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Post by punkchocca on Mar 16, 2017 4:03:41 GMT -5
Hello does anyone have experience of making chocolate bars and chilling them briefly in a wine cooler rather than a fridge? Thanks!
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 16, 2017 10:34:44 GMT -5
Yes, this is exactly what we do. We set the fridge at 60F and unmold after a minimum of ~40-50mins. Our bars are ~4mm thick, so you'd probably want to wait longer for larger bars...we also temper with silk, which likely also shortens set time a bit. After unmolding, we let the bars sit at room temp (~72F) for several hours before wrapping. I have 2 Wine Enthusiast wine refrigerators, one is a smaller thermoelectric, the other a larger more conventional fridge that uses coolant. Both work fine. One consideration: both have a very noticeable plastic smell on the inside, so clean the interior and leave the door open for a day or two before using for chocolate.
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Post by lyndon on Mar 18, 2017 4:51:49 GMT -5
Do you have any condensation issues with those refrigerators?
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 18, 2017 14:06:49 GMT -5
No problems with condensation, but it is relatively dry where I live.
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Post by lyndon on Mar 18, 2017 16:05:23 GMT -5
I seem to be having trouble recently, I just use a fridge with a thermometer that limits it to 12C (with all the opening and closing, it ends up around 16C), maybe I need to drill a large hole through the side of my fridge and attach a hose to a dehumidifier or something
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Post by Brad on Mar 19, 2017 5:38:31 GMT -5
What you're running into is something called "Dew Point" which is the point at which condensation forms on an object. This dewpoint is directly related to temperature and humidity. The higher the humidity, the higher the dewpoint. This can happen even at 16 degrees C. Here is a great reference to determine at what temperature you're going to get condensation on your bars: www.dpcalc.org/It's worth keeping in mind too that sugar is great at pulling moisture out of the air, and while I'm no food scientist I am guessing that's going to play a factor in condensation as well. When my staff are making bars they watch the chocolate carefully, and pull the bars out of the fridge as soon as they release from the molds. Our temperatures are almost at the shocking point, but it works for our applicaiton. Any longer than that and we get sugar bloom and condensation on the chocolate exposed to air. Hope that helps. Brad
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Post by kinsol on Nov 3, 2017 0:12:03 GMT -5
What you're running into is something called "Dew Point" which is the point at which condensation forms on an object. This dewpoint is directly related to temperature and humidity. The higher the humidity, the higher the dewpoint. This can happen even at 16 degrees C. Here is a great reference to determine at what temperature you're going to get condensation on your bars: www.dpcalc.org/It's worth keeping in mind too that sugar is great at pulling moisture out of the air, and while I'm no food scientist I am guessing that's going to play a factor in condensation as well. When my staff are making bars they watch the chocolate carefully, and pull the bars out of the fridge as soon as they release from the molds. Our temperatures are almost at the shocking point, but it works for our applicaiton. Any longer than that and we get sugar bloom and condensation on the chocolate exposed to air. Hope that helps. Brad, does your fridge(s) have a humidity control function?
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Post by kinsol on Nov 3, 2017 0:15:15 GMT -5
I believe a maximum humidity of 40%-60% is the optimal condition for correct storage.
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Post by mark on Nov 5, 2017 20:27:27 GMT -5
We do what Brad's staff do, using a refrigerator with glass door. Humidity is very low where we are, so it works well for us.
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