
their microcontroller and if so, I can sympathize having cracked way too
much code myself.

If I were not working from my own chocolate which was totally untempered
with no seed chocolate, it would have worked great. The X3210 seems to be
very solidly built much more so than the smaller unit so if anyone is
looking at doing tempering on a regular basis, the X3210 is definitely the
way to go.

But so far, Chocovision's customer service has been great to work with.
Admittedly, there have been a couple hickups but they have been (so far)
very responsive.

-Art