# i really need HELP and advise



## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

I dont have to much baking and pastry background so i would like to ask peoples opinion about the following



i have a chance to purchase something called a candy enrober. i know there are other names for it but i cant remember them at the moment. anyway, this one is an attachment to my kitchen aid mixer.. its cool looking. 

anyway, i am having a hard time justafing the uses for it. i know that you can coat candy with chocolate.. but what else can you do with it?

thanks for your help all!


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## lotuscakestudio (Jun 28, 2001)

Do you mean a tempering machine? They sell such a thing as a KitchenAid attachment?!?!? Where did you see this?


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## riverrun (Nov 14, 2001)

Call me old fashioned but i hate the fact there coming out with more and more machines to do things for u. I feel this is going to take away skills that chefs should have. If u own a candy store than yeah get a machine if u wanna be gurtrude hawk. But i say do it urself for a chefs hands are irreplaciable and once u master every thing with them u can do it faster than a machine and u retain ur skills. This machine thing really ticks me off anymore and as far as i'm concerned no machine can replace a chefs hands!


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

If I'm understanding correctly I just saw J. Torres using this in his series on Chocolate on Foodtv. (check their site for more info.) If I'm right, I think it's very cool and would be a wonderful addition to a VERY active pastry or chocolate kitchen.

What it does incase others don't know: It attaches to your mixer and it'a like a hollow drum that spins around (like a small wash machine placed on an angle). You place nuts or dried fruit in it, then while it's running you pour chocolate inside and the turning coats the nuts nicely. Other applications, probably not alot...just coating items.

If you tried to replicate this with-out the machine you get puddle of chocolate under your nuts. Although they'd taste the same they wouldn't look as professional. How do you do this with out puddles riverun?


Do you need it, probably not but it would be a gas if you needed to produce candies regularly and were rich!


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

w. -- your right. i saw it on jacque torres's show. i liked the idea and i was thinking of making candies and selling them at the restaurant. however, i have a few questions for you but i will pm you. 

anyway, i do agree about things that take away from learning the true technique, as riverun mentioned however, to me, a "foot" (when you make chocolates) is not desirable to me.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

I'd love to see this thing, has anyone seen it on the net ?


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Isaac,
I would absolutely purchase this item, and when it collects enough dust, sell it to me 

there are other uses than chocolate, you can also add flavoring and sugars to items. Its basically is a separator, dryer. 
I would imagine it could have some uses on the savory side, maybe adding flavors to dried meats and such, mabe adding flavored salts to mellon balled potatoes, potato chips? pop corn? trail mix?
This really does not eliminate the "foot" it distributes coatings evenly and agitates till dry. As the product tumbles it picks up more and more of the coating. You could pour on racks to - the foot but you would have to repeat the process numerous times to add coating.
I understand the Chef thing but this is a very time consuming process and I myself am to expensive to the company to be stirring for hours


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Isa, I haven't looked yet but Torres said there would be info. on this product at their site...

Popcorn would be cool...cheddar corn, different seasonings....

P.S. Then if it collects dust for you Panini, I'd like to be next in line to play with it.:bounce:


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## thebighat (Feb 21, 2001)

Where did you say that puddle of chocolate was going to wind up.....?


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

well, i thought it looked cool so i bought it this morning. 6-8 weeks for delivery. i think it would be a good tool to have to aid in increasing potential sales and helping the bottom line. just imagen... there being a small bag of chocolates with the restaurants name and logo on it... siting at the table while you eat.. i think... at least in the area i am in, that it would have potential to sell. i need to develope ways to help the bottom line without adding to much preasure or more responsabilty to my crew. its a small restaurant and i think we will benafit from it


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## riverrun (Nov 14, 2001)

W. if u know the correct way to temper chocolate u can do it with out puddles remember if u get it to hot the coco butter will come out of it and good chocolate will melt at room temperture. If there are any more questions i am willing to look up for u. as far as the machine goes if u want to really increase sales show ur chef doing it by hand.


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## anna w. (Nov 27, 2001)

Isaac-

I'm not in the market for this at the moment but it sounds very intriquing. Can you please keep us posted in regards to ease of use, clean up, etc. All the pros and cons? I am very curious! Thanks!


