Uncle wrote:
> I'm tryng to make a sort of bon-bon kind of thing, and having a hell
> of a time.
> For some reason, the chocolate has a difficult time sticking to the
> ice cream ball. Is the chocolate too warm? I thought this might be the
> problem, but did another batch with it at about body temperature and
> it still happened.
> I'm using a mix of 4 parts chocolate to 1 part cocoa butter. I run
> about a 50% success rate. Here's what I do:
>
> make the chocolate mix
>
> freeze a pan.
> scoop the ice cream balls onto the frozen pan.
> put it back in the freezer to stabilize it.
> dip it in the warm chocolate... this is where the problem comes in
> put what makes it through back into the freezer.
> go for a second dip to cover the invariable holes and cracks... and
> again, sometimes it won't stick.
>
> I also notice that it's usually the first few that work, then I start
> having problems. This also <seems> to be just about the time the
> surface of the ice cream or bon bon is getting frost on it. It occurs
> to me that this frost could possibly be part of the problem. Anyone
> done this before that can point me to the problem?
It strikes me that ice cream has probably adulterated your chocolate after
the first two....Have you considered making chocolate shells, then filling
them with ice cream, then filling in the backs with chocolate? I would think
it would work better.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.


---
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at Sat, 14 Aug 2004 22:37:50 GMT in <2vwTc.227$3O3.138
@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>, Uncle wrote :

>I'm tryng to make a sort of bon-bon kind of thing, and having a hell
>of a time.
>For some reason, the chocolate has a difficult time sticking to the
>ice cream ball. Is the chocolate too warm? I thought this might be the
>problem, but did another batch with it at about body temperature and
>it still happened.
>I'm using a mix of 4 parts chocolate to 1 part cocoa butter. I run
>about a 50% success rate. Here's what I do:
>
>make the chocolate mix
>
>freeze a pan.
>scoop the ice cream balls onto the frozen pan.
>put it back in the freezer to stabilize it.
>dip it in the warm chocolate... this is where the problem comes in
>put what makes it through back into the freezer.
>go for a second dip to cover the invariable holes and cracks... and
>again, sometimes it won't stick.
>
>I also notice that it's usually the first few that work, then I start
>having problems. This also <seems> to be just about the time the
>surface of the ice cream or bon bon is getting frost on it. It occurs
>to me that this frost could possibly be part of the problem.

The problem is related to the temper of the chocolate. Since you're using
pure chocolate (not icky compound coating), it needs to be tempered, i.e.
brought to proper recrystallisation temperature. From what you're
describing, I think you're probably tempering it properly initially. But
here's where the problems start.

The basic issue is this : tempered chocolate cools out of dipping stage
very quickly. Meanwhile, you're dipping something cold into the chocolate,
which accelerates the cooling a great deal. So what's happening is that the
chocolate is cooling out of temper, and partially recrystallising. The net
result is that it doesn't uniformly and evenly cover the ice cream ball,
rather, it sort of sits on the surface without actually covering.

Meanwhile, the ice crystals (frost) aren't helping either. Chocolate is
hydrophobic and as a result will not stick to ice crystals no matter what
you do. So the ice crystals are "propping" up a series of plates of
partially recrystallised chocolate on top of the center.

So, in order to cure this, you need 2 things : a continuous-tempering
machine (e.g. Revolation) that can maintain the chocolate at temper
throughout the entire time you're dipping, and to keep each center in the
freezer until the moment you're ready to dip. Yes, this means opening the
freezer door many times, but you can't have any frost on the surface.

One other approach you can use is the "enrobing" method : lay out a sheet
of wax paper and get your centers on top of it, then pour the tempered
chocolate over all the centers in a blanket. There's more chocolate waste
here, and you have to cut the individual pieces out of the chocolate, but
it will work. Of course you need to turn all the pieces over and coat the
bottom after the top has solidified.

Dipping frozen things in chocolate isn't easy, at least not if you're
looking to produce more than a few pieces. You really have to have
everything laid out, and, as I imply, you need specialised equipment.

