Post by mads on Jun 7, 2017 14:10:35 GMT -5
So here are some more questions to the existing tempering jungle out there, that I would be really grateful for some answers to.
I just started all this chocolate making and so far it's a dream coming true - apart from the tempering which seems to be a real challenge.
I work from my kitchen, making wonders with my Premier Chocolate Refiner. Roasting is going great. So is cracking, winnowing, refining and even conching, producing a great tasting delicious chocolate that seems to sit at 105F out of the melanger after about 48 hours. I'm making a 70% chocolate of only cacao and sugar and I prefer not to add extras like cacao butter or lecithin.
Then tempering kills me every time and below are my questions. So far I use John's bowl tempering technique.
1. Can the chocolate get ruined when melted to temperatures just above the 125-130s? I ask this because I thought it might be one answer to my below most important question:
2. Out of the melanger or after melting my chocolate it seems quite thicker on all stages than John's does in his bowl tempering videos. Melted to about 105F it has a similar thickness as his has at 80F. When cooling the 1/3 to 80F it becomes almost too solid to work with and when reheating it to 90F by slowly adding the warm 2/3 it just about disolves the solids but stays quite thick and really hard to mold. Is there a solution to this apart from adding cocoa butter?? Longer refining or something? I currently release the pressure one the melanger stones after 24 hours.
3. When my tempered chocolate hits it's working temperature of about 90F I can somehow manage to mold only one tray quickly. Already at the next tray my chocolate is almost too thick to pour in the tray. My room temperature is at 72-73F. What is the best way to keep the working temperature stabil with basic equipment?? How hot should the water bath be fx. to not overheat and untemper the chocolate?
4. And again when molding the chocolate it's quite difficult to get the air bubbles out. I have to tap the molds REALLY hard.. So all in all my biggest problem here is the viscosity of my chocolate through out. How do I best solve this without extra added ingredients? My finished, molded chocolate does seem to have a good snap and quite a good melt in the mouth.. It's not so shiny though.
5. I read somewhere that you have to stir, stir, stir to get the type 5 crystals to properly spread through the chocolate but John says in his video to only stir very gently to not destroy the crystals after tempering it. Which is correct?
6. One tempering video I watched claimed that the best working temperature is at 93F to obtain a perfect shine. Is this not where the type 5 melts??
7. Why do I cool only 1/3 of the chocolate to 80F when tempering? Wouldn't I get the same result by cooling it all to 80F and then reheating it all to 90F?
Thanks so so much for any comments!
I just started all this chocolate making and so far it's a dream coming true - apart from the tempering which seems to be a real challenge.
I work from my kitchen, making wonders with my Premier Chocolate Refiner. Roasting is going great. So is cracking, winnowing, refining and even conching, producing a great tasting delicious chocolate that seems to sit at 105F out of the melanger after about 48 hours. I'm making a 70% chocolate of only cacao and sugar and I prefer not to add extras like cacao butter or lecithin.
Then tempering kills me every time and below are my questions. So far I use John's bowl tempering technique.
1. Can the chocolate get ruined when melted to temperatures just above the 125-130s? I ask this because I thought it might be one answer to my below most important question:
2. Out of the melanger or after melting my chocolate it seems quite thicker on all stages than John's does in his bowl tempering videos. Melted to about 105F it has a similar thickness as his has at 80F. When cooling the 1/3 to 80F it becomes almost too solid to work with and when reheating it to 90F by slowly adding the warm 2/3 it just about disolves the solids but stays quite thick and really hard to mold. Is there a solution to this apart from adding cocoa butter?? Longer refining or something? I currently release the pressure one the melanger stones after 24 hours.
3. When my tempered chocolate hits it's working temperature of about 90F I can somehow manage to mold only one tray quickly. Already at the next tray my chocolate is almost too thick to pour in the tray. My room temperature is at 72-73F. What is the best way to keep the working temperature stabil with basic equipment?? How hot should the water bath be fx. to not overheat and untemper the chocolate?
4. And again when molding the chocolate it's quite difficult to get the air bubbles out. I have to tap the molds REALLY hard.. So all in all my biggest problem here is the viscosity of my chocolate through out. How do I best solve this without extra added ingredients? My finished, molded chocolate does seem to have a good snap and quite a good melt in the mouth.. It's not so shiny though.
5. I read somewhere that you have to stir, stir, stir to get the type 5 crystals to properly spread through the chocolate but John says in his video to only stir very gently to not destroy the crystals after tempering it. Which is correct?
6. One tempering video I watched claimed that the best working temperature is at 93F to obtain a perfect shine. Is this not where the type 5 melts??
7. Why do I cool only 1/3 of the chocolate to 80F when tempering? Wouldn't I get the same result by cooling it all to 80F and then reheating it all to 90F?
Thanks so so much for any comments!