To Follow Package temperature ranges or NOT?
I have successfully tempered dark chocolate (for bon bons and dipped caramels) in the past and of late have resumed with consistent failures - been using microwave to melt and then cooling, adding mycryo 1% at 93F then cooling to 88F and reheating to 92-93F - also tried seeding instead - both blooming - tests on parchment strips in frig are fine. Final products bloom - I am using the chocolate to dip caramels which I have done without difficulty in the past.
Tonight I tries using the temperature ranges on the Valrhona guanaja package (which scare me!) - Melting 131/136F, Crystallization 82/84F, and Manual Working 88/90F. The Melt seems very high, the crystallization very cool (my home is ~80F in Hawaii no AC ), and the Working too low (tends to be tight to work with) - again Bloom on 48 salted espresso caramels.
Should I disregard the packaging temp ranges and just follow the general concept - melt to 113-115, seed to cool to 88, then up to 92-93F which worked in the past?
Attached are some older pics of my success. And no, I never wrote down any notes of my prior successes! grrhhh
Feeling like I no longer have my chocolate super powers! Green Kryptonite!! Suggestions appreciated!