Hope this helps fix your problems.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Uncle wrote:
> I'm tryng to make a sort of bon-bon kind of thing, and having a hell
> of a time.
> For some reason, the chocolate has a difficult time sticking to the
> ice cream ball. Is the chocolate too warm? I thought this might be the
> problem, but did another batch with it at about body temperature and
> it still happened.
> I'm using a mix of 4 parts chocolate to 1 part cocoa butter. I run
> about a 50% success rate. Here's what I do:
>
> make the chocolate mix
>
> freeze a pan.
> scoop the ice cream balls onto the frozen pan.
> put it back in the freezer to stabilize it.
> dip it in the warm chocolate... this is where the problem comes in
> put what makes it through back into the freezer.
> go for a second dip to cover the invariable holes and cracks... and
> again, sometimes it won't stick.
>
> I also notice that it's usually the first few that work, then I start
> having problems. This also <seems> to be just about the time the
> surface of the ice cream or bon bon is getting frost on it. It occurs
> to me that this frost could possibly be part of the problem. Anyone
> done this before that can point me to the problem?
It strikes me that ice cream has probably adulterated your chocolate after
the first two....Have you considered making chocolate shells, then filling
them with ice cream, then filling in the backs with chocolate? I would think
it would work better.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.721 / Virus Database: 477 - Release Date: 7/16/04

at Sat, 14 Aug 2004 22:37:50 GMT in <2vwTc.227$3O3.138
@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>, Uncle wrote :

>I'm tryng to make a sort of bon-bon kind of thing, and having a hell
>of a time.
>For some reason, the chocolate has a difficult time sticking to the
>ice cream ball. Is the chocolate too warm? I thought this might be the
>problem, but did another batch with it at about body temperature and
>it still happened.
>I'm using a mix of 4 parts chocolate to 1 part cocoa butter. I run
>about a 50% success rate. Here's what I do:
>
>make the chocolate mix
>
>freeze a pan.
>scoop the ice cream balls onto the frozen pan.
>put it back in the freezer to stabilize it.
>dip it in the warm chocolate... this is where the problem comes in
>put what makes it through back into the freezer.
>go for a second dip to cover the invariable holes and cracks... and
>again, sometimes it won't stick.
>
>I also notice that it's usually the first few that work, then I start
>having problems. This also <seems> to be just about the time the
>surface of the ice cream or bon bon is getting frost on it. It occurs
>to me that this frost could possibly be part of the problem.

The problem is related to the temper of the chocolate. Since you're using
pure chocolate (not icky compound coating), it needs to be tempered, i.e.
brought to proper recrystallisation temperature. From what you're
describing, I think you're probably tempering it properly initially. But
here's where the problems start.

The basic issue is this : tempered chocolate cools out of dipping stage
very quickly. Meanwhile, you're dipping something cold into the chocolate,
which accelerates the cooling a great deal. So what's happening is that the
chocolate is cooling out of temper, and partially recrystallising. The net
result is that it doesn't uniformly and evenly cover the ice cream ball,
rather, it sort of sits on the surface without actually covering.

Meanwhile, the ice crystals (frost) aren't helping either. Chocolate is
hydrophobic and as a result will not stick to ice crystals no matter what
you do. So the ice crystals are "propping" up a series of plates of
partially recrystallised chocolate on top of the center.

So, in order to cure this, you need 2 things : a continuous-tempering
machine (e.g. Revolation) that can maintain the chocolate at temper
throughout the entire time you're dipping, and to keep each center in the
freezer until the moment you're ready to dip. Yes, this means opening the
freezer door many times, but you can't have any frost on the surface.

One other approach you can use is the "enrobing" method : lay out a sheet
of wax paper and get your centers on top of it, then pour the tempered
chocolate over all the centers in a blanket. There's more chocolate waste
here, and you have to cut the individual pieces out of the chocolate, but
it will work. Of course you need to turn all the pieces over and coat the
bottom after the top has solidified.

Dipping frozen things in chocolate isn't easy, at least not if you're
looking to produce more than a few pieces. You really have to have
everything laid out, and, as I imply, you need specialised equipment.

Hope this helps fix your problems.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)