Go to the Recipe: Smooth and Creamy American-Pistachio Butter
Looks amazing. I wonder if this is something a champion juicer could handle. I think I've heard people mention using them for nut butters with the plate in. Anyone have any experience with this?
Perfect. I just put a conche on my Christmas list two days ago.
Could this be used in place of pistachio paste in recipes that call for it?
Also I have a big container of mycryo, can I use that for the cocoa butter sub?
This is NUTS! And I love it!
Hi i have one question...what machine replace the conche?
Love the return to the old-school video style!
I've used a vitamin to make pistachio butter previously. However, it did take allot of pistachios or else the blender would turn without blending. I suspect it could be done but question if it would be close to the texture created by the conch (which now means my equipment list grew by one). Lol!
Yes, same question. Do you need a conche? And what can substitute it??
Nothing if you want a creamy texture. Otherwise, a quality blender will work if you don't mind it being a bit gritty.
Unless you happen to have a wet grinder laying around, nothing cheaper than the melangeur will give you that creamy store-bought texture. Otherwise, a quality blender will work if you don't mind it being a bit gritty. It's a bit subjective and some people prefer it (kind of like stone-ground chocolate). Try it out and see for yourself!
While I don't see myself buying a conche in the near future...this video is absurdly beautiful and I cry
Yes, as far as we can tell, you need a conche. We tried making it in a blender and it turns out grainier—not the nice silky-smoothness of Nutella. Let us know if you find another way!
Yes, what Richard said!
I wonder... what would work instead of a conche? an ice cream maker (not a cold one) a mixer? Here I am, looking at something that looks yummy and beautiful, and the ingredients are all simple and available... and then it says I need a conche... a what? ok, I figured out what it is, but I don't have one. If I was to live with not smooth and use either a mixer or a blender... how long would I run it? I think my gf would kill me if I ran either for 8 hrs straight.
Like everything you post I want to make this immediately. I'm searching for Conches/Melangers and am seeing a lot of these indian wet grinders pop up. Can those be used to make this? http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Wonder-Table-Grinder-110v/dp/B004OPIBV2
Hello! This is great! Can granulated soy lecithin and some water well mixed together be used instead of liquid one?
Loved the video. Really glad to see the 'classic' style return, awesome music and text overlay. Work of art and total unique. Rock on!
Is there a difference between a wet grinder and conche?
The home chonches/melangers almost look like the same model as a wet grinders with a doubled price and a sticker
Exactly the same thoughts running through my head. Let me know if you find out the answer.
Thanks, Alex! We're so glad you're a fan!
Thing that works reasonably well (I use it to make praline paste - which is similar in principle, but contains just nuts and sugar) is Vitamix followed by a #160 sieve. I let the blender run for a couple of minutes, until the mixture is liquid and pretty runny, then I pour it onto the sieve and just work it through. I'm sure it doesn't end up as smooth as what comes out of the conche, but it's no longer gritty on the tongue (i also noticed that results vary with the types of nuts used - walnuts for instance end up fairly smooth even without the sieve)
What about cryo milling? Does that get it smooth enough? I can probably get liquid N2 more easily than I can find a conche!
I did some research on chocolate making forums. In general they say the wet grinders can be a problem because they aren't intended to run for more then an hour or so at a time. The one you linked to the "Premier Wonder" Brand seems to be the exception it seems to work well for over 24 hours with out stopping and seems to be widely use for making chocolate .
Hi Wai-Sing, this would not get the sugar thin enough. Nick has tried multiple methods using a blender for this, but ultimately was never able to achieve a fine enough grit.
Thanks for your question! This would not get the sugar thin enough. Nick has tried multiple methods using a blender for this, but ultimately was never able to achieve a fine enough grit.
Hi there! We don't believe so. The granulated soy lecithin is de-oiled so it no longer functions as well as an emulsifier. It is more commonly used for "dry foams."
Hi Rob, you could definitely try using this instead! Nick has used it instead of butter in brioche and it blew his mind! Also, mycryo should function in the exact same way!
