Candy mold help

[ElainaA]

For years I have made molded chocolates using either cheap, flimsy plastic molds or flexible silicone molds - with very consistent success. This year I purchased  a polycarbonate mold. Today I made to batches of chocolates - one using a combination of the new polycarbonate mold plus a cheap plastic mold and the other using a combination of a silicone mold and several cheap plastic molds. I tempered the chocolate for both batches using the same procedure. The batch in the cheap molds + silicone mold came out perfectly. For the batch in the polycarbonate mold, about 60% had severe bloom. The part of that batch in the plastic mold was perfect. (I was worried about that because it was the last mold poured.) I have never had bloom in molded chocolates before.

 

So - I assume there is a learning curve here? Is there something I need to do differently using a polycarbonate mold? I hope some of the experts out there can give me some advice.

[Kerry Beal]

Are you cooling in fridge when it is rapidly crystallizing?

 

 

[ElainaA]

No.  I have not put the mold in the fridge at all. The only time i have ever done that is just before unmolding, for 10 - 15 minutes.

Edited December 13, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[Kerry Beal]

When chocolate is rapidly crystallizing it gives off heat (the latent heat of crystallization) - and it can throw itself out of temper - some molds worse than others. I wait until I see the chocolate just starting to crystallize then I bung it in the fridge for somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes depending on the mold.

 

 

[ElainaA]

Kerry - Thanks for the advice - I'll try this next time.

 

I am wondering if the temperature of the mold might to an issue. Greweling says to heat the molds to 80 F before filling them, although he says this step is optional. My kitchen is cool - usually 667 - 68 F unless the oven and or wood stove are on. The new mold is MUCH heavier than my other molds so I am wondering if the cold plastic is throwing the chocolate out of temper. Since I had never warmed my other molds and never had problems it didn't occur to me to warm this one.

Edited December 13, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[curls]

Congratulations on the polycarbonate mold!  Were you filling it with solid chocolate or shelling & filling it? While your room is on the cooler side, I don't think that you need to pre-warm the molds.  The latent heat of crystallization can really effect solid chocolates... Should not be so much of an issue for shelled & filled chocolates at your room temperature. Follow Kerry's advice next time and let us know what happens.

[ElainaA]

Curls - I was shelling and filling. I'll try Kerry's advice. I am a strictly amateur, seasonal candy maker so my next try won't be for awhile. It was just surprising because I have never had this problem with my cheap molds - and buying this one felt like a leap for me.

Edited December 14, 2015 by ElainaA (log)