Molded chocolates workflow

[gfron1]

1 hour ago, Merry Berry said:

 

I am not sure if I follow you exactly with the lip acting as a guide.  Do you mean it lets you know just how much you can fill the cavity before it hits against the final cap?  I assume that is what you mean, but I want to make sure.  If so, then I will have to try this method.

Yes, that's exactly it. Ganache does not fill at a perfectly flat level - it slightly domes from the piping bag...ever so slightly depending on the fluidity of the ganache. So that little lip is enough to warn you that you're filled. And no, if your room is proper temp, and chocolate is proper temp, then that 5 seconds is plenty for the shell to set evenly on top and bottom (once on its side).

[keychris]

additionally, if you leave the mold upside down to set up and then scrape, you'll be left with a flat surface at the edge, whereas that lip actually gives a slightly better surface area for the base to adhere to when you cap the mold.

[Kerry Beal]

 

standing on edge 

 

 

filled and backed off

 

 

[Jim D.]

19 hours ago, SweetandSnappyJen said:

On the side-- interesting!  Doesn't the shell set imbalanced, and possibly too thin on the other side? Yea, my chocolate is always in temper and sets nicely, but I end up ruining 4-5 pieces per tray when they cave in. 

I'm still puzzled as to why setting the mold on a side doesn't result in one side being thicker than the others. I think for this to work, one would have to have very, very little chocolate left in the mold.

 

After the emptying and first scraping of the mold, when much of the chocolate has been removed, I turn the mold upside down. If I am busy with something else at the time, I balance it on two small upside-down ramekins and let it drip. If I have the time (and this is usually what I do), I tap the upside-down mold on the two ramekins, encouraging additional chocolate to come out. The theory is (and I don't recall where I read this) that the chocolate will flow down the sides, strengthening all of them. If the chocolate seems particularly thin (as happens with some whites in the initial stages of using them), I stop and take a look, and if the sides appear too thin, I turn the mold right side up to stop any more draining, even in some cases rotating the mold in all directions to thicken the sides or bottom. Then I scrape the mold a second time. I know most recommend scraping when the mold is upside down, but I have had no success mastering that technique. I can't seem to get the required leverage to hold the scraper tightly against the mold and also not let the mold drop. Perhaps I need a personal trainer for wrist strengthening exercises. 😊

[gfron1]

28 minutes ago, Jim D. said:

I'm still puzzled as to why setting the mold on a side doesn't result in one side being thicker than the others. I think for this to work, one would have to have very, very little chocolate left in the mold.

 

You and I have gone in circles on the room temp discussion, and this is one benefit/consequence. When all the temps are ideal there's so little chocolate left to move around in the mold that all you get is the slightest lip...nothing more. IMO, if you have so much fluidity still happening either the room or chocolate are too warm, or you didn't rap enough on the dump out.

[akonsu]

I saw somewhere (on youtube?) that people turn the mold upside down and, after emptying it and scraping, put it on a flat surface, a baker's paper, for example, to create an edge along the perimeter, that makes the cavity kind of partially closed, which, according to the video, makes it simpler to fill the cavity as well as to close it.

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, gfron1 said:

You and I have gone in circles on the room temp discussion, and this is one benefit/consequence. When all the temps are ideal there's so little chocolate left to move around in the mold that all you get is the slightest lip...nothing more. IMO, if you have so much fluidity still happening either the room or chocolate are too warm, or you didn't rap enough on the dump out.

And I scrape in one direction and then turn it around to sit on the other side so the too much on the scraping side drifts over towards the sitting side - so no lip.

[pastrygirl]

4 hours ago, akonsu said:

I saw somewhere (on youtube?) that people turn the mold upside down and, after emptying it and scraping, put it on a flat surface, a baker's paper, for example, to create an edge along the perimeter, that makes the cavity kind of partially closed, which, according to the video, makes it simpler to fill the cavity as well as to close it.

 

I try to do that, but if I wait too long and the chocolate is too firm it can crack or cave in, as @SweetandSnappyJen experienced.  Yet another of those things that you have to time juuuuuuuust right.  I haven't tried it but maybe warming the edge of the scraper would help?  Or giving the mold a quick warm-up with the heat gun just to soften those edges.

[akonsu]

2 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

I try to do that, but if I wait too long and the chocolate is too firm it can crack or cave in

I wonder if it is feasible to obtain quality bottoms if, when closing the cavities, you pour chocolate just in to the middle of a cavity, so that it does not overflow these edges that we created by letting it set while laying upside down, and then put an acetate sheet over the mold to make the covers flat and shiny. I never tried this, I have very little experience so maybe I am totally wrong...

Edited May 3, 2019 by akonsu (log)

[keychris]

You can see here white chocolate (32%), on side. No pooling or dripping out of the mould, temper was spot on (in my not so humble opinion 😂). Room temperature was around 19-20C.

[understandingcocoa]

On 5/2/2019 at 5:32 PM, SweetandSnappyJen said:

Hi folks: my question is unrelated to the previous poster, however it does fall into the category of 'Molded Chocolates Workflow' so I figured I'd pose it here. I've been tempering/molding chocolates for ages, but for some reason, the past several months have been giving me a fairly consistent issue. I fill the cavities with tempered chocolate, tap to let the excess chocolate drips out, scrape and then lay the mold upside down, for about 5 minutes or so or when the chocolate starts to set. When I scrape again to get the excess chocolate off the top after the mold has been upside down, the side of the cavity caves in. I've tried waiting until the molds are fully set and scraping then, but i either get the whole shell coming out, or also a side cave-in. Has this happened to any of you?

 

Thanks!

 

Late to the party but hi! 

 

If I'm understanding correctly i've had the same issue.

 

If you want to keep placing face down, scrape way before it's set, just firming up enough that no more is dripping down. That way the excess you're scraping away isn't as cemented to the side that you're then pulling away with it - does that make sense?

[SweetandSnappyJen]

Just a little update, the side set method has definitely eliminated my caving in issue! Thanks all for that suggestion. I've been scraping and turning it over a couple of times to even out the sides.  I do experience a little excess on one side at times, but I think that's due to the ambient temperature being a bit too cool and setting too quickly. But all in all, much better, so thanks!

[Louise nadine brill]

On 5/3/2019 at 9:38 AM, Kerry Beal said:

 

standing on edge 

 

 

filled and backed off

 

 

OMG these are flippin’ amaaaaazing!,,,