I am wondering if the paco jet would work. I have a "coup" set for mine and it makes the smoothest pate you have ever put in your mouth, without needing a sieve, even. You could pacotize a beaker full of nut butter a number of times and probably get it fairly smooth - though I don't know if it would be smooth enough.
What's the difference between non-fat milk solids and powdered milk? They seem the same to me... but would like to know if the product you use differs markedly from powdered milk.
How long will these keep for?
For anyone wanting a vegan (I'm lactose intolerant) version of this, I used Vances DariFree milk substitute. While it won't be nearly as nice as what you would have with true dairy, it's quite creamy and delicious. I also used my Ninja blender (it dices nuts nicely) and blended the mix for about 10 minutes. Maybe if I get the house to myself at some point, I'll blend for much longer but the kids had to go to bed.
A conche? Really? Whoever has a conching machine around the house or the workplace probably doesn't need any cooking lessons, don't you think? At first I thought it was a typo -- "run the conche for 10-12 hours" -- Seriously, please give us some substitutes.
Well this I gotta try... in my Thermomix. I know, it'll probably end up grittier, but worth a test. (I have to say that the Nutella made in Thermomix is pretty awesome...) What I wonder about is that your recipe stipulates grinding the dry ingredients to a powder, stopping short of releasing the oils, but what would happen if we pushed that a bit? So what if I were to do this in the Thermomix, and grind the dry ingredients to a paste rather than a powder? Perhaps the final result would be less gritty... I'm sure nothing beats the conche but still gotta give it a whirl -- going shopping in the morning!
That was incredibly sexy peeps, i've made homemade nutella before and it turned out really well and smooth, and since then I had put together a list of other spreads to make, walnuts for a 'baklava' type spread, and pistachios for an iranian 'sohan' combination. but... I think i'll get kicked out of the house if I purchase another piece of equipment!! The dehydrator was my final warning...
First of all I'd just like to say that the song is amazing! Second of all it's nice to see some music only food porn from you guys again! It really puts the focus back on the food!
By the way, would sous viding the nuts and cooking them in a waterbath soften them enough to make a creamy version in a blender?
I was thinking that too...WILL SOMEONE TRY IT? LOL I would but I dun wanna waste pistachios
Thanks.
Or with hazelnuts to make nutella! ..or with peanuts for peanutbutter! haha c'mon... somebody do it!
Maybe a stand mixer fitted with a scraping paddle on lowest speed? Not that that's cheaper than a conche but many of us already have stand mixers!
Awesome to hear about the mycryo
Okay, anything us normal laymen can do without a conche? I don't have USD$500 to spend on pistachio butter!
Hi Roberto, we hear you! As far as we can tell, you need a conche. We tried making it in a blender and it turns out grainier—not the nice silky-smoothness of Nutella. Let us know if you find another way!
Wouldn't blending it for a few minutes, then sieving (and repeating the process several times), yield the same creamy texture?
You lost me at Conche!
I have powder Soy Lechtin -- is there a way to hydrate it and substitute for the liquid version? What would we be losing if we didn't use the ingredient?
I love you. I hate you. See you tomorrow.
Hi Alex, we don't believe so. The granulated or powdered soy lecithin is de-oiled so it no longer functions as well as an emulsifier. It is more commonly used for "dry foams."
Hi Michael, we recommend treating it like butter! Store it in the fridge, temper it when you're going to use it and then put it back in the fridge. The biggest concern here would be the nuts going rancid.
Hi Ted, no difference! They're interchangeable!
I got an idea for all of us in the CS community. I think what we should do, is pitch in (kickstarter style) and buy one. Then everyone on that list would be assigned a "timeshare". This way, beside the initial funding, your only other expense would be the shipping cost to send it to the next person down the list. Or maybe Chefsteps could start a rental program?? ;-)
I was so excited to see this recipe as I have attempted to make pistachio butter in the past with mixed success. then came the "Conche" bomb... a conch what??? I learned a lot about this contraption. Cant wait to hear if anyone finds a more layman method that produces mildly similar texture.
