Chocolate Tempering: Tips and Troubleshooting

[pastrygirl]

Hi and welcome Phil!  Yes those back-to-back-to-back PNW atmospheric rivers have been super gross.

 

I agree with Jim that 'repeatedly working' the stamp may not be helping.  Cocoa butter doesn't like to be messed with too much once its in the mold.

 

I also think you may be working too cold, and chilling too often.  Unless it's summer and mid 70's in my kitchen, I only chill my bonbons after they've been filled to firm up the ganache before capping, and after capping for a few hours.  75F is not too warm for fillings, mine are routinely upper 80's.  

 

If you're airbrushing, the CB can be low 90's, as the cold air flow and agitation of being smacked against the cooler mold will temper it.  Full disclosure, I don't take the temp of or formally temper my CB, I just microwave until melted, stick it in the fridge if I went overboard, shake it up, and use it at 'warm but not hot' when touching the bottle.  I use Roxy & Rich pre-mixed colors.

 

[Phil Bard]

47 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

Hi and welcome Phil!  Yes those back-to-back-to-back PNW atmospheric rivers have been super gross.

 

I agree with Jim that 'repeatedly working' the stamp may not be helping.  Cocoa butter doesn't like to be messed with too much once its in the mold.

 

I also think you may be working too cold, and chilling too often.  Unless it's summer and mid 70's in my kitchen, I only chill my bonbons after they've been filled to firm up the ganache before capping, and after capping for a few hours.  75F is not too warm for fillings, mine are routinely upper 80's.  

 

If you're airbrushing, the CB can be low 90's, as the cold air flow and agitation of being smacked against the cooler mold will temper it.  Full disclosure, I don't take the temp of or formally temper my CB, I just microwave until melted, stick it in the fridge if I went overboard, shake it up, and use it at 'warm but not hot' when touching the bottle.  I use Roxy & Rich pre-mixed colors.

 

Hi Pastrygirl,

Thanks for the info, yes, I realized just last night that I was probably cooling too much. I saw a mention that it might be best to do the shelling soon after coloring the cavities so the chocolate and the butter both pull away from the mold together. I ran another batch this morning (with the compressor I got for Xmas, yay) and followed that procedure. I rolled a bunch of the shells and every one is perfect, below is one. I'm still very puzzled why in the past some of the shells that I've inspected before filling and capping end up sticking on de-molding, any opinion on that? Compression from the spatula while pushing the chocolate out when applying acetate?

 

Also, what are you chilling with, a standard fridge or a humidity controlled unit?

 

We are wet, but fortunately not torrentially like SoCal. I used to live down there and I'm glad I left...

 

Cheers,

Phil

[pastrygirl]

18 minutes ago, Phil Bard said:

I'm still very puzzled why in the past some of the shells that I've inspected before filling and capping end up sticking on de-molding, any opinion on that?

 

gremlins?

 

conversely, sometimes those last few that seem really stuck come out perfectly 🤷‍♀️