Molded and Filled Chocolates: Troubleshooting and Techniques

[Lisa Shock]

Hi everyone, I have not been on here in months (blame life getting in the way!). With the current uproar over BPA in plastics, I am worried to know that polycarbonate has very high amounts of BPA. All my good chocolate molds are polycarbonate!! I tried a search on eGullet but did not find any info on this.  Granted, chocolates do not spend half as much time in the mold as, say, ice cream in a freezer container, but I am concerned about all the scraping and wiping releasing bad stuff into the chocolate.

Do you think I should be concerned? I really don't find anything else as good or as efficient as the polycarbonate molds, they are workhorses. But especially for kids BPA is very bad. Any info/links appreciated.

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BPA is water soluble, so transference via chocolate is unlikely.

http://www.enn.com/health/article/37290

I personally have removed most polycarbonate items from my home, chocolate molds are problematic.

So far, the main concern is small children being exposed since they seem to be most affected by it. Fortunately, most consumers for fine chocolates are adults. Chocolate is not recommended for children under the age of 1 year.

http://geoparent.com/experts/health/babyallergies.htm

[Lior]

Thank you Lisa!

[reenicake]

Thanks everyone... so little heat and no water should prevent transfer of BPA. Not incidentally also a mantra for chocolate!

Will scratches/surface gouging make a difference do you think? The students can sometimes be pretty hard on the molds we have for classes. I think I should put together a sheet about chocolate mold care to hand to them.

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks everyone... so little heat and no water should prevent transfer of BPA. Not incidentally also a mantra for chocolate!

Will scratches/surface gouging make a difference do you think? The students can sometimes be pretty hard on the molds we have for classes. I think I should put together a sheet about chocolate mold care to hand to them.

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I've never found little pieces of polycarbonate in my chocolate, no matter how hard I abuse the molds, so I suspect that gouging is only hard on the molds.

[Lior]

I was wondering if anyone has a super duper technique to "close" their molded chocolates. I hold my mold over my melter or chocovision and from the side near me , ladle chocolate on the first row. I kind of shake my mold while adding more chocolate to the next row as this continually forces the extra chocolate into the next row of shells. So between shaking and ladling I don't have too much extra to swipe off and it keeps the sides clean. Hard to explain. Then I take a good spatula and holding it at a perpendicular angle to the mold, swipe from me to the opposite edge and then it falls into the back of the bowl or back into the melter. Today my white choc was a bit thin for some reason and the ganache was dark. Although I did not overfill with ganache,there were some spots after closing as though the ganache level was too high and did not get closed. I wonder if it could be for a different reason other than overfilling ganache. Usually my technique works well. I HATE imperfect backs of any kind (on chocolates, of course!)

I have seen it done differently but couldn't perfect it another way!

Edited October 27, 2008 by Lior (log)

[mrose]

I was wondering if anyone has a super duper technique to "close" their molded chocolates. I hold my mold over my melter or chocovision and from the side near me , ladle  chocolate on the first row. I kind of shake my mold while adding more chocolate to the next row as this continually forces the extra chocolate into the next row of shells. So between shaking and ladling I don't have too much extra to swipe off and it keeps the sides clean. Hard to explain. Then I take a good spatula and holding it at a perpendicular angle to the mold, swipe from me to the opposite edge and then it falls into the back of the bowl or back into the melter.  Today my white choc was a bit thin for some reason and the ganache was dark. Although I did not overfill with ganache,there were some spots after closing as though the ganache level was too high and did not get closed. I wonder if it could be for a different reason other than overfilling ganache. Usually my technique works well. I HATE imperfect backs of any kind (on chocolates, of course!)

I have seen it done differently but couldn't perfect it another way!

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This is what I usually do. I close the molds & let it set up. I then take a wide knife & scrape the mold so all excess is off. To cover not perfects bottoms, I then dip the knife in chocloate & put a very thin coat over then bottom & scrape all excess off. Just like a top coat of dry wall compound to smooth everything out. I know the issues you are referring to since I also use a chocovision machine.

[HQAntithesis]

It's a little more time consuming, but if you want you can use a guitar sheet or acetate to cap your chocolates. It makes for the most 'perfect' finish and also allows you to have more filling and a less thick base. You ladle chocolate on just one edge of the mould, put the plastic so that it covers the open surface of the mould and then, using a squeegee or triangle spatula, pull the chocolate across to the other side. Not sure how understandable that explanation is...

