[HN Gopher] Tabletop Chocolate Factory
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Tabletop Chocolate Factory
Author : mhb
Score : 44 points
Date : 2021-11-19 20:24 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (spectrum.ieee.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (spectrum.ieee.org)
| Youden wrote:
| This looks really promising.
|
| I'm someone who's interested in making chocolate for the product,
| not the process. I know there are people who like the process of
| tempering (e.g. tabling), pouring it into fancy moulds and
| decorating something like a praline but I'm not one of them.
|
| The existing process I have to follow is a pain. I use the
| "vaccination method" for tempering chocolate. I have to measure
| out 2/3rds of the chocolate, heat it to ~50C, then mix in the
| remaining chocolate and leave it until it cools to ~28C, then
| heat it back up to ~32C. After that I have to pour it into the
| moulds and let it cool overnight. The whole process takes several
| hours and I have to spend a lot of time monitoring the
| chocolate's temperature. It's not like a slow cooker or oven that
| I can just turn on and leave until the time is up.
|
| I also have to source couverture. I'm have the privilege to be in
| one of the best places on earth to do that (Switzerland, I live
| within easy cycling distance of Lindt HQ) but there's clearly a
| wide spectrum of what you can do with the flavour of the
| chocolate itself and I have no control over it.
|
| This product would make the process "set and forget" and give me
| more control over the flavour of the chocolate, so I have to say
| I'm all for it.
|
| My main remaining question was about cleaning but the FAQ [0]
| makes it sound pretty straightforward.
|
| If only they shipped internationally.
|
| [0]: https://www.cocoterra.com/frequently-asked-questions/
| SyzygistSix wrote:
| Then the issue becomes sourcing the beans. But I can see that
| becoming more available, as well as information about how to
| best use them, just like hops, grains, malts, and yeasts at
| brewery supply shops. And that will certainly give you more
| control over the taste of the chocolate.
| justinclift wrote:
| Ugh, that FAQ has clearly deceptive marketing bullshit in it.
| eg: Can I use my own molds with CocoTerra?
| Yes! You can easily re-melt the chocolate from the CocoTerra
| machine and pour it into your own molds.
|
| So, that's a "No", not a "Yes". You can't use your own molds
| with the machine.
|
| But you're welcome to re-melt the chocolate afterwards however
| you like.
|
| Just like any other chocolate.
|
| When there's one marketing lie, it's probably not the only one.
| :(
| peterstjohn wrote:
| The ring molds look quite awkward too...
| jrmg wrote:
| I'm not sure that qualifies as a lie. If you stop reading
| after the 'Yes!' maybe you'd misinterpret it, but the
| following sentence is crystal clear.
| peterstjohn wrote:
| It's not a lie, yes, but it does rather undermine the
| entire point of the machine if you have to re-temper
| outside of it to use a standard shaped mold.
| wjp3 wrote:
| I don't understand the appeal of this. Chocolate profiles are
| mostly made in the roasting stage, which this doesn't do.
|
| I briefly got into home roasting coffee, and quickly learned that
| commercially available coffee from boutique roasters was way
| better than I could do. I suspect this will be similar.
| tomcam wrote:
| When Naomi Wu does a video review of it I will feel my life to be
| complete
|
| https://youtube.com/c/SexyCyborg
| nabilhat wrote:
| The ball mill is normal in commercial chocolate production, it
| scales more efficiently than other methods. Not sure I'd want to
| clean one in my own kitchen though. The commercial units are
| plumbed for sanitization and flushing out.
|
| There's a lot of work involved in chocolate production. It's not
| complicated, mostly tedious and particular, and requires either
| specialized equipment or sustained physical effort. The best
| source of information I know is Chocolate Alchemy's old school
| website ( https://chocolatealchemy.com/ ). I was active in the
| same homeroasting circles he was at the time he took an interest
| in chocolate, and it was a really fascinating process to watch
| unfold.
|
| If you're curious, don't let the full bean-to-bar process scare
| you away. It's easy to rough out something pasty that's entirely
| unlike a chocolate bar with a mortar and pestle and not a ton of
| work, and that can work well in cooking or brewed up in a hot
| drink. Oven roasted cacao, peeled and smashed into nibs can be
| infinely nicer than store bought. Anyway, the whole conching,
| melanging, and tempering process is optional if you just want to
| experiment.
