February 18, 2010
Sans the tempering process, chocolates won’t be lustrous, silky, snappish and rich since these qualities are not originally its features. With conching, particle fineness is acquired by chocolate liquor but only with tempering does these particles become even more refined so as t be undetectable.
Another benefit from tempering chocolates is that blooming is prevented. Blooming makes chocolates flaky and granular as well as blotchy when crystals from the cocoa butter appear on the chocolates’ surfaces. Chocolates afflicted by this unfortunate crystal phenomenon face outright rejection from customers.
Since chocolates liquefy at temperatures above 90 Fahrenheit, tempered chocolates become distempered so they need to be tempered again if they are to remain attractive to the buying public.
Some chocolatiers may use a tempering machine to easily temper huge volumes of chocolates but they should also be taught chocolate tempering by hand because sudden emergencies may erupt when you least expect it. Tempering by hand by will tide you over during these times.
The French innovation, tabliering, is one of two manual tempering methods. The reason for this being called as marble-slab method is that a marble (or stone) slab is used to cool melted chocolate by spreading over it so heat is absorbed.
A pound of chocolate is often chopped into pieces, after which it’s warmed at low to medium heat in a double boiler until it completely melts. The chocolate mush is divided into two halves; the first half is scraped and folded all over the marble slab until it has cooled, thickened, and turned matte. After this, the other half is also combined with the first batch until the single unit acquired the same temperature, consistency and appearance.
In the second manner called “seeding”, the process is almost similar but the crystal structures in already-tempered chocolate strips is used as “seeds” for the non-tempered chocolate crystals to replicate. Three-fourths of the chocolate is melted into mush, with the remaining one-fourth non-melted and combined with the former, in a mixing bowl. The objective is to achieve the same thickened consistency, matte appearance and cooling temperatures.
The rule that should not be taken lightly is that you should maintain specific temperatures correctly throughout tempering, for which you should use a good quality thermometer. You can experiment crafting fruit-filled chocolates and chocolates of various designs and shapes with this tempered chocolate. Even as you’re dipping and molding, the chocolates should remain within its tempered temperature range.
Manual tempering is an arduous task and it requires your undivided concentration. The idea of enjoying while tempering could be incongruous so to enjoy the process of making chocolate candy, you could use a tempering machine. With the free time it makes available to you, you can plan your strategies for the expansion of your business as well.
January 30, 2010
Visualize, if you will, what one billion pounds of unprepared kernels must look like - and when you take into account that that is a single year’s domestic retail transactions alone, it will quickly become apparent exactly how many of your acquaintances enjoy their popcorn. As a result, upwards of 1.000.000 pounds are produced by the Popcorn Factory, ready prepared as tins of popcorn, gourmet popcorn, popcorn favors and popcorn balls, yearly.
For thirty years, the Factory has furnished America with this lip-smacking foodstuff in several wonderful packages. Preparations start with domestic kernels chosen carefully to make sure of the best possible flavor. Following that, corn oil pops the kernels and the flavors can infuse into the heart of the popcorn. And to keep that fresh taste? To maintain it, straight after preparation, the corn is quickly sealed up and shipped.
Have you ever wanted a 6 gallon tin, filled to the brim with popcorn? The Factory can help. There truly is no better way to make sure your family have snacks - or even a business function. Plain, as you’d expect, and buttered - but they’re also on sale in white chocolate raspberry or banana cream pie.
Perhaps these should be out of your budget? No need to worry - boxes are also possibilities. Designed to say “congratulations”, to celebrate any special occasion, or to send a message, they’re tailor made to be gifts. And there are further personalization choices - a fitting picture, the recipient’s name, or a personal note. Plenty of customers know precisely what they’re after and buy one large package. You could instead purchase a sampler or even an assortment package.
Should you want larger helpings, while retaining that arrangement, you might assemble a tower. Comprising a number of packs built up on top of the others and fastened together, they can be ordered with specific arrangements or instead mix and match your favorite flavors. Popcorn in virtually any flavor you might want can be had from the Popcorn Factory. Buy them for use as treats or as presents. Do you know someone who’d like some popcorn? I’m quite confident it will be well received.
January 13, 2010
The attractiveness of chocolates is simply brought about by the fact that it possesses richness, glossiness, crispness and creaminess. Once you sink your teeth into that delectable bar, you will hear that clear snap, the proof that the chocolate was properly tempered. Tempering is done by having the chocolate melted, cooling it, and heating it again until it reaches the desired temperature.
All chocolatiers including big chocolate manufacturers do tempering on their chocolates to be able to make their chocolates shiny, rich and to extend shelf life. Chocolates which did not go through the process are very vulnerable to blooming and feel crumbly to the tongue. The buying public connects these bad features of the chocolates to inferior quality and will probably dump it straight away.