That leaves a slight dimple though so if you're really fussy you can go over it twice and then it becomes really really flat.

[Lior]

Mark- thanks! When you close the bottoms first is it similar to my method? I mean you use more chocolate than needed and then swipe it off? When I tried to give a second tin coating it improved a bit but was not perfect. I will try it on them again. So many thanks!!

HqA, thank you for the great idea. I understand that the row of chocolate at the beginning is then under the acetate and then I swipe the acetate? I bet thatmakes it shiny? I wonder if a transfer would be an idea? Maybe a waste... I do have this hang up about perfect bottoms (again, on chocolate ) To go over twice means not removing the acetate and adding more choc and then swiping again? Or re doing the whole process? Thank you so much!!!

[mrose]

Mark- thanks! When you close the bottoms first is it similar to my method? I mean you use more chocolate than needed and then swipe it off? When I tried to give a second tin coating it improved a bit but was not perfect. I will try it on them again. So many thanks!!

HqA, thank you for the great idea. I understand that the row of chocolate at the beginning is then under the acetate and then I swipe the acetate? I bet thatmakes it shiny? I wonder if a transfer would be an idea? Maybe a waste... I do have this hang up about perfect bottoms (again, on chocolate ) To go over twice means not removing the acetate and adding more choc and then swiping again? Or re doing the whole process? Thank you so much!!!

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I close the bottom like you do. Put some on top (most of what is needed) mostly in middle then use it to fill all the way down. The top coat is done by dipping spatula (wide putty knife 6") and using it at about a 45 degree angle put on a light coat. Scraping off excess in same swipe. You should also put this on in the opposite direction from when you bottomed the mold (acroos the short side). The knife I use was sold with wallpaper supplies & has a beveled edge.

[Desiderio]

I think the issue is more of not overfill the shells, but I know sometimes its hard, I tend to fill the molds more than suggested and occasionally I have the trouble you mentioned. Expecially with ganaches that set up firmer or the ones I reuse. What I do to back up the bottoms is to do half mold at the time, I use an offset spatula, the mold rigth on the melter, I hold the shorter side of the mold, I put some chocolate on the half length wise, I spread the chocolate all the way on tha side (like if the mold has 4 rows length wise I do 2 at the time) I make sure is well coated and tap the side of the mold with the spatula to release air pockets the I turn the mold and do the same. Warming up the top of the shells to be coverd also help for a smooth bottom coating.

[Lior]

I find it so interesting how we all have our techniques!! I never tought of going back with a thin layer in the opposite direction to the initial closing!! Great!

And why it never occurred to me to do half and then the other half...!! I guess it is also an option to use the long side as the first row and then swipe a shorter swipe...

I can't wait to try all these methods! I do like the acetate idea as it must give extra shine, even though it is the bottom. I see it as a fancy closure like found sometimes on a necklace.

[sote23]

It's a little more time consuming, but if you want you can use a guitar sheet or acetate to cap your chocolates. It makes for the most 'perfect' finish and also allows you to have more filling and a less thick base. You ladle chocolate on just one edge of the mould, put the plastic so that it covers the open surface of the mould and then, using a squeegee or triangle spatula, pull the chocolate across to the other side. Not sure how understandable that explanation is...  

That leaves a slight dimple though so if you're really fussy you can go over it twice and then it becomes really really flat.

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If you ever get a chance, take a few pictures next time you use this techinque. Sounds interesting, but i'm still a little confused.

Luis

Edited October 29, 2008 by sote23 (log)

[Truffle Guy]

I was wondering if anyone has a super duper technique to "close" their molded chocolates. I hold my mold over my melter or chocovision and from the side near me , ladle  chocolate on the first row. I kind of shake my mold while adding more chocolate to the next row as this continually forces the extra chocolate into the next row of shells. So between shaking and ladling I don't have too much extra to swipe off and it keeps the sides clean. Hard to explain. Then I take a good spatula and holding it at a perpendicular angle to the mold, swipe from me to the opposite edge and then it falls into the back of the bowl or back into the melter.  Today my white choc was a bit thin for some reason and the ganache was dark. Although I did not overfill with ganache,there were some spots after closing as though the ganache level was too high and did not get closed. I wonder if it could be for a different reason other than overfilling ganache. Usually my technique works well. I HATE imperfect backs of any kind (on chocolates, of course!)

I have seen it done differently but couldn't perfect it another way!

