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Post by vivachoco on Jun 19, 2006 17:36:20 GMT -5
i just tempered [my first batch of chocolate ever ;D] trying to follow john's guide lines:
110 to untemper completely. work 1/3 until thick (either on slab or in a bowl) add the seed chocolate back (making sure the 2/3 chocolate is under 100 F). Mix well and verify the temperature is at or under 90 F. Mold up.
as I decided to temper straight after finishing refining, my chocolate mass was at 112F coming out of the santha, so I figured there was no need to re-heat it up to 120F (if 110F indeed is at untemper).
i had two thermometers: one for seed, the other for the untempered so i could monitor temperatures constantly.
i worked the 1/3 on a slab. it took 30 minutes (i was getting worried) to work it so that it would start to thicken (perhaps because it was so dark at 80%? or perhaps because the air was warm?) and the moment beta chrystals started to form, the untempered 2/3 hit 90F.
I was not sure whether the untempered mass should be somewhere between 93-100 or if it was ok to add the seed at 90F. ???I went ahead and did the combining.
it seemed to work. chocolate is VERY shiny and has a snap, but is perhaps a bit too hard (or maybe I just made the bars too thick considering it is 80% cocoa?). could the temperature of the 'untempered' be the culprit?
thoughts? on any of it?
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Post by Alan on Jun 19, 2006 18:15:57 GMT -5
If your chocolate is glossy and has a very nice snap, and there is no visible swirling or bloom on the top or bottom, then it sounds like you've done a perfect job. Sounds to me like your bar mold just allows for relatively thick bars, and that is the "problem" you are experiencing. Next time try bar molds that turn out thinner bars, and you'll likely be very happy. But hey, if it tastes good, then...
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Post by vivachoco on Jun 19, 2006 19:42:29 GMT -5
thanks for your reply. yeah, i think i need to find thinner molds (any ideas?). after 1hr in room temperature the chocolate does have a really nice mouth feel.
for the next time, do you think i should try and keep the untempered between 93-100F? also because once mixed, perhaps a slightly higher overall tempeture would give few extra minutes to work with?
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Post by Alan on Jun 19, 2006 20:46:06 GMT -5
thanks for your reply. yeah, i think i need to find thinner molds (any ideas?). after 1hr in room temperature the chocolate does have a really nice mouth feel. for the next time, do you think i should try and keep the untempered between 93-100F? also because once mixed, perhaps a slightly higher overall tempeture would give few extra minutes to work with? The higher the end temperature (while still remaining at or under 91 F), the lower will be the viscosity, and therefore the easier it will be to work with your tempered chocolate. Along these lines, it may help you to reach that higher temperature range (90-91 F) by keeping the reserved and untempered chocolate at a bit higher of a temperature (closer to 100 F), otherwise you may end up with a final temp of 86-87 F or so, which will be considerably more viscous than chocolate at 91 F. That will make it hard to mold as you may have discovered. Play around with your tempering technique and try to attain the higher range and then mold as quickly as possible unless you are keeping your chocolate in a water bath or chocolate warmer at the exact molding temperature (90-91 F). Also, the more chocolate you have, the easier it will be to maintain the desired temperature. Smaller batches can cool off and thicken up pretty quickly. I wish you luck.
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