Sealing bonbons: hot air gun v hair dryer

[choc.frogs]

Hi guys,

 

When sealing bon bons what do you use?

Do you leave the bon bons out to come back to room temperature or heat the edges? If using heat, what would you use (& recommend)? Could I get away with a small travel size hair dryer?

 

Thanks

[Kerry Beal]

I don't heat!

[choc.frogs]

I've got away without heating so far but I've sometimes had leakage issues (might be to do with overfilling or an excessively runny mixture). Though I've never had breakage as such.

TBH heating to help create a bond between the shell and base had never occurred to me until I visited this forum. having seen so may videos of it I wondered if I'd been missing a step.

[Jonathan]

I use a hairdryer and it’s been fine

[Jim D.]

I don't heat the molds.  I tried it for a while but saw no difference.  Apple caramel (particularly prone to leaking) leaks with or without heat.  The theory of heating (to form a better bond) makes complete sense, but didn't follow through for me, and there is always the danger of easily overheating the edges.

[pastrygirl]

On occasions when I want to blow heat at chocolate I use a hairdryer, since I only want to heat it up a few degrees, not 600. 

[Chocolot]

I never heat to close. If I did, it would be with a hair dryer. I am dangerous with a heat gun.

[keychris]

On 9/4/2021 at 11:32 PM, Chocolot said:

I never heat to close. If I did, it would be with a hair dryer. I am dangerous with a heat gun.

 

hah, I hear you. I have burns on my bench, my floor, other electrical cords, my self... come to think of it, maybe I shouldn't be using one

[choc.frogs]

On 9/3/2021 at 5:01 PM, Jim D. said:

I don't heat the molds.  I tried it for a while but saw no difference.  Apple caramel (particularly prone to leaking) leaks with or without heat.  The theory of heating (to form a better bond) makes complete sense, but didn't follow through for me, and there is always the danger of easily overheating the edges.

..also what I'm scared of. I'd overheat the edges and the cocoa butter design will melt/seep through as well. I've had this at times when I've loaded the mould with chocolate incorrectly (rather than the 90 angle held the mould at 45) and as it pours over in to other cavities the cocoa butter melts off the edges slightly. A mm or 2 but enough to be noticeable.

 

Tbh I'm also a bit of a fire hazard in the kitchen, all in all it's probably best to err on the side of caution 🤭

A hair dryer (if needed) it is 👍

[pastrygirl]

4 hours ago, choc.frogs said:

..also what I'm scared of. I'd overheat the edges and the cocoa butter design will melt/seep through as well. I've had this at times when I've loaded the mould with chocolate incorrectly (rather than the 90 angle held the mould at 45) and as it pours over in to other cavities the cocoa butter melts off the edges slightly. A mm or 2 but enough to be noticeable.

 

It's probably not CB melting from the edges (after all, you're capping with tempered chocolate that should not be hot enough to melt anything), but rather chocolate that has dripped or been forced into the tiny space created when the shell crystallizes and pulls away from the mold.  Annoying when you spend so much time decorating, but it happens to most of us. 

Edited September 6, 2021 by pastrygirl (log)

[Jim D.]

@choc.frogs,  I agree with pastrygirl's diagnosis.  You can test to see whether this is what's happening by carefully scraping off some of the chocolate that appears on the sides (at the bottom edge) of the bonbons.  When I have done this, the colored cocoa butter appears underneath.  No one I have ever seen has a remedy for this irritating blemish.  For me it occurs mostly with shallow molds, such as demispheres, quenelles, eggs, cocoa pods.  What mold were you using?

[choc.frogs]

On 9/6/2021 at 3:30 PM, pastrygirl said:

 

It's probably not CB melting from the edges (after all, you're capping with tempered chocolate that should not be hot enough to melt anything), but rather chocolate that has dripped or been forced into the tiny space created when the shell crystallizes and pulls away from the mold.  Annoying when you spend so much time decorating, but it happens to most of us. 

my aha moment!

I do sometimes leave my decorated moulds in the fridge between decorating and chocolate tempering lags and I have noticed that the CB in the mould pulls away.

I'd just never though that chocolate could seep in between!

On 9/6/2021 at 4:28 PM, Jim D. said:

@choc.frogs,  I agree with pastrygirl's diagnosis.  You can test to see whether this is what's happening by carefully scraping off some of the chocolate that appears on the sides (at the bottom edge) of the bonbons.  When I have done this, the colored cocoa butter appears underneath.  No one I have ever seen has a remedy for this irritating blemish.  For me it occurs mostly with shallow molds, such as demispheres, quenelles, eggs, cocoa pods.  What mold were you using?

I will certainly test that out if(when!) it happens again. I was using demispheres when this happened.

Hasn't happened to me using quenelles or a bunch of other shapes but I haven't used them in years. The only thing that's changed are my patience levels and thus holding technique but now it's occurred to me it's the added fridge step due to being in a warmer climate.

[Jonathan]

Whelp. Just capped off a few sets of bonbons without heating... I've wasted so many hours of my life.