| peterstjohn wrote:
| Two hours is _really_ fast (normally you end up grinding for 8+
| hours), so I'm curious as to what the ball mill does differently
| than other melangeurs.
|
| The yield is quite low (250g) when you consider you can easily
| get 2kg out of a Premier Wonder machine for around $300. Yes,
| you'll have to temper the chocolate yourself, but these days you
| can do that really easily with a water bath and some cocoa butter
| (the 'silk' method).
| Max_Ehrlich wrote:
| I really want him to succeed, but I think coffee is about the
| "sexiness". You hand-grind the beans, get a beautiful french
| press on your counter that declares you are a coffee connoisseur,
| and then savor the end result.
|
| His idea is like making ice-cream; you've got a monstrosity on
| your counter which you ignore until it's done. You also don't use
| it often.
|
| But then you don't have the same ability to add flavors and mess
| around like you do when making ice cream.
| helsinkiandrew wrote:
| Does this have much of a market? I mean coffee is about the beans
| and the machine/method used to make it, and doing it yourself can
| be a quick and enjoyable experience.
|
| Isn't chocolate more about the flavours added and manufacturing
| process (although the upper end does talk about the source of the
| beans) - having a favourite bar or tasting different bars from
| different skilled artisanal producers.
| samwillis wrote:
| There will always be a market for an expensive bulky kitchen
| gadget that takes up space in a cupboard and only comes out
| twice a year!
|
| I would sacrifice that cupboard space for one, although it
| would need to be a little cheaper. I'm sure competitors will
| come out with their own versions.
| telesilla wrote:
| >an expensive bulky kitchen gadget that takes up space in a
| cupboard and only comes out twice a year!
|
| Looking at you, every Dutch person and their deep fryer.
| ycombinete wrote:
| Definitely. My friend has a toaster that only toast hotdog
| sausages and rolls, and he loves it.
| SyzygistSix wrote:
| No. Chocolate is also very much about the beans and finding the
| roast that best brings out the flavors in them, then figuring
| out what the best use for them is; a blend, a single origin
| bar, milk chocolate, chocolate with something else or a flavor
| added?
|
| Like coffee, the best chocolate does not need flavors added to
| it, although that can certainly be fun.
|
| source - I was a chocolate maker for a small, high quality
| chocolate company in the US.
| h2odragon wrote:
| Seems to me its all the breadth of beer with funkier, faster
| fermentation; and more opportunities to involve technology.
|
| So few other home uses for that kind of grinding and milling
| machinery, tho. I'm trying to think up anything else this
| could be turned to, and coming up with soaps, fireworks and
| flash powders, inks, paints, and pigments. Nothing food grade
| or wider niche.
|
| Home-made Brazil and cashew nut butters, maybe? now worse
| cleaning than chocolate, surely.
| simtel20 wrote:
| I flirted with the idea of getting a melanger for making
| peanut butter and tahini at home, but my blender hasn't
| burned out yet (yay blendtec) so I haven't needed to
| explore this with any urgency. If anyone can recommend a
| way to make home nut butters and tahini with less heat than
| a blender I'd love to know.
| ectopod wrote:
| I've made peanut butter with my pestle and mortar. It
| didn't take long, but I was making small quantities.
| everyone wrote:
| This image [1], computer screen on device with logo + bag of
| cocoa with same logo, reminds me of juicero.
|
| [1] https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-
| library/cocoterra.jpg?id=270...
| h2odragon wrote:
| "Ball mill" in the kitchen... Nah, that's not going to be
| unsociable loud or anything. Neat idea and i wish him luck but
| geez this is specialized machinery and useful for what else? Its
| the "Turnip twaddler" or bread machine, a thing to fill cabinet
| space and never actually perform its intended function.
| jt2190 wrote:
| > It[']s the... bread machine, a thing to fill cabinet space
| and never actually perform its intended function.
|
| A book that might change your mind about Bread Machines:
|
| The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker's 300
| Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread From Every Kind
| of Machine, by Beth Hensperger (2000)
|
| https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781558321564/the-bread-lo...
| xbar wrote:
| Upvoted for the Bloom County reference.
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