Hair Removal Nib
 |
 12 Pack Schick Intuition Plus Quad Womens Razor Blade Shaving Cartridge Refills $19.99 Time Remaining: 27d 6h 13m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 Joewell Double Black Combo Deal Black 55 Shears Scissors FREE Thinner $150.00 Time Remaining: 7h 17m Buy It Now for only: $170.00 |
 Tria laser hair removal system new $310.00 (12 Bids) Time Remaining: 11h 27m |
 8 COUNT GILLETTE FUSION POWER RAZOR BLADES 2 X 4 PACK $21.86 Time Remaining: 29d 16h 17m Buy It Now for only: $21.86 |
 6 PACKAGES GILLETTE FUSION CARTRIDGES 36 CARTRIDGES NEW $69.99 Time Remaining: 18h 41m |
 Sally Hansen Naturally Bare Waxing Strips for Body 34 Wax Strips Free Shipping $4.99 Time Remaining: 29d 9h 49m Buy It Now for only: $4.99 |
 Oster Limited Edition T Finisher Operation Home Front Trimmer Pro Camo+Blade Oil $44.99 Time Remaining: 1h 57m |
 SCHICK HYDRO 3 REFILL CARTRIDGES 24 Total Blades $29.00 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 10h 8m |
 8 GILLETTE FUSION BLADES $20.99 Time Remaining: 2d 15h 10m Buy It Now for only: $20.99 |
 Panasonic ES LV61 k Shaver with 5 Blade Cutting System BRAND NEW $1.00 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 12h 48m |
 GILLETTE FUSION RAZOR BLADES 8 PACK $21.86 Time Remaining: 29d 16h 13m Buy It Now for only: $21.86 |
 32 Schick Hydro 5 Cartridges NIB $49.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 17h 48m |
 Last case available 1 case Genuine Gillette Sensor Razor Blades NIB sealed $145.00 Time Remaining: 18h 29m |
 Vector Electrolysis Hair Removal Machine New in box $79.95 Time Remaining: 1d 9h 15m Buy It Now for only: $79.95 |
 SCHICK HYDRO 3 REFILL CARTRIDGES 24 Total Blades $29.00 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 12h 8m |
 2 KITS SMOOTH AWAY HAIR REMOVAL KIT ORIGINAL AS SEEN ON TV $9.99 Time Remaining: 4d 12h 43m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 Emjoi AP 99 Optima Epilator Dual Opposed Tweezer System Corded $22.50 (21 Bids) Time Remaining: 7h 58m |
 Gillette Mach3 Super Deal Brand New and includes 18 blades $24.50 (10 Bids) Time Remaining: 14h 23m |
 4 x 2 8 Gillette FUSION Razor Blades Cartridges Refills Shaver $28.90 Time Remaining: 26d 23h 5m Buy It Now for only: $28.90 |
 Braun Series 7 760cc Cordless Rechargeable Mens Electric Shaver Brand New $156.50 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 11h 8m |
Hair Removal Nib
Chocolate Making at Home
Ever wondered how chocolate is made and whether you could make it yourself? Surely you must have fantasized at least once in your life at the prospect of churning out trays of personalized chocolate goodies whenever you desired them. Well, if you have time on your hands and you are the adventurous type and are patient with a few choice pieces of cooking equipment, then you too could aquire the much revered skill of chocolate making.
Before we get into the domesticated version of chocolate making, it would be beneficial to understand the tried and tested processes that the industry uses to make large volumes of our favorite treat.
It all begins with the raw material 'cacoa'. The cacoa tree produces a pod containing a number of seeds or beans (as they are commonly known) in its center surrounded by a pulp all enclosed in a thick fleshy skin. The pods are a picked, opened and the beans and husk put into large wooden bins which are covered with large leaves and left untouched to ferment for a few days. Once they are suitably fermented they are spread out to dry in the heat of the sun for about a week. When the beans are sufficiently dried they are sorted, separated by category and roasted in large ovens for up to half an hour where they darken and the flavor of the bean is enhanced.
The beans are then broken and separated from their shell by a process known as cracking and winnowing, which uses compressed air to blow the shells away from the seeds. The resulting fragmented pieces are known as cocoa nibs.
Now the nibs are finely ground. The grinding process releases the fat content which combines with the grounded solids to form a thick paste called liquor. The liquor gives rise to two other substances, cocoa butter obtained by pressing the fat from the liquor and the remaining dried cocoa which is most commonly use to make drinking chocolate.
Solid chocolate is made by further refining the liquor using a process known as conching, which smooths and aerates it and then combining it with cocoa butter sugar, milk or milk powder (for milk chocolate), an emulsifier such as soy lecithin and (or) vanilla. The combined solution is then tempered by a process of carefully heating, cooling and allowing it to set several times, becoming more refined with each cycle. And basically, that is how chocolate is made.
Now, it would be unrealistic to expect you to find your own cacoa pods to pick and ferment (let alone sun dry in the middle of winter), so you can skip the earlier phases as raw cacoa is now commonly available to buy.
Roast the cacoa in your oven for up to half an hour at a temperature not more than 325F, you may want to experiment with this as roasting times may vary considerably depending on the type of bean you are using and the intensity of your oven however, ensure that you don't burn them as it will seriously affect the taste.
After roasting, allow the cacoa to cool, crack the beans in a mill, this will allow the husk to come away from the bean. The light husk can then be removed from the crushed beans using a small fan, hair dryer or any other practical air blowing device.
When the separation process is complete, the beans must be finely ground using a good quality juicer which will produce the cocoa liquor. Add cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin and milk (if you're making milk chocolate) plus any other flavoring you require. At this stage the solution although chocolaty is still in need of refinement and conching which is accomplished using a conching machine. Conching can take anything between 12 hours and 2 days depending on the quality of chocolate being made but if you don't have a conching machine you can use a wet grinder to remove any remaining solid particles.
Finally the chocolate must be tempered. Tempering is the method used that results in the finished product having a rich sheen and crispy snap. This is done by gently heating it to about 115F, pour some of the liquid onto a marble slab and gently work it around for around 10 minutes, as it cools to about 85F and begins to set, add more of the simmering liquid now being maintained at about 95F, and continue to work it back and fourth on the slab. Now return it to the rest of heated liquid and repeat the process. The amount of refinement obtained will simply depend on the number of times the process is repeated. Pour the liquid into a mold, allow it to set and finally...Enjoy.
Hopefully from this basic overview, you will appreciate the skill, time and care that goes into making good quality chocolate. There is no substitute for the skill derived from time and experience in this art, as the slightest variations can significantly affect the outcome of the finished product. So you may just wish to continue enjoying your favorite treat already professionally prepared for you by the hands of the masters.
About the Author
If you wish to see more information on chocolate as well as the interesting selection of fine luxury chocolate products and gift baskets on Lloyd Gordon's chocolate website visit => http://www.chocolatetray.com