Thanks Ellen. Would liquid Sunflower Lecithin work; looking for a Soy substitute.
Yes, Michal. I have a lovely recipe for a Caramelised Gianduja, which involves blending candied almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor for 5-10 minutes. You do eventually get a silky smooth, glossy, runny paste. I am too stubborn to not try the same technique with this!
Why am I using non fat dairy powder when I'm adding a ton of fat later on? Is there a technical culinary reason? Or is it just to make fatties feel like they're making a little-less-fat-product?
Also, is the nationality of the pistachios important? Although I master the English language I'm not going to speak to them... And since Iran produce more than twice the amount of pistachios each year, and at a higher quality, can I use those instead?
The nonfat dairy powder is used, I imagine, for the proteins and sugars. It acts as an emulsifier (keeps the fat from splitting out), a thickener and a stabilizer. To be honest, I don't even know where I could get non-skimmed milk powder but skim milk powder (non fat) is quite easily accessible.
I'd assume it's for the same reason you use unsalted butter in recipes that add salt later on. Control. By using non fat dairy powder and fat sperately you can precisely control your amount of fat water and solids which for emulsions is quite important.
Hi Daniel, ultimately the non fat dairy powder is for flavor. You can certainly use Iranian pistachios as well. We've found that American pistachios work well due to their higher water content (since they're harvested tree ripened).
You're welcome! And yes, that should work!
Let me guess: the next project in your R&D lab is a Conche, and you will name it Revel. Damn you. You know I'll buy it.
Chefsteps rental service. I like it. So many times I have been wanting to try a dish but couldn't since I need something expensive.
Actually, I've done the R&D for you already. I've been making bean to bar chocolate on small machinery since 2008. I got so frustrated with the machines that I finally started working with engineers to make a small affordable machines specifically designed to hold up to the rigors of chocolate making (long run times, cocoa butter, etc.). I introduced the Chocolate Refiner in July of 2015 and it's small enough for making chocolate in your kitchen, used by a lot of chocolate makers (including some big, highly respected companies) and inexpensive enough to encourage chocolate making by cacao farmers. You can find them online at http://indichocolate.com/products/chocolate-refiner?variant=7781420993 and in my store, indi chocolate, 2 floors up from ChefSteps in Pike Place Market.
Or you can get your own 2 floors up from ChefSteps at indi chocolate or online at http://indichocolate.com/products/chocolate-refiner?variant=7781420993
Matt, you've done a good job on the research. I've been making bean to bar chocolate since 2008 and have used just about all the table top machines available for making chocolate. Chocolate makers have jokingly referred to the Premier Wonder Grinder as "the tank" because it holds up better than the others. I've introduced an upgraded, more robust version called the Chocolate Refiner specifically for chocolate making (more robust gears for longer run times, etc.). I sell both the Premier Wonder Grinder and the Chocolate Refiner, as well as some larger machines. If you happen to be in Pike Place Market you can see them in my store, indi chocolate, that is 2 floors up from ChefSteps. They are also available online at http://indichocolate.com/products/chocolate-refiner?variant=7781420993. It's fun to see this post because we're also seeing an increased number of people using these machines for making nut butters too. Lots of fun stuff coming out of these machines.
Got one of those. Its pretty awesome
I'm starting a business similar to your idea in the SF bay area, check it out:
https://tinkerkitchen.org/
In fact, I just got a small conche for this and other recipes. It's great fun! Once we open up the Tinker Kitchen space, members can come by and use it (and everything else). Some small items may also be borrowed.
I hope to expand someday. In the meantime, tell any friends in the SF bay, and if you're ever around here come check us out.
Yeah! That's why I'm starting Tinker Kitchen (see my comment above - building a maker space for food).
What else have you wanted to make / what expensive tools would you like to have access to?
Dan,
Looked into the link and was really impressed. I cannot believe you are also from Venezuela. I moved from Venezuela to the US in 1999. What a small world. Love the tinker kitchen concept and would love to pick your brain on this and maybe bring the same concept for the Midwest.
