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Post by w1ggl3s1985 on Mar 10, 2022 4:06:17 GMT -5
Hello everyone, I am relatively new to chocolate making and would love some advice please!! I have been making some chocolate using Callebaut couverture. I have been adding ingredients such as flavourings, spices and nuts but that's all - no oils (except for what you might find in the nuts) My latest batch in the photos was made yesterday and is already showing what looks like bloom. I have tried different tempering methods, but this one was using the microwave and carefully watching the temperature so I thought I had done it well this time. So to get this is very disappointing. Can anyone tell if this is down to the tempering or could it be the ingredients I am adding?? Also when I remove it from the mould, it looks nice and shiny on the other side, but the side thats not been inside the mould looks dull. Any advice would be great!!!!!
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Post by Ben on Mar 10, 2022 9:06:05 GMT -5
Hello! Your probably is almost certainly due to your tempering or cooling processes. Can you tell us the process you're using step-by-step?
The bars in the photo don't look too bad, except the one on the right, so this shouldn't be too difficult to remedy. Also note that the side exposed to air will always be duller than the side touching the mold.
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Post by w1ggl3s1985 on Mar 10, 2022 11:05:31 GMT -5
Hi Ben,
Thanks for coming back to me.
For this batch I:
Step 1: Heat 280g of dark chocolate couverture in the microwave in 30 secs bursts till it reached 50-55°C. (continuously stirring in between)
Step 2: I then placed the bowl into another bowl filled with cold water to bring the temperate down to around 28°C (continuously stirring) Usually takes about 5 mins or so to get there.
Step 3: I then put the bowl back into the microwave for 15 secs or so till it reached 32°C.
Step 4: I then added my flavourings and placed into moulds.
Step 5: I then leave to cool in my kitchen which is roughly 18-20°C
Also worth mentioning that I move from steps 1, 2, 3 & 4 quite quickly as I can't hold the temperature - could this be the issue?
Is there anything obvious you can see I'm doing wrong?
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Post by Ben on Mar 10, 2022 13:14:56 GMT -5
A couple things:
Tempering small amounts of chocolate is way way harder than tempering larger amounts. If you have more couverture, I'd recommend tempering it all at once. It's just so hard to ensure that small amounts don't overheat, etc.
I'd recommend a double boiler for melting rather than the microwave. There's a good video showing this process on this forum from Brad. Search for two-bowl method and you should find it. Having both a double boiler and an ice water bowl will make it easier to maintain temperature. As it starts to cool, pop on the double boiler. Pop it on the ice bath if it gets too warm.
On step 1, there's no need to go that hot. As long as you get up somewhere between 43 & 44C, you'll be fine. This won't affect the final result, but could save you a bit of time.
On step 3, assuming this is dark chocolate, you could go a bit warmer, which may make things a little easier.
After step 4, are you testing the temper? If not, I'd recommend it. I do it by just dipping a bit of parchment paper in the chocolate and letting it set up. It should have a good snap and no swirls.
Step 5: I'd recommend some sort of active cooling rather than just sitting out at room temp. Popping them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, or at least adding some airflow above and below the molds would help.
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Post by w1ggl3s1985 on Mar 11, 2022 3:16:22 GMT -5
Thanks for this advice, really useful!
I've also seen some alternatives such as adding silk and the seeding method. Do either of these methods work easier, have less likelihood of getting it wrong?
Once final question, on step 4, where you say to test the temper, which totally makes sense, but how do I maintain the temperature whilst I'm waiting - or will it be OK for a few mins? I'm getting paranoid about the temperatures and it dropping even a degree above or below what it should be!
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Post by Ben on Mar 11, 2022 9:34:11 GMT -5
You're welcome! I hope it helps. Silk and/or seeding are a bit easier, but in my opinion it's definitely important to understand tempering on how to do it based on temperature alone. You more or less want to maintain the temperatures the whole time. At any point, if the temp starts dropping, just pop it back on the double boiler while stirring to bring it back up. If you're going to be doing a lot of chocolate, it makes sense to get a tempering machine which will hold a set temp for you. On a side note, it's important to understand that there's not one specific temperature that it 'should' be. During tempering, the crystals in the chocolate are either forming or melting. As long as you don't let it crystallize too much or melt too much, the chocolate is still in temper. If it starts to over-crystallize and get too thick, just warm it up a bit to thin it back out. On another side note, if you couverture comes tempered, you don't necessarily need to re-temper it. Just melt it gently until it reaches the final temperature you're looking for. As long as it doesn't get too hot, it will still be in temper. You don't even really need a thermometer for this. As long as you still have some bits of solid chocolate in there, it's still in temper.
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Post by w1ggl3s1985 on Mar 11, 2022 10:26:58 GMT -5
Thanks so much, I will give your suggestions a go!
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