Question 1

What is the shelf life of the stones?  Are they granite stones?  Anyone measured temperature of ~2lbs chocolate in melanger?

Accepted Answer

Shelf life(usually applies to food products) of stones doesn't make sense. The stones appear to be a hard durable granite, or granite like stone. I've used mine for the last three years, running the 2 lb batches for 8-10 hours continuously reaching temperatures around 110-120F. The first key to melanger's long running life is to grind your roasted cacao nib down as fine as possible in another machine, i.e. champion juicer, food processor, etc. before putting it into the melanger. Also, the second key is pre-heating your fine nib and cocoa butter up to a temperature of 100-120F or so, when you start to run melanger. When everything is warm, including the machine bowl, the refining/melanging runs so much smoother.  You can use a hair blower to provide additional heat, if necess.

Question 2

Is this the same as premier wonder table top wet grinder? are there any differences?

Accepted Answer

This model is almost the same - but it has been upgraded by Premier to be able to withstand chocolate grinding over a period of multiple days. The regular table top wet grinder has more plastic in it. You can actually buy a kit to upgrade the wonder table top wet grinder to the chocolate refiner model - it's about $100 worth of parts.

Question 3

For small batch chocolate makers: How does this machine differ from the Premier wet grinder (with blue middle)?

Accepted Answer

The rice grinders (blue middle) are designed to run for a few hours a week. The gears and internal transmission components wear out quickly on the rice grinders when used for extended period of time. The Chocolate refiners use completely different internal components. The belts are designed to transfer higher load and the bearings and gears are designed to work for days at a time and not for a few hours. The components are more durable and will last longer and transfer more power (which is required to refine chocolate)

Question 4

Are there chocolate making recipes included?

Accepted Answer

To answer Patricia Robinett: the Chocolate Alchemist not only provides nibs, he has videos and columns answering how-to questions on making your own chocolate. https://chocolatealchemy.com

ASIN	B016E1NUZA
Brand Name	PREMIER
Color	Red
Customer Reviews	4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (190)
Item Weight	17.6 pounds
Manufacturer	SS Premier
Material	Granite
Model Number	PG 506
Part Number	PG 506
Recommended Uses For Product	Refining chocolate and making nut butters
Wattage	200 watts

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

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