Chocolate tempering is very important in chocolate candy making since this is where fat crystals are being stabilized. Fat crystals are found in the cocoa butter, and once they go through the process of melting and solidifying the fatty acids begins to crystallize in the same form.
Chocolate tempering is such a complicated task, and the process should be done in an accurate manner. For someone who is just beginning to make chocolates, it will surely be an experience of trial and error because there are lots of things to learn before tempering can be fully mastered.
Chemistry is greatly involved in the process of chocolate tempering. During the crystallization process, the cocoa butter must produce type V crystals, as many as possible because this is the one responsible for the best features that you can find in chocolates, such as the glossy sheen, creaminess and its longer shelf life. However during crystallization there is a possibility that different types of crystals may appear, that is why accurate temperature plays a vital role in tempering. Make sure that you have your thermometer with you every time to check temperature.
You can also do the tempering manually by simply working on the melted chocolate on a slab until it cools down and heated again to specific temperatures to attain proper tempering. The other process involves the seeding method, done by slowly combining chocolate bits to melted chocolate to induce the crystals to bind the preferred way.
During tempering in chocolate candy making, maintaining temperature could be hard work. If you constantly make chocolates in bulk, you have to get yourself a chocolate tempering machine to help facilitate your work.
Chocolate tempering machines are very reliable when it comes to chocolate tempering, since you can be sure that it will properly do the whole process without you worrying a single thing. The machine is already programmed to produce as much type V crystals as possible. You can just leave your chocolates for hours; no need to constantly monitor chocolate temperatures. It can hold large volumes of chocolates so it’s really perfect for mass production.
December 18, 2009
If your youngsters are like mine, and probably every other child uneasily awaiting Christmas morning, they may need a little assistance spreading out the holiday build-up that can quickly turn into a total meltdown during the weeks before Christmas. Keep the children busy with Christmas Crafts! Ever enquire about the story of this Christmas candy? Well, they have been around a long time! Once the holiday time of year rolls in so do the candy canes! Here, we give you a tiny history lesson in addition to merry means to apply candy canes during the time of year. From Marshmallow Snowman to doing gift-wrap, these imaginative thoughts will engross your kids’s hands and hold their brains unoccupied from too many visions of sugarplums.
As guests leave, give them a tiny gift to remember the party. Shipping guests home with a fete souvenir might look troublesome on a budget especially if the guest list is tremendous. You don’t have to expend a lot, however, to make them happy. If achievable, stay with your color scheme, and wrap up buck store purchases, hand-crafted gifts or cooked goods like Christmas cakes in nice paper unified with a splendid bow. Sometimes the packaging is just as fine as what is inside. Get in the heart of giving by demanding celebration guests to participate in an ornament exchange. Require individuals to bring a homemade ornament for Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. In addition to their ornament, send your guests home with Christmas cupcakes as a affordable, yet fun favour that they are sure to love.
Get together a few acquaintances for a marathon baking session. Ask received bakers to bring plenty ingredients to produce two batches of biscuits or goodies and set an assembly line: One to mix, some other to roll the dough, the next to tend the oven, another to adorn and so on. This way, the delicacies will get made at elf-like speed. It is plenty of cookies and cakes to gratify you prior to the stressful time of year starts out. If you would rather not fix on site, turn your dining room into a biscuit fair and do a casual six dozen switch.If your recipes are always getting gush reviews, create a special personalized cookery book laden with your favored recipes.
December 17, 2009
There are three different espresso systems, with system we mean the different way of making the espresso. The choose between the systems will mostly depend on your budget, but we thought it might be helpful to tell you more about the three.
This system uses manual pressure to make the espresso. This is the least favourite system in an espresso machine
The pressure on a steam system espresso machine is lower dan on a pump system, but it’s easier to manage the machine. An espresso machine with a steam system is usually cheaper than one with a pump system.
A pump system can create higher pressure than espresso machines with steam system. You’ll find that most espresso machines you find in the shops use a pump system. There is however a price difference between the two.
Ones you’ve taken into account all the information you could find on espresso machines you can go to a store and ask them for advice. Most webshops nowadays have advice sections where you can find Q&A’s about espresso machines. Compare the prices of the different machines and brands and make a list of plusses and minuses. That way you’ll make sure that you buy the best espresso machine for you!
November 2, 2009
Smoothness and shine are not chocolate’s natural qualities but are achieved through a process called tempering. Tempering also prevents blooming in chocolates.
Improper tempering leads to crystals or blotches on chocolates. Since chocolate tempers are lost when it is heated, re-tempering should be done.
Cocoa butter is at the heart of chocolates; large quantities of solids along with its crystals, get suspended while heating it. During melting the suspended crystals get separated from the solids and rise to the top.
