Want Your Own??

If you are a serious candy maker, or just want to dabble, I can now offer the Pro Revolation I Tempering Unit for sale here at The Chocolate Memoir! I also have a few molds available; these make some of the shapes you see here in my photos. The tempering units are $335 plus $10 for Fedex shipping. Each unit comes with a one year warranty, and will head your way within a day or two of your order. If you have any questions about the molds, tempering units, or would like to place an order, please email me at: chocolatememoir@yahoo.com with "Chocolate Memoir" in the subject line. I look forward to introducing you to the most fun kitchen item you've seen in years!

Video Showing How to Use the Pro Revolation 1 Unit

I was going to go to the trouble of making a video to show how I use the Pro Revolation 1 Tempering Unit to temper my chocolate. BUT, I'm not one for making work where none is needed, and I have decided just to post a link to a video that has already been made! So, for your viewing pleasure, take a trip over to this page!
Now that you've seen in it action, I'll add a few tips of my own, for those of you who own, or are thinking about purchasing this unit.

• There are two vents. One blows hot hair (this is what heats the bowl to melt the chocolate) and the other blows cool air. I call the former, "the politician", and the latter, "heaven for menopausal women". NEVER aim The Politician at chocolates that are not meant to be melted. The unit is light and easy to move around, so just position The Politician away from anything that might melt or wilt as a result of the heat.


• The unit will temper small amount of chocolate (as little as 4oz according to the manufacturer). BUT, if you add enough cocoa butter to make your chocolate less viscous (ie, more runny where it will settle in the bottom of the bowl) smaller amounts will not reach the little knob that gauges the temperature of your chocolate by piling up against it. Thus, as the family discussing work options for Frump Girl in the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, that "no work". If the unit cannot read the temperature of your chocolate, you have ultimately rendered it useless, for anything other than a cool cooking gadget that can wow your snobbiest of friends. Heck, they won't know if the think is spinning for the fun of it, or actually tempering your chocolate. That is, until you have noticed it is three hours later, and the machine still has not beeped to alert you to add seed chocolate.


• The spatulas do not fit the buffer perfectly. I don't know why this is, but it really does not matter. The little spatulas serve their purpose just fine as is.


• Do not let your chocolate harden in the bowl unless you want to have to re-melt it double-boiler style over a pot of water. The unit will not run unless the buffer is in place and it can read a temperature. If your chocolate hardens sans buffer, you'll not be able to re-insert it. If it hardens with the buffer in place, the bowl will be unable to spin. So, I always have a piece of parchment paper handy to scoop all of my unused chocolate onto when I'm done. It hardens nicely, and is ready for the next run in the machine.


• Although I NEVER put my chocolate molds in my dishwasher, I toss everything but the base of the tempering unit into the top rack of my dishwasher so it is squeaky clean for next time. I do "prime" my bowl and spatula before I run new chocolate through by rubbing a piece of chocolate over each to leave a film of cocoa butter, however.

Because the unit's fan makes a fair amount of noise, I don't use it for entertaining if we have chocolate fondue. I use my All Clad pot (a great Christmas gift from my husband several years ago!) for that, because it is beautiful and silent. For dipping parties, or "make your own confection" get-togethers, the Pro Revolation 1 is what the pastry chef ordered, so to speak.

Gourmet Gifting

In between decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, writing Christmas cards, and shopping, I somehow found the time to break out the milk, dark, and white chocolate to make some very yummy and beautiful gifts for friends and family. I felt like the old piano student lady who gave home made meatballs for payment to her teacher in the movie, "The Wedding Singer" as my recipients opened their little brown boxes of heavenly chocolate. I delight in the admiration of my hard work. And it was hard work. I had to taste all that ganache to make sure it was flavored and textured, just so!

So I want to share a picture of my finished product. I put three different types of chocolates in each box. The white chocolate round ones are filled with a dark chocolate mint ganache. The ovals with checkerboard designs are filled with milk chocolate hazelnut ganache. And the bon bon shaped ones with are also filled with a mint ganache.

I purchased brown candy boxes, candy trays, and candy pads, and tucked it all in over green tissue paper which was folded over the candy before closing the box. It was all tied closed with a silver bow. Tres chic, if you ask me. And everyone thought they were professionally made chocolates!

I altered my technique a little this time and added pure cocoa butter to the tempering unit before the seeding stage in order to thin the chocolate quite a bit. It flowed out of the molds a lot more easily and left a nice, large cavity for filling with that wonderful ganache I made.

The best part, was that I got to eat the "ugly" ones. I started imagining flaws in order to treat myself, because they were all quite beautiful as they popped out of the molds; shiny and smooth, with a wonderful "snap". In the end, I do understand the high price charged for artisinal chocolates. Although they use enrobing machines, and create large batches at a time, there is still quite a bit of effort that goes into creating this edible art. The perks (the fun and the exquisite flavors) make it well worth the work.