Tempering Valhrona Milk in melting pot

[eglies]

Hey guys!

 

Ive been having some difficulty with Valhrona Milk 38%. It doesn't seem to temper like any other milk chocolate. 

I melt the chocolate to 45C and then using the seeding technique i drop the temp down to 30C. 

When at 30C it seems tempered but after a few minutes i start to see bad tempering results. 

 

Is there something in particular about this chocolate that i should know about?

[Kerry Beal]

Is your seed melting out just as you get down to 30°C?

 

How convinced are you that your thermometer is accurate?

Edited May 28, 2019 by Kerry Beal (log)

[curls]

Which Valrhona milk chocolate are you using? I use their Jivara milk chocolate and find it works quite well. Not as easy as a dark chocolate but quite acceptable for ganaches, shelling moulds, and eating.

[eglies]

@Kerry Bealmy problem is that it doesnt drop down to 30C it stays around 35C. And when reached at 30C it just doesnt temper properly. 

 

Im sure my thermometer is accurate because i double check with my second one i have. 

[eglies]

@curls i use ariaga milk 38%. And i can see a difference from other brands of milk chocolate. 

[Kerry Beal]

15 minutes ago, eglies said:

@Kerry Bealmy problem is that it doesnt drop down to 30C it stays around 35C. And when reached at 30C it just doesnt temper properly. 

 

Im sure my thermometer is accurate because i double check with my second one i have. 

I corrected the autocorrect above - you need to still have some unmelted seed when you reach the working temperature.

 

Why don’t you try tempering it with your EZtemper?

[Marmalade]

Have you tried getting down to 27c? I know you’re having problems bringing it down but your thermometer could be off or you just need to take it lower. 

[Darienne]

Is milk chocolate just harder to use and temper than dark chocolate?  I tend to stay away from it...don't like it anyway... because I always seem to have trouble with it while I don't with dark chocolate.

 

[pastrygirl]

3 hours ago, eglies said:

my problem is that it doesn't drop down to 30C it stays around 35C. And when reached at 30C it just doesnt temper properly. 

 

 

The drop from 35 to 30 is where the magic happens, but remember, tempering is not only about temperature, it's about crystallization.  Just because it's at 30C doesn't mean stable crystals have formed, you may need to stir/agitate it more and/or drop the temp another degree. Taking the pan of chocolate out of the melter can help it cool more quickly.

[eglies]

Thanks guys for all your help and tips!

 

I will try it out tomorrow and let you know how it goes  

 

[Hendrix]

I just always follow the diagram on their package. At work, we mainly use valrhona and I've never had any problems with it. I mainly seed it to cool it down quicker to about 27c and then heat it up again to 30c. Like this, I never had any problems with molding. Hope it helps.