Molded and Filled Chocolates: Troubleshooting and Techniques

[pastrygirl]

Here’s a cocoa butter curiosity- this bottle of gold cb had been on its side in the melter for a while, I turned the melter off overnight, this morning there is a solid layer with all the color and clear CB that has separated out and is liquid at 72f. Separation happens, but I’ve never seen CB liquid at room temp. What’s up with that? 

ill  melt it down, shake it up, and assume its fine, but have I accidentally discovered form 7 of cocoa butter crystals?  Or form zero since it’s not crystallized? 🤪

Edited 4 hours ago by pastrygirl (log)

[pastrygirl]

@Jim D. are you of the 'heat gun before capping' school of thought, or nah?  Maybe try whichever method you're not doing? 🙃

[Jim D.]

3 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

Here’s a cocoa butter curiosity- this bottle of gold cb had been on its side in the melter for a while, I turned the melter off overnight, this morning there is a solid layer with all the color and clear CB that has separated out and is liquid at 72f. Separation happens, but I’ve never seen CB liquid at room temp. What’s up with that? 

ill  melt it down, shake it up, and assume its fine, but have I accidentally discovered form 7 of cocoa butter crystals?  Or form zero since it’s not crystallized? 🤪

 

I have had cocoa butter separate into plain CB and the color, but never with the CB liquid.

[Jim D.]

2 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

@Jim D. are you of the 'heat gun before capping' school of thought, or nah?  Maybe try whichever method you're not doing? 🙃

 

I have tried using the heat gun for all chocolates and noticed no difference.  I have tried it for just caramels to avoid leaking, and I wasn't sure it made a difference.  I tried it with half-spheres (which often show the chocolate line), and I probably overdid it because the bonbons stuck in the mold and needed more than a little pounding on the counter (they usually pop right out).  I'll give it a try with this difficult square mold.  With using silk to temper, I keep the chocolate a full degree above the norm so as to get as much heat as possible to join the bottom to the rest of the shell.