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I do something similar but use the scraper the whole time to "herd" the chocolate all over the mold and then scrape off. I then use the shaker to get our air bubbles. I hate dimples so I always go back over very quickly to get perfect bottoms. Also, I sometimes will take a hair dryer to the back of the mold if the chocolate doesn't have a smooth seal. You can do this for a short time and not impact the shiny part of the shell. I also always hit the mold with a hair dryer before the first seal so I can scrape off any possible ganache and warm up the edges of the shell so the seal is better.

[ejw50]

It's a little more time consuming, but if you want you can use a guitar sheet or acetate to cap your chocolates. It makes for the most 'perfect' finish and also allows you to have more filling and a less thick base. You ladle chocolate on just one edge of the mould, put the plastic so that it covers the open surface of the mould and then, using a squeegee or triangle spatula, pull the chocolate across to the other side. Not sure how understandable that explanation is... 

That leaves a slight dimple though so if you're really fussy you can go over it twice and then it becomes really really flat.

←

If you ever get a chance, take a few pictures next time you use this techinque. Sounds interesting, but i'm still a little confused.

Luis

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I too would love some pics. Or even some more details - the spatula is in contact with the mold, and the acetate comes after? I am not sure how the acetate come in to it.

[Lior]

okay! I tried the acetate and transfer method but on closing bars, as I wanted to make bars. But it should be exactly the same with closing molded chocolates. It is brilliant. I did half the mold with a transfer sheet-although I am almost ashamed to admit that I am not a fan of transfers and artificial colors (I know I am the odd man out-sorry) but it was fun using anyway. On the other half I used a piping bag as I don't have acetate I have to get. Both worked really nicely-perfect finish.

Method:

After I filled the cavities of the 50g bars and knocked out air bubbles I added a row of extra melted tempered choc. Becasue I did half a mold I put the extra chocolate in the center of the mold. I took the mold to my counter and placed it on baking paper. I then lay the transfer sheet on top of the half I was working on and with a good triangular spatula swiped from center to edge so the extra chocolate came off onto the baking paper and the transfer adhered nicely to the chocolate. I waited till it hardened a bit and then did the other half with the acetate(piping bag in this case!). Both came out lovely.

For picky finishing perfection freaks, this is a good method!

[stscam]

To close the bottoms of molded chocolates we ladle a 1/2 cup or so of tempered chocolate onto the mold (which I hold with my left hand). Then we place one end of the mold down on a sheet of parchment paper, holding the other end elevated a couple of inches. Using a clean, straight, metal bench scraper, we pull the scraper down the length of the mold in one steady tug. This usually ends up with nice, clean bottoms on the bon-bons. The chocolate that ends up on the paper can simply be allowed to set and reused at your convenience.

Couple of tips:

Once you've poured the chocolate onto the mold, use the scraper to tap it rapidly to clear air pockets.

We set the scraper up so that the blade tails behind the handle. Did that make sense? In other words, we pull the scraper across the cavities, not push it.

The scraper can be cleaned between each pull with another scraper, a knife, or any straight edge (we use the top of the baffle on our X3210). A lumpy edge on your scraper will give you a lumpy bottom.

If you end up with a hole or nick in a bottom, you can use some of the tempered chocolate you just scraped off to fill it. I usually just use a finger tip, but a small palette knife would work too.

Overfill a cavity? If the filling is liquidy try using a small syringe (available in drug stores) to suck up the excess. If the filling is firmish, try a larding needle to scrape out the excess. If you get filling on the top sides of the shell, try scraping the filling down to the tempered chocolate so you'll get a good seal.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Steve Smith

[ejw50]

okay! I tried the acetate and transfer method but on closing bars, as I wanted to make bars. But it should be exactly the same with closing molded chocolates. It is brilliant. I did half the mold with a transfer sheet-although I am almost ashamed to admit that I am not a fan of transfers and artificial colors (I know I am the odd man out-sorry) but it was fun using anyway. On the other half I used a piping bag as I don't have acetate I have to get. Both worked really nicely-perfect finish.

Method:

After I filled the cavities of the 50g bars and knocked out air bubbles I added a row of extra melted tempered choc.  Becasue I did half a mold I put the extra chocolate in the center of the mold. I took the mold to my counter and placed it on baking paper. I then lay the transfer sheet on top of the half I was working on and with a good triangular spatula swiped from center to edge so the extra chocolate came off onto the baking paper and the transfer adhered nicely to the chocolate. I waited till it hardened a bit and then did the other half with the acetate(piping bag in this case!). Both came out lovely.

