jano
Neophyte
Posts: 34
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Post by jano on Jul 16, 2016 10:07:13 GMT -5
Hi: From a no-commercial-interest-whatsoever perspective, how am I supposed to wrap and give away chocolate bars? Last several batches I've been making "chocolate bars" by using redi-tainer lids. They hold up to about 90g of chocolate. Kinda cool, making chocolate discs. I.. uhm.. fold/bunch them up in heavy duty foil, it's what I have at home and I'm not a very froo froo dude. Finally purchased some 2oz bar molds. Since I'd like them to look nicer... please help? The people I'm giving to are just friends who have trained palattes and we are learning this hobby together. Thank you!
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Post by Thomas on Jul 16, 2016 19:06:51 GMT -5
Here's what I did when I first started making chocolate. I'm in the US. I bought food safe paper from Michael's Craft store and then stickers from Avery ( www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Products/Labels). I used free software from Avery for design and printing the labels. The paper is OK but it has to be cut to size and it's a little wasteful. You can also buy inner and outer wraps from AluFoil ( www.alufoil.com/chocolate-bar-wrap-foil.html). You can buy online if the purchase is $100. Otherwise, they can take you order over the phone. I currently use their inner wraps and make my own outer wraps.
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Post by chocologist on Nov 18, 2017 15:32:26 GMT -5
When would be the best time to wrap? I have made 3 batches of 1kg each of milk, dark and white to learn the techniques. All went well it seemed. Chocolate tempered came out the moulds well and snapped. This was after placing in fridge for 15 to 40 mins. These were then wrapped in aluminium foil and stored in an airtight plastic container. When I took some out after a week the chocolate had bloomed. I am assuming it was wrapped in foil to quickly whist still cold. Could there be any other explanation.
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Post by Thomas on Nov 18, 2017 15:52:44 GMT -5
Bars are typically wrapped as soon as they are removed from the molds. Did you have fat or sugar bloom? Fat bloom occurs due to temperature and sugar bloom because of moisture. (Simplified explanation) You have to be very careful when cooling bars in a standard fridge as water can condense on the chocolate after removal and cause sugar bloom. If I put bars in the fridge, I place the in front of a fan after I remove them to help decrease the chance of any condensation. Where were the bars stored after being wrapped?
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Post by chocologist on Nov 18, 2017 15:59:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply Thomas. Bars were stored in an airtight semi transparent plastic container in a cool room out of direct sunlight. They seemed OK after a few days but after a week the dark has discoloured. How do I tell the difference between sugar and fat bloom?
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Post by Thomas on Nov 18, 2017 21:33:34 GMT -5
Here’s a good article on fat vs sugar bloom: www.amanochocolate.com/sugar-and-fat-bloom-part-1/Can you post a photo of the chocolate? Did you test your chocolate to make sure it was in temper prior to molding? Perhaps it was not actually tempered correctly.
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Post by Brad on Nov 19, 2017 18:44:39 GMT -5
Thomas has provided some good guidance with respect to sourcing wrapping for your home made bars.
I would recommend waiting a day or two before wrapping them though: 1. Sometimes you think you've tempered them right, and you haven't. It can take a couple of days for that to show. 2. Even though the chocolate has set and come out of the molds within an hour or two, type V crystals are still forming, and will continue to form for several hours. The bars are actually still quite fragile. I demonstrate this to my staff by having them temper and bar up a tray of bars, and leave them overnight, and then the next day temper and bar up another tray and set them beside the first tray. The bars on the first tray are distinctly darker and harder to break. Sometimes we can even see shade fluctuations within bars themselves at first, and then by the end of the day the color becomes uniform.
Cheers Brad
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Post by chocologist on Nov 20, 2017 10:42:45 GMT -5
I would add photos if I knew how? I have noticed that the bloomed chocolate also tastes grainy. This is our first attempt so not expecting perfection. Just need to know what to do if this happens again. Would I be right in saying I can melt down and re-do? First picture is how it first came out the mould, others are a week later one is the same milk bar the other a dark. Attachments:
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Post by Brad on Nov 20, 2017 15:05:15 GMT -5
That's cocoa butter bloom. I see that kind of bloom when the chocolate is either not cooled to a low enough temperature, or your working temperature went too high when reheating the chocolate. One telltale sign of improperly tempered chocolate is that when you take it out of the molds it is super SUPER glossy - you will almost be able to see your reflection in it. You'll look at it and think "WOW!! That looks AMAZING!!", then wish all of your chocolate can look like that, and then realize it's not tempered. Properly tempered chocolate will not be super super shiny.
Cool your chocolate to a lower temperature, or reheat it to a lower temperature, or both, and hopefully you will see some success.
Cheers.
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Post by chocologist on Nov 20, 2017 16:50:01 GMT -5
Thanks Brad. I am using the premier wonder grinder to make the chocolate for min 18 hours. Heating up to 49C (120F) cooling to 25/26C (78F) then reheating to 31C (87F). It came out with a dull sheen. I have now another problem, decided to re-melt and try again. So reheated the bars up to 49C, cooled to 25 and reheated to 32, then re-moulded. Left to cool at room temp for a while in case we were cooling too quick, then in the fridge for 10 mins. After that tried to tap out from moulds, no joy, they wouldn't come out. Tried longer in the fridge, left out, all sorts of things but they wouldn't budge. Had to partial melt and scrape out. Tried again same thing melt, cool and re-heat. This time straight in the fridge as before for 20 mins. Took out, tapped the moulds, still stuck. Open to suggestions...... Latest.... left in fridge over night, fell out when overturned straight away
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Post by Thomas on Nov 20, 2017 19:45:50 GMT -5
Can you explain you tempering process? Tabling, Single bowl method, etc. Did you test the chocolate for temper prior to molding?
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Post by chocologist on Nov 21, 2017 11:59:19 GMT -5
Tempering was double bowl as per Brad's video (most helpful by the way). No didn't test before moulding.
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Post by Brad on Nov 21, 2017 18:44:06 GMT -5
32 is WAY too high. You missed the part where I talked about the thermal carrying capacity of the bowl taking the temperature of the chocolate to far above your working temperature after it's removed from the heat.
Reheat to 30, and stir stir stir.
Let sit for a few minutes, stir stir stir and then pour into bowls.
ALWAYS do a temper test before molding. Saves a lot of wasted time when you get it wrong.
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Post by chocologist on Dec 2, 2017 7:09:34 GMT -5
Brad, have been using a plasic bowl for chocolate and spatula with digital temp probe attached. Didn't expect much thermal carrying capacity on this type of bowl.
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Post by Brad on Dec 2, 2017 16:54:41 GMT -5
32 is still way too high regardless of the bowl material.
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