Posted by Steve on November 13, 1998 at 13:50:30:
In Reply to: Re: Chocolate Thermometer posted by Gerard on October 22, 1998 at 19:01:52:
: Did you read the editorial in pastry arts mag, the mag is obviously getting a lot of complaints about featuring so called star pastry chefs, most of us are too busy working to worry about publicity agents.
: I have a campbell hausefeld compressor 7 gal tank on wheels, I thought about using it to spray choc but my spraygun is used for epoxy paints.
: What sort of gun do you use?
: Its best to post web sites like this so they are clickable.
: Cheers, Gerard
Hi Gerard--sorry it's taken me this long to get back to you. I competed in the Salon this past week in NYC and taught a few classes while I was up there. As far as your questions go: First, spraying chocolate. I use the metal gun that comes with the Campbell-Hausfeld HVLP Paint System--my model is 4 PSI and 54 CFM. There are better versions in the CH line that are more expensive. As far as I can tell, and I've only been experimenting with this for a few weeks, the more money you spend--the finer the particle size of the spray. Which for chocolate spraying is advantageous. I have a few friends who wheel around those huge compressors--Ewald Notter uses one of those huge things on wheels--and their spraying is amazingly good. So your compressor, as long as it's HVLP, should work very well with chocolate. You just need to get a gun dedicated solely to chocolate work. And the standard CH metal gun that came with my unit works really well. I keep it in an oven, turned off, to keep it warm all the time--and also keep my spray mixes and tempered chocolate in there, too. A warming cabinet would work well, also. When I do demos, I keep the thing sitting in a saucepan of warm water so the piston mechanism doesn't sieze up. (The only advantage of the brutish Wagner paint sprayer, besides being cheap, was that you could microwave the plastic paint container.) Second, I'm a big fan of Pastry Art and Design--they've been very supportive of me and my work--and I am far from being a "star" chef. In my opinion, PA&D and their two books--Grand Finales and Modernist Desserts-- are absolutely indispensable to any student, baker or pastry chef who wants to stay vital in their profession. It's the only way for the majority of pastry professionals around the country to find out what others are doing--it's not possible for many, and certainly not probable for many others, to see first-hand what Jacques Torres does at Le Cirque, or Payard or Eric Bedoucha or on and on. The magazine, though flawed in some pastry chefs' minds, addresses underlying problems in the industry, that as I see them, are two-fold: one, a resistance to change, and experimentation, and new equipment. There are always ways to work cleaner, better and faster, as Jacques Torres is fond of saying. Often reading PA&D, I pick up something useful and realize what I don't know; and two, a fear of being judged, compared to others and not found worthy--a fear that I think drives resentment toward the magazine. But I'm going on too much, Gerard. Sorry. The mag and books have flaws--but flaws that are minor--and flaws that the reality of the workplace and marketplace will inevitably correct--how soon do you think it takes for a pastry student, fresh out of a culinary program, to realize that those architectural fantasies found on some of PA&D's pages are just not reproduceable in their establishment without better training, equipment, staffing support, dedication and experience? But chefs around the country shouldn't blame the mag for creating the fantasies--and maybe prompting some people to try to surpass what's been done previously. There is great life and potential in pastry--and in my opinion we have PA&D, in large measure, to thank for it. And as far as pastry chefs being "too busy working to worry about publicity agents," I'd probably have to take minor issue with that statement, though I respect what you do--and enjoy your comments on this page. (I wish I had the time to contribute as much as you do.) However, we don't work and create in a vacuum--promotion and networking and exposure are integral in our field as in any discipline. In an ideal world, the most deserving chefs will get their due simply by focusing on their craft. That isn't how it works, though. You have to be aware of all the facets of success--in your case, you own a bakery. How much have you had to learn about accounting and tax law? You can't ignore these concerns just like you can't ignore promotion, networking and exposure--otherwise you are just limiting or hindering yourself. And these things are fun, too!