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Post by pairak on Aug 10, 2021 8:47:38 GMT -5
Hello. So I use silk for tempering, so normally I want the chocolate to be at about 34-35c when adding the silk, and then I normally just set my chocolate melter to about 31-32c and keep it there. But there is one step im a bit unsure about, because when I first remove my chocolate from my melanger it can be 50c+, is it ok to just let it cool down to 34 and then start tempering? Or should I let it cool down further, heat back upp to 34-35 and then temper?
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Post by Chip on Aug 10, 2021 9:05:53 GMT -5
pairakI also use the silk method to temper. I add silk at 35-36c and then let it cool from there. Seems to work just fine. As long as the silk melts and has time to form the crystals will work.
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Post by Ben on Aug 10, 2021 9:47:41 GMT -5
When using silk, there's no need to cool below your final tempering temperature.
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Post by pairak on Aug 10, 2021 10:50:20 GMT -5
Thank you for your replies, and ill try adding it at slightly higher temp like chip does Was wondering if I was doing something wrong since my tempering has been a bit gray lately, but may just have been a tad lazy in temp distribution.
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Post by pairak on Aug 14, 2021 1:31:42 GMT -5
Hello, a bit of a follow-up here. Ive recently started making my chocolate from the actuall beans for the first time. I used to buy ready made nibs, but found a new supplier that sells me a large amount of diffrent beans at a resonable price. So I roast and winnow them, use a kitchen food processor to pre-grind the nibs, add to my melanger. Run just the nibs for a few hours, then add sugar and cocoa butter. Doing a oretty short grind since im mostly flavour testing new beans atm. Usually my recipe is about 56% cocoa, and 35% fat. When done I pour, temper with silk and mold. But with every batch ive made so far (3 of em) the finnished product has been extremely gray, far more than any chocolate ive made before. Ive tried a few diffrent temps, between 34-36c at the time of adding the silk, and I add 1-1,5% silk. Im using the Mycryo ready made silk that ive been using for a year. Now, im used to from time to time the chocolate being a little gray, expecially after a few days, but theese ones are far more than any ive made before and turn gray as soon as they set. Is there anything obious im missing here?
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Post by Ben on Aug 14, 2021 9:01:27 GMT -5
Can you post photos?
From your explanation, it sounds as if the temper of the chocolate is off. You mention that you're used to your chocolate turning gray after a few days. A well-tempered chocolate won't turn gray for years (assuming it is stored at a reasonable temperature).
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Post by pairak on Aug 14, 2021 9:14:02 GMT -5
imgur.com/a/YJNcwXHThe one on the right was my first batch, the one on the left was my latest. Now the way the first looks im not too un-used to. And frankly, since what im making now is simply some test batches to try out diffrent beans I werent too conserned with spending extra time on good tempering. But when they start looking like the one on the left im getting conserned. The way I normally temper is using a chocolate smelter. I set it to 31C, let it heat upp, then I pour from my Melanger into it. once I hit 34/35C I add 1-2% mycryo, usually I add about 1/3rd of it, stir it inn, add next part, stirr, add rest, stirr, wait a min or 2, stirr some more. Then I let it sitt for a lil bit, the smelter being at 31C keeps it from going too cold, and then I start molding. For the batch on the right, this is what I did. On the middle one I tried adding at about 36C instead. On the one on the right I poured trough a sieve, into a baking bowl. By the time all was trough it the chocolate was about 37C, waited a couple min, it hit 36, I did the Mycryo adding as described above. Stirred it very well, then had it into the molds. Obiously I wont be doing it that way again seeing the result now, but still, im used to it being better when doing method one. Any way I should improove my method? I doubt ill ever get into using a marble plate, but ive considered getting a ChocoVision tempering machine.
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Post by Ben on Aug 14, 2021 14:46:21 GMT -5
Yep, none of those are well tempered. A couple questions: What temperature was the chocolate when you started molding? Are you stirring it consistently during the molding process? How are you cooling the bars after molding? It could be that the chocolate is in temper when pouring but loses temper due to the cooling process. Lastly, are you testing the temper before molding? I do this by dipping some parchment paper in it and placing it in my cooling cabinet, but others do it differently. As far as suggestions to improve your process, short of getting a tempering machine, I like the two bowl method demonstrated by Brad in the video linked in this thread: chocolatetalk.proboards.com/thread/1866/temper-chocolate-easy
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Post by pairak on Aug 14, 2021 14:58:55 GMT -5
Ok. 1: About 30-32C usually. 2: not consistantly, I normally stirr, pour into molds, scrape, stirr, pour next ect. 3: I normally cool on the bench in room temperature. 4: No, I normally dont test it.
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Post by Ben on Aug 16, 2021 8:04:32 GMT -5
Thanks. 1: That should be fine, but there's no need to cool that low. I find it much easier to mold at 33+ (but under 34). 2: Stirring is very important, but it sounds like you're probably stirring enough. 3: This is likely the problem. As chocolate crystallizes, it becomes exothermic and the released heat can easily come out of temper. I would look into a more active cooling process. This could be as simple as putting it in the fridge for 15 minutes or (depending on your room temperature) putting the molds on a cooling rack an blowing air over it with a fan. 4: I'd recommend it.
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