5StarChilliBar

heres another question and I suspect I know the answer. I previously made a batch of mixture and had it all tempered and stuff. I experimented with some ways to get it into a mould quickly and it failed. So I packed the mixture up into a tub and chucked it into the fridge. that was a few days ago. Now I’ve reheated the mixture until it’s molten and applied it to the mould again. It’s in there nicely but it’s not setting. I suspect this is because I didn’t temper it - I heated it without much precaution and I think from my basic understanding it’s gotten too hot and de-crystallised, which stops it forming again into a regular structure and setting.

It comes out quite cleanly from the polycarbonate, so I don't think that's necessary :) No, it went straight off. Should I be pressing it, then leaving the parchment on until it fully dries? Can melted chocolate set properly at room temp or does it need a fridge? Thanks.

Haha, nearly but not quite. It's certainly not confectionary, but that's all I'll say!! I experimented with my Father in Law's hydraulic press. We overdosed the polycarbonate chocolate cavities with the mixture, then put a hard plastic plate over the top, which was lined with baking parchment paper. We then applied about 2.5 tonnes of force gradually from the press and the mixture was forced into the mould and the excess spurted out the side. Two problems were then apparent - 1) Air pockets were trapped at the bottom with absolutely no way of escaping, so there were minor cavities in the product, and 2) The product stuck to the parchment paper on release, which ruined the appearance of the product and I lost about 5% of mixture.

Hi guys, Not quite what I expected :P Let's just say, the product isn't meant for direct consumption. I'm exploring the route where I basically flatten out a large sheet of the mixture into an even height and then use a cookie-cutter to cut the shapes and leave the chocolate to set. Not sure how time-efficient this is. I'm also looking at using a hydraulic press and over-dosing my mixture into the polycarbonate moulds, then cleaning off the excess. Again not sure how to prevent the mixture just sticking to the top sheet. I can't really add anything to the product like cocoa butter etc. So basically, I can get the product I want by dosing into the mould and then manually pushing and spreading and smoothing, but it just takes too long. Definitely need a way to get it sped up so will look at the cookie idea

I have a product that mixes dark chocolate and dry-powdered ingredients at a 60:40 ratio into 100g polycarbonate Chocolate Bar moulds. As you can imagine, when 60g of chocolate is mixed with 40g of chocolate it forms a dry, doughy consistency that does not pour into a mould and must be pressed in, then scraped and smoothed across the top. I am really struggling to find a machine capable of taking a mixture and getting it deposited into a machine - to do so manually would take 10 minutes per three bars and I do need to be producing 3 figures of units per day. Do you know of any machine or process that could help me perform this task? I am really at a loose end and could do with any help offered. Thank you and I hope to hear back from you soon, CW