A unique quality of cocoa butter is its re-crystallization into six types and these dominate rapidly at certain temperatures. This necessitates close monitoring of temperatures when tempering. The type V crystals among these six give the snap and shine to chocolates so these crystals must be present in large quantities when tempering is done. Temperatures must be maintained strictly and a digital laser thermometer is useful for this. Different types of chocolates have to be heated and cooled at different temperatures.
Tabliering and seeding by hand and microwave method are the usual methods adopted for tempering. Most chocolate makers make it a point to learn tempering by hand.
In tabliering, you break up the chocolate into strips of small sizes and then liquefy it on a double boiler. The melted chocolate is divided into two and the first half is poured on a marble top to be worked upon with a rubber spatula till it is shiny and velvety in consistency. Once that is done, then the mass is subjected to the dipping and molding process of making chocolate candy. It should be ensured that the mass does not get hardened or lose its temper.
Except using the already-tempered chocolate as a “seed” to “inoculate” the melted chocolate, the process of seeding by hand is the same as tabliering. The same dictum of maintaining accuracy in temperature applies in this process also. The process of “inoculation” enables type V crystals to dominate the crystallization process.
The general hassles in tempering are maintaining accuracy in temperatures and avoidance of over-mixing and under-mixing; a chocolate tempering machine can do away with these hassles. But humid weather conditions also pose a major threat and even experienced chocolate makers take utmost care when such conditions persist.
Variables like wattage of the oven, the level of cocoa butter in the raw chocolate and the quantity of chocolate added to the bowl for melting purpose must be accorded importance in microwave tempering of chocolates but there are fixed parameters govern these variables.
All your difficulties in the process will dissolve when you experience the pleasure of gifting your chocolate boxes to others.
September 27, 2009
The Halloween tone can strike you at any time. But if you’ve been moved to go out for tricks and treats at the last minute, a clever costume may be trying to find. Never fear, we have some rush and easygoing costumes that you can piece with items from home to help you look your best on Halloween.
Almighty Champion Costume (boys 4-6)
If your little guy swears he has great powers, indulge him with this awesome disguise.
* Order your child a individual superhero cape with his initials on the backside! Couple it with one of his colored sweatsuits and stick on a few shining felt stars to the front of the sweatshirt.
* Add his rain boots and a pair of swim goggles or over-sized shades and he’ll be equipped to rescue Halloween!
Fashionista Pop Star Attire (good for pre-tweens, 7+)
Make her ambitions come true (for at least one evening)! Let her dress as her adored musical superstar, as sure to be hit as this is a glamourous attire. Check these Halloween ideas to prepare this costume.
* Embellish a pair of seasoned jeans with glitter spray and a few quirky iron-ons. Go for fashionable peace signs, studded designs and more.
* Dress a plain, long sleeve t-shirt in her favorite color. We love this “Rock Princess” iron-on or she can get on her own figures with glittery fabric paint or other ornamentations.
* Grab her preferred boots and sunglasses and trendy costume jewelry to finish the look!
Candy Goody
What could be easier than costuming your babe as a Tootsie Roll?
This snuggly wrap is produced for two - nine month old infants.
Wonder Bread
Brand your babe with the homespun goodness of Wonder Bread!
This colorful bread bunting is made for three - nine month old babies.
Pine Tree Car Freshener
Fresh-smelling and quite possibly the craziest baby Halloween costume I’ve found, this Pine Tree Car Freshener is ideal for a baby who may be giving the trick-or-treating rounds in a stroller with the family.
For 3 - 9 month old babes.
September 17, 2009
Looking for a vacation destination that is truly unique? You might be thinking of somewhere that offers beaches and sailing opportunities, plus the cuisine and ambience of a metropolitan city. A ideal vacation that offers all of this is a trip to the French settlement of New Caledonia, located about halfway between Fiji and Australia.
As New Caledonia is located farther south than many of the other islands of the South Pacific, its climate benefits from southeast trade winds, plenty of sun, and warm weather. If a sailing holiday is what you like, New Caledonia is located in a part of the Pacific that has the greatest coral lagoon in the world. Sailing charters are freely available and with the aid of the trade winds you can sail out of the capital city of Noumea along the coastline, past the many small islands that dot the ocean around the New Caledonia. There are also heaps of other outdoor activites such as scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, canoeing, and kayaking.
If you were thinking of a gourmet holiday, New Caledonia has lots to offer. New Caledonia’s capital, Noumea, widely known as the Paris of the Pacific. Noumea offers fine gourmet French food and wine along with the other benefits of a active cosmo town. Some of the finest restaurants in the South Pacific can be found here. Colonized by France in 1853, New Caledonia has a well-defined French influence when it comes to food.
