Post by Howard on Jun 10, 2006 15:15:25 GMT -5
I heated about 1 lb6 ounces in a plastic bowel in the microwave. I used full power for about 10 seconds at a time, stirring vigorously after each 10 seconds until I got a temperature of 122 deg F. I took out about7 1/2 ounces of the hot milk chocolate and spread it out on a cookie sheet (no plastic or wax paper). I placed the cookie sheet in the oven and left it alone for about 45 minutes.
When I checked it again, the cookie sheet chocolate was thick like fudge, not hard, though. The rest of the chocolate in the plastic bowl had cooled to about 85 deg F. So I heated the plastic bowl chocolate to about 98 deg F, then chopped up the fudge (cookie sheet chocolate) into pieces and mixed them together in the plastic bowl.
After several minutes of mixing, the temperature of the combined chocolates was 88 deg, so I took out a small amount (I'd estimate about 4-6 ounces, I didn't measure) and "worked" it on the cookie sheet with a pastry knife until it thickened. I added this back into the plastic bowl and mixed. This mixture was now 83 deg F. (I misread the original advice that it should be 85-86. Turns out 83 works too.)
Using a 60cc syringe (from John) I molded into cocoa butter coated molds. After only 15 minutes, I knew this was going to work. It was already harder than it was after an hour or two with my previous tries. I did get impatient, though, so after only 2 hours I put the molds into the refrigerator in order to ease getting the chocolate out of the molds. That's when the swirls showed up.
Net result though is the chocolate is clearly tempered. It's mostly shiny and has a great snap. I think the swirls come from putting it in the refrigerator too soon. I'm going to temper the rest of the 50 ounces or so of milk chocolate remaining either tonight or tomorrow and I will be patient about unmolding. Hopefully it'll be perfect. Anyway, thanks very much "choco-luvah"
Howard
When I checked it again, the cookie sheet chocolate was thick like fudge, not hard, though. The rest of the chocolate in the plastic bowl had cooled to about 85 deg F. So I heated the plastic bowl chocolate to about 98 deg F, then chopped up the fudge (cookie sheet chocolate) into pieces and mixed them together in the plastic bowl.
After several minutes of mixing, the temperature of the combined chocolates was 88 deg, so I took out a small amount (I'd estimate about 4-6 ounces, I didn't measure) and "worked" it on the cookie sheet with a pastry knife until it thickened. I added this back into the plastic bowl and mixed. This mixture was now 83 deg F. (I misread the original advice that it should be 85-86. Turns out 83 works too.)
Using a 60cc syringe (from John) I molded into cocoa butter coated molds. After only 15 minutes, I knew this was going to work. It was already harder than it was after an hour or two with my previous tries. I did get impatient, though, so after only 2 hours I put the molds into the refrigerator in order to ease getting the chocolate out of the molds. That's when the swirls showed up.
Net result though is the chocolate is clearly tempered. It's mostly shiny and has a great snap. I think the swirls come from putting it in the refrigerator too soon. I'm going to temper the rest of the 50 ounces or so of milk chocolate remaining either tonight or tomorrow and I will be patient about unmolding. Hopefully it'll be perfect. Anyway, thanks very much "choco-luvah"
Howard