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Riverrun, I should have used the word "foot", didn't mean a puddle of cocoa butter (heavens, I've never seen improperly tempered chocolate melt at room temp. that's new to me).


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## breadster (Feb 23, 2001)

we use a tempering machine to enrobe some of our things- i guess the foot/puddle thing never bothered us too much cause we called them "wings" - and besides the customers like the extra chocolate

as for using machines- i think you still need the basic knowledge- 
you need to be able to adjust the machine/temperature to your chocolate's viscosity etc- sometimes i know by feel when it's ready even if it hasnt beeped yet....

i can do other things while the chocolate is reaching temper


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

riverrun.

i have to disagree with you. i work at a small restaurant where i have to keep things simple and minamize the chance of costly screw ups. we dont have a pastry chef and the cooks do the baking. they are good cooks but they cant bake so well. i dont mind teaching them how to temper however i know that in a rush, they will not do it right and it will end up costing money. i do agree to learn the real technique however when your responsible for minamizing possible screw ups, one will opt for a coating machine along with a tempering machine. i know, from experiance that mistakes increase when you are behind or there is a rush on the line. 

just my thoughts.


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## annie (Mar 22, 2002)

I'm just new at the chocolate game, so take this with a boulder of salt (blewgh!)
But if you want to have chocolates at your restaurant, wouldn't molded chocolates be easier? Whoop, easier except for tempering - which I love to do as a zen sort of thing. So, how much does this drum for the kitchen aid cost? and how much does it hold? What about buying a little tempering machine, like King Arthurs sells - and a $12 polycarbonate mold, and just doing molds with nifty fillings?

I can't imagine making soft fillings in a drum, and beling limited to only nuts or dried fruit would be, well, limiting.

Do you have to be nuts to be a chocolatier - or just a pastry chef in general?


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Anna if your selling sweet tables this item could be a jem for you. Bowls of candied nuts and jordon almonds cost a fortune to buy, make your own and they'll go nuts for you.


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

annie,

it costs around 250 dollars. it is good for hard things.. nuts, dried fruits, popcorn, ect.

i am not sure exactly how much it holds.

i am all for molds. i love them... however for the sake of room at the restaurant and my coworkers knowldege, i cant cant aford a screw up or the chance of ruining a mold. it is diffrent when there is a pastry chef and can watch over everythign however, the restaurant is ran by all cooks and when the preasure is on, mistakes tend to be at a higher risk. that is why i think a enrober might be something a little easier for all of them to use. all i have to worrie about is having them temper the chocolate right, which will take a while to teach them. that is why i am thinking of getting a tempering machine. ahhhhhhhhhhhh

hope this helps.


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## annie (Mar 22, 2002)

Yes, it does help. thanks a lot. There are so many things here I never thought of, in terms of the professional kitchen being more like an orchestra - practicing in a hot crowded little room!


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Thanks Wendy. I looked up Jacques Torres recipes on The Food Network website but so far I haven't seen any mention of it. Do you recall in what recipe he used this thing?


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

isa,

he used it in the chocolate covered cherries recipe but you wont find it there. you need to click on the resourse folder. it wont show you a pic. it will just list were to buy it. you by it directly from jacque. 

hope this helps, isaac 

p.s. if u dont find it or need the phone number to jacque, let me know.


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## annie (Mar 22, 2002)

Hi Isa-
Do you think it's this one for Chocolte Covered Dried Cherries? It's under the 04/03 show.

http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/recipe/...,20808,00.html


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Thanks for your help

I can't find a ressource folder Isaac, am I looking at the wrong place?


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

isa,

it is tricky to find. here is the url

http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/show/JT...,7092,,00.html


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

what size machine does this enrober attach to? where did you find it? i would love to see it! i was at chef torres' chocolate shop and saw his copper enrober, beautiful antique!


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## isaac (Jun 9, 2001)

m brown,

i saw it on the food network while he was doing his show. i then looked for it on the web but couldnt find it. then i called him and ordered it from him. there is no pic for it. it is stainless steal and fits onto a kitchen aid mixer'

hope this helps, isaac


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Thanks Isaac, I found the reference. 


Can't wait to hear more about your new toy!


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