There are lots of places to eat, ranging from sidewalk cafes to elegant bistros. French cuisine is easy to come by, but other options include Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and African food. Seafood is a speciality of the Island, including spiny lobster, prawns, crab, and mangrove oysters. One of the national dishes is Bougna, which is fish or chicken, mixed with sweet potatoes and bananas wrapped in banana leaves and then grilled covered in sand on hot stones. For the adventurous traveler on a gastronome vacation, you can taste a dish common with the locals, bat stew.
New Caledonia is the vacation destination you want to be: a sailing holiday, a gourmet holiday, or a time to just relax by the beach.
August 18, 2009
Grilling yummy Wagyu beef at your own table is a new japanese restaurant concept.
Blank Out that image of grilling dinner while trying to talk to friends through a haze of greasy smoke. New Japanese BBQ technology has invented a grill set combined into a trendsetting table. The smoke-free table invention vents the smoke straight down and out through a duct system. Producing a smoke-free ambiance in the restaurant!
Japanese BBQ restaurants prepare thinly-sliced or cubed wagyu beef in marinades of salt or miso (fermented soybean paste). Platters of beef and vegetables are brought to the table and everyone enjoys grilling their own food. Remember to grill just a few slices at once in order to fully savour the extreme flavor of the wagyu beef. Japanese BBQ chefs advocate grilling the beef mainly in the central of the grill. Sliced wagyu takes only 30-60 seconds per side, while cubed takes 2-3 minutes per side. Grill the vegetables around the edges of the grill until they reach the desirable tenderness.
Accompanying sauces such as tare (a sweet thickened soy sauce) and ponzu (a thin citrus-flavored soy sauce) heighten the flavor of the grilled wagyu beef.
Wagyu is wrote with two Japanese characters meaning “Japanese style” and “beef”. Wagyu beef is delicately tender. The flavorful flavour comes from its rich marbeling of fat. Various of wagyu are called after the area of Japan where they are raised, such as the familiar Kobe beef.
For the American palate Japanese Wagyu cows were hybrid with Angus. This formulates a redder beef with slightly less marbeling. Rich in Omega-3s, wagyu beef is tender and full-flavored.
Every Japanese BBQ restaurant has its own particular atmosphere and presentation. What you’ll find in common is the great experience patrons have cooking at their table grill, and the exceptional flavour of wagyu beef.
July 29, 2009
Since the early 1970’s, Cuisinart have been an industry leader in the culinary world; making the most forward-thinking and easy-to-use home appliances available to purchase on the market. From their first food processor, to more recent additions such as blenders, griddlers, rice cookers, sandwich makers, pressure cookers, slow cookers, juicers, deep fryers, egg cookers and ice-cream makers, Cuisinart stock a large range of appliances, chef’s tools and cooking ware to meet the requirements of any situation.
When most individuals think of food processors, they think of Cuisinart. Cuisinart was the brand that made the food processor celebrated. They saw the food processor as a fast and user-friendly way to make fine food and healthy dishes. Possessing powerful motors, the most groundbreaking features and the widest feed tubes on the market, Cuisinart’s food processors are the most powerful food preparation appliances available to home chefs. All of their models, except for the Mini Prep processors, come packaged with a selection of cutting discs and blades.
If it’s superior blending and mixing results that you desire, you can’t go past Cuisinart’s bench-top blenders, stick blenders and hand-mixers. From their introductory level stick blenders, to their top of the line cast metal blenders, Cuisinart has an answer for every entertaining situation. All Cuisinart blenders come with clean-touch control pads, flowing designs and easy to clean components.Cuisinart’s extensive range of bench-top blenders, stick blenders and hand mixers are favoured by both consumers and chefs alike. They are perfect for pureeing soups, mixing up your favourite cocktails, mixing ingredients for your latest recipes and so much more. All Cuisinart blenders and hand mixers are durably fabricated, ergonomically designed, and backed up with Cuisinart’s famous 3-year guarantee.
The qualities that set Cuisinart’s range of small countertop appliances apart can be measured in terms of innovation, versatility and convenience. A prime example is their grills and griddlers. They feature a variety of toasting options, can be adjusted to fit the size of the food you are cooking, and their non-stick plates can be removed for easy cleaning. Another favourite, Cuisinart’s toasters, feature heating options that allow you to defrost, warm, or toast to your favourite shade of brown every time.
Kettles, coffee grinders, burr mills and coffee makers form Cuisinart’s range of coffee and tea appliances. Finished in matte black and brushed stainless steel, the sleek styling of Cuisinart’s coffee and tea appliances adds a touch of style and elegance to any home kitchen setting. Backed with an 18 month to 3 year quality guarantee, Cuisinart is the new authority in brewing.. Finished in matte black and brushed stainless steel, the sleek styling of Cuisinart’s coffee and tea appliances adds a touch of style and elegance to any home kitchen setting. Backed with an 18 month to 3 year quality guarantee, Cuisinart is the new authority in brewing.