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Chopping Chocoalte

post #1 of 4
9/2/09 at 6:20am
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I manufacturer and sell a line of brownies to retail stores. I use blocks of chocolate chop them up then melt with butter. When I was just starting and how low volume chopping the blocks of chocolate was not a big deal, now as I've grown it is a huge time killer. Does anyone know if there is a machine that can chop or shave large chunks of chocolate and if so where can you buy one?
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post #2 of 4
9/2/09 at 7:03am
Hobart V.C.M (vertical cutter mixer)should do the trick without generating heat. Can also be used for mixing batches and chopping nuts and other things.
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post #3 of 4
9/2/09 at 7:17am
Couple of options....

One is to get a fullsize hotel pan soup warmer, turn it on "low" and toss your measured out block chocolate and butter in there--say before you close down for the night, and walk away. If you have Garland-type gas ovens with pilot lights, you can do the same thing. The nice thing about this option is that alost "0" work has been done, and you don't loose any chocoalte.

You can also grate the chocoalte on a shredding machine--the kind that attaches to a 20 or 30 qt Hobart--the kind you would use to make colesaw. This option eats labour and time, and you do loose some chocoalte on the machine. If you do choose this option, keep the shredded chocolate in a tightly sealed container, as it will take on foreign odours and suck up humidty.

In small batches, you can nuke block chocolate quite well. I do this quite often, but you have to do it in 30-45 second blasts and stir between blasts.

Hope this helps
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post #4 of 4
9/2/09 at 10:38am

Melting Chocolate

I agree, melt the entire block and you won't have to worry about chopping machines.

I was a chef at a huge institution that fed 15,000 people twice daily. Our full service bakery would put blocks of chocolate and butter in the ovens after they were shut down for the day. With the doors open, large roasting pans with the mixture were left overnight, to find chocolate syrup in the morning.

Chef Todd Mohr
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