For picky finishing perfection freaks, this is a good method!

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thanks for the extra description! ONe question, this seems messier to me than the other way. That is, your sheet (or bag) will have all sorts of chocolate on it ,and acetate is kind of floppy. It seems like it would get everywhere. Also, it seems like when you use the spatula on the acetate (which is on the chocolate?) it would leak over the sides of the mold.

[Lior]

Thanks Steve for your advice! It is amazing how one can always pick up a new tip!!!

The acetate method is actually not too messy. Liek a transfer sheet that comes off clean-from the magnetic mold. Yes, you scrape on top of the acetate which is ON top of the chocolate. If you put too much extra choc it will get on the sides otherwise it just comes off the end of the mold at the last place you swipe. Even if it does get on the sides a bit it is easy to scrape off as the mold is sitting on the counter just goe down the side. The extra bit of choc can be reused.

Next I will try Steve's method.

I just remembered last night that Schneich once gave a link to a utube video from some chocolate exhibition he was at and I think the demonstrator used this acetate closing method. Here !! I just found it!

Edited October 31, 2008 by Lior (log)

[Anna N]

. . .

I just remembered last night that Schneich once gave a link to a utube video from some chocolate exhibition he was at and I think the demonstrator used this acetate closing method. Here !! I just found it!

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Thanks for finding that video. I was having a hard time visualizing how the acetate was being used and now I get it, finally.

[pastrygirl]

What are the advantages of the acetate? Shiny bottoms? The knife doesn't drag on the chocolate so no holes? You can keep re-using the acetate, right?

[John DePaula]

Thanks Steve for your advice! It is amazing how one can always pick up a new tip!!!

The acetate method is actually not too messy. Liek a transfer sheet that comes off clean-from the magnetic mold. Yes, you scrape on top of the acetate which is ON top of the chocolate. If you put too much extra choc it will get on the sides otherwise it just comes off the end of the mold at the last place you swipe. Even if it does get on the sides a bit it is easy to scrape off as the mold is sitting on the counter just goe down the side. The extra bit of choc can be reused.

Next I will try Steve's method.

I just remembered last night that Schneich once gave a link to a utube video from some chocolate exhibition he was at and I think the demonstrator used this acetate closing method. Here !! I just found it!

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Just FYI: The acetate technique begins at time index 1:16 / 9:54.

[John DePaula]

What are the advantages of the acetate?  Shiny bottoms?  The knife doesn't drag on the chocolate so no holes?  You can keep re-using the acetate, right?

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I suppose you could reuse it but not sure it would be worth the trouble to clean it each time.

[ejw50]

Thanks Steve for your advice! It is amazing how one can always pick up a new tip!!!

The acetate method is actually not too messy. Liek a transfer sheet that comes off clean-from the magnetic mold. Yes, you scrape on top of the acetate which is ON top of the chocolate. If you put too much extra choc it will get on the sides otherwise it just comes off the end of the mold at the last place you swipe. Even if it does get on the sides a bit it is easy to scrape off as the mold is sitting on the counter just goe down the side. The extra bit of choc can be reused.

Next I will try Steve's method.

I just remembered last night that Schneich once gave a link to a utube video from some chocolate exhibition he was at and I think the demonstrator used this acetate closing method. Here !! I just found it!

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great memory! And thanks for the video.

I still have to say it looks messier this way.

In this method in the video, it looks like the chocolate gets all over the table from the mold when it is set down. Then chocolate gets on the bottom of the mold from the table. Then you "track" chocolate even more places when you put the mold down to set. And the excess off the side when you scrape. Plus the acetate when you take it off and set it down somewhere. I was also surprised to see the guy wasn't using gloves but maybe that is a difference between American and Euro production.

The other way, the chocolate only goes from the mold to the melter (mostly) with nothing on the table or even your hands.

[Lior]

Well I took some photos I hope you can tell that the bottoms are nice and shiny! The odd thing is that even when there was a bit of a mess- there really was not much, on the side of the mold and on the baking sheet, it seemed to just pop off the mold and peel so clean and shiny off the baking sheet. The chocoalte on the side of the mold came off in one long shiny piece. Iwonder why this happened??

post acetate

[sote23]

Lior,

Thanks for posting the pics. your chocolates look great. I'm going to try that technique in the next few days.

Luis