Melanger Premier Chocolate Refiner - 110V/60 hz - 8 lbs Capacity

"Penny wise and pound foolish," my mom would have said. When I think of how much money I invested in quality ingredients, ending up with grainy chocolate on every attempt was so much more than frustrating. I probably spent more than the cost of this chocolate refiner in cocoa butter and cacao paste in my last few orders alone. (I'm stubborn, what can I say? I wouldn't stop trying other ways to solve the problem.) In the scheme of life, the universe, and everything, the Premier is not outrageously expensive. It doesn't take up a crazy amount of space. It turns grainy ingredients into silky smooth chocolate. It's a work-horse--you can leave it running for days if you want to. And best of all (the whole reason I started trying to make my own chocolate in the first place), it lets me keep tweaking my recipes until I get precisely the chocolate I've always wished I could find (soft, silky, very milky, and not-at-all sweet for me; and rich, sugar-free, very dark without sugar alcohols for my diabetic husband). Unless you've still got a 1974 dishwasher that runs, the Premier is bound to be louder than your dishwasher. Someone is fibbing about that, but that's about the only con to this beastie. (I've been plugging it in in the foyer so we can't hear it in our bedroom. There's a solution to every problem, if you're willing to think outside the box.) If you think you might like to try a chocolate refiner/melanger, you probably should. I highly recommend. I'm sorry I waited so long.

My first batch of chocolate I tried a Cuisinart that did ok, but it left some grit. I realized I needed the right equipment to make chocolate. The Melanger was the right thing at the right price range for Hobby chocolate. I started with 2.5 lbs of Milk Chocolate, batch 1 ran or 22.5 hrs batch 2 ran or 48hrs. the Melanger Stood up to the test and ran smoothly for booth batches. Set up was easy. I ran vegetable oil and rice for two hours as directed washed it with soap and water and set it in a warm oven to dry it completely before starting my first batch. Mouth feel for my chocolate is smooth and creamy te way it should be. I will take my other chocolate and continue couching and refining it in the Melanger now.

The melanger arrived quickly and promptly. No issues whatsoever with ordering or shipping. It was packaged very well. The machine is very simple to assemble and operate; however, determining what type of cacao to put in the machine and how long to run it for is a whole other issue to get the chocolate you are making to turn out the way you like it. The machine has pretty much been running non-stop since purchased about three weeks ago. No issues have surfaced and it has performed flawlessly. It does take practice to wipe the excess chocolate off the rollers. I found using a spatula to scrape the rollers and then wipe that on the side of the melanger - and repeat - works well. When finished cleaning the rollers, it's convenient to set it on top of the upside down lid. Very happy with the product and would definitely buy another one if the need arises.

The machine was easy to set up right out of the box. After doing some research I made a few mistakes, tried all kinds of methods to make the chocolate shiny. The first batch I did turned out poorly because I didn’t place it in the fridge. I didn’t realize making chocolate is actually an art form. I advise the new chocolate novice to do research to achieve best results. This machine grinds the beans so fine that the chocolate becomes smooth and silky. I would like to mention it’s advisable to use some cacao butter to ease the process along with a dedicated blow dryer or heat gun to speed up the process of the grinding. Just make sure it doesn’t focus on the plastic to avoid damage to the machine. After about 12-15 hours of grinding I poured the chocolate into molds and placed in the fridge. The first batch turned out with white streaks because I tried to temper the chocolate when it’s already tempered through the machines grinding process. Initially one has to scrap the sides but once the machine gets all the beans to a smooth consistency. From there it’s just a matter of how smooth you want your chocolate. As wonderful as this machine is I would like to note it’s very loud. As far as cleaning is concerned for me it wasn’t too bad as long as it’s done with pretty hot water. In conclusion. A powerhouse of a chocolate making machine that’s all in one with no tempering required, at least for me. Please not I’m just a hobbyist not an expert. Happy chocolate making.

No real problems with it, just make sure to pre-warm the grinding parts (not the motor part!) and all the ingredients in the oven at about 125-130 degrees F. for a couple of hours before you start grinding you nibs. It easily reduces the nibs with no strain. But once you start it don't stop it for a while or it can get stuck. Wait at least until the nibs are mostly liquefied and then you can stop it if you want to. My sixth batch since I bought it going right now.

Very easy to setup, use and clean. I have used this Melanger for several years now and it has never let me down. My most popular chocolate is 45% Dry roasted peanut milk. Ingredients: Makes About 2lbs of Chocolate 6.4 oz Cacao Nibs 1.5 oz Dry Roasted Peanuts 8.0 oz Cacao Butter 8.8 oz Sugar 8.8 oz Milk Powder Melt Cacao Butter and pour into Melanger then turn it on, slowly add Cacao Nibs and Peanuts. Allow it to refine for an hour then very slowly add Sugar and Milk Powder in several 15min intervals. Allow to refine for 3 hours without the cover, then cover and refine for at least 24 hours. Temper and pour into prepared molds. Rap molds to release air and let sit at room temperature till set. Enjoy.

Follow all the videos and directions and you will end up making the most delicious bean to bar chocolate. About 12 hours was enough to smooth out the sugar gritiness. I was waffling between the Premier Wonder and this one, and I'm so happy I bought the one dedicated to making chocolate! It's well made and I don't have to worry about overheating the motor. The noise is not that bad when it has a kilo of cacao and sugar in it. It even came with an accessory to raise the stones so you can scrape off the chocolate into the bowl before pouring. Great customer service, too.

I love this machine. It is so easy to use. I have made three batches of chocolate so far. My chocolate has turned out so creamy! I have let one batch run about 18 hours, another only about 8 hours and another for about 20 hours. All three batches were very good. It can be a bit challenging to hold the wheels to scrap off the excess chocolate when it is done - but they have come out with an accessory that will help with this. I saw it mentioned on FB and asked about it. Right now it only comes with the new Melangers but they will be selling it as an accessory soon - and I will be buying one. All my batches have been 2 lbs of chocolate and I don't think I would increase the size. The Melanger can handle more, but I think it would get too heavy for me to handle pouring the chocolate once it is done. Overall, I highly recommend this.

Love this sturdy thing. Ground my hazelnuts to chunky butter in an hour. Haven’t tested for chocolate yet. Regularly monitor the motor as it does tend to heat up sooner.

ダンボールはボロボロな状況で届き、中を開けると悪臭がして臭い。食品の設備としてはあり得ない状態。しかも傷がついた状態でボロボロで部品も外れていた。 返品を申し出ると送付先に送るも返金はされない。 しかも、送料無料にも関わらず関税の請求がフェデックスから送られてくる。 もちろんこちらについても対応されず、対応依頼をしているが一切応じない状況が続いている。 本当に後悔しかないです。無駄な時間がかかっていてとても悲しいです。