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Post by baytree on Jan 5, 2022 12:20:52 GMT -5
I'm having a nightmare trying to make moulded chocolates with couverture which seems much too thick.
I'm using Callebaut 3-drop chocolate to make moulded chocs, but at 32 degrees each of the Callebaut products I've tried seems very viscous. It's frustrating - I watch videos of people pouring perfectly fluid chocolate over their moulds, taking their time to carefully empty the chambers, scrape clean etc... and I think, that never happens for me! Even if I warm the mould beforehand, the chocolate is thick when it goes onto the mould and starts to set up quickly so the best I can achieve is a very thick coating inside each chamber, sometimes I even have to try to scoop some out to make room for the ganache. Generally it's a rush, and it's a mess. Gah...
I've tried other a couple of other brands (Guittard, Menier) which I can get from the supermarket but those are even more viscous at 32 degrees!
I know Callebaut do higher fluidity chocolates but I cannot find them for sale anywhere.
Any suggestions? I'm in the UK in case you needed to know...
Thanks in advance.
: )
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Post by Ben on Jan 5, 2022 13:12:48 GMT -5
It sounds like your chocolate is over-tempered. Can you tell us the tempering process you're using?
If the chocolate is a dark chocolate, try warming the chocolate to a hotter temp. I regularly mold chocolate around 92F, so around 33.5C.
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Post by baytree on Jan 5, 2022 18:10:37 GMT -5
overtempering? maybe thats it...
my process is i work with a relatively small quantity of callets in a plastic container, microwave 45 seconds to get to 45 degrees, then stir in a few unmelted callets and keep stirring ... i add a couple more callets if it still seems warm enough to melt, then stop adding any more and just keep stirring till i reach 27 degrees. then i use a hairdryer to warm whilst i stir, being careful not to heat too aggressively, till i get to 32.
i do stir an awful lot.... is this the probelm do you think? should i simply take it easy on the stirring? what if it does get overtempered, can i rescue it?
would love to solve this, its driving me nuts trying to work with gunky chocolate!
thanks
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Post by Ben on Jan 6, 2022 9:33:41 GMT -5
Since you're tempering using the seeding method, and assuming the callets are tempered, there is no reason to go all the way down to 27C. I wouldn't go any lower than 31-32C (@88f), in fact. By going lower, you're definitely over-tempering. That low of a temperature is only needed when tempering by temperature alone--not when seeding.
I would suggest a process of melting to somewhere between 43 & 45C (around 110F), add callets and stir until the chocolate just goes below 32C, and then warm to 33C.
Tempering is just a process of creating crystals, so if the chocolate gets over-tempered, that just means that you have too many crystals and you need to melt out some of them. You can do this by warming it with the hairdryer until it's thinned out some.
A couple side notes:
Tempering machines stir constantly, so stirring isn't a problem.
It's always a good idea to test your temper by dipping a knife or slip of parchment paper into it and making sure it sets up correctly.
It's easier to temper--and maintain temper--using larger amounts of chocolate than smaller amounts.
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