Ha, that's great...I bet you did get a lot of inappropriate results on
that one! I seem to remember my mother having some cleaner for jewelry
that would vibrate. I wonder if that would work.

Thanks for the help and advice. I'll go check it out (the dental lab
equipment, not the chocolate vibrator ;-)).

SC

Yikes.....I think I should proof read my posts (if not the headers)
before I post them!!!

Sorry for the spelling (or lack of).

SC

at Wed, 19 Jan 2005 17:50:06 GMT in <1106157006.749657.313400
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, (SC) wrote :

>Hello everyone.
>
>I finally found some time to practice tempering chocolate yesterday ...
>
>Now, I do wonder about a few things...
>
>First off, I used the seeding technique. The chocolate I used was
>Guittard. ...
>all I found was the chocolate chips. I know that chips usually have
>stabilizers, etc. in them that make them different than just plain
>chocolate, but after reading the label of the bag and not seeing any
>additives, I thought I'd use these.... The problem is, I know that
>good professional chocolate is sold already in temper, but what about
>chocolate chips ...

Chocolate chips aren't the best test for tempering, because they have a
lower cocoa butter content. In fact, it's not any additives that make chips
different from couverture, it's, if you like, "subtractives" - the less
cocoa butter. As a result, chocolate chips are usually much more well-
behaved and don't require the same attention to detail in tempering. You
really do need to get a good chocolate to test tempering. However, as I've
pointed out, that shouldn't be difficult to do. Ghirardelli bittersweet
bars are available almost everywhere and are a great place to start. You
can get Guittard couverture on-line through Chocosphere. If you *really*
want to test your tempering expertise, buy the high-cocoa-butter Coucher du
Soleil variety.

FWIW, chocolate chips are always delivered to retailers in temper. It
wouldn't make much sense for a factory already set up with the production
equipment designed to temper each batch of chocolate to change that setup
for chips, and furthermore, it wouldn't make for good chip performance,
either. Some retailers are rather cavalier about storage, so it's possible
to get chips out of temper, but then again, if you have that problem with
the chips, any couverture bought through the same source will have that
problem, probably magnified. It doesn't matter, of course, because you're
going to retemper anyway. But I'd stay away from stores like that in any
case because you don't know what other hostile environments they might have
subjected the chocolate to.
>
>Also, I noticed one major frustration in the tempering process is
>keeping the chocolate that is already poured into molds, etc. in
>temper. I made the mistake of coating nuts using my fingers.

I'm not clear exactly what you did. Are you saying you sort of smeared
chocolate on the nuts with fingers? Or dipped the nuts into the tempered
chocolate using your fingers? Or something else? The first is *definitely*
a no-no. To cover nuts you want to dip them, using multiple passes to get a
smooth coat. Dipping using fingers isn't the best choice, either. Tweezers
are the best implements to use for dipping. It's a good idea to grab the
tweezers wearing latex gloves, to minimise heat transfer. In fact, it's
always a good idea when making chocolates to wear latex gloves, so that
oils, dirt, etc. from your hands don't contaminate the chocolate. You'll
find that professionals use hair nets and gloves.

>I used some new cheapish metal molds and they worked great except for
>one thing. When I unmolded everything, the shapes were pocked marked
>by air bubble holes. I also noticed these when I bit into some of my
>other chocolate. I assume I needed to be more careful while stirring
>the tempering chocolate.

No, you need to tap and jiggle the moulds, after filling them, to let the
chocolate settle. This should get rid of air pockets. Be fairly thorough
with the process - it can take a couple of seconds for the bubbles to come
out. You're not going to get total removal - even the pros usually have
some bubbles, but you'll prevent the worst of the problem.

--
Alex Rast

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

Yeah, I know I need to order some good choc from Chocosphere to use, I
figured I'd just play around this time and see what happened.

The nuts were very messy and, again, I was really just playing. The
tweezer advice is great though! I'll have to try that.

S

"SC" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello everyone.
>
> I finally found some time to practice tempering chocolate yesterday and
> I have to say it went better than I thought it would. I have always
> been scared of trying it but after hearing your comments and getting
> your help (and seeking some advice from a chocolate book I just got), I
> decided to jump it and try.
>
> Now, I do wonder about a few things...
>
> First off, I used the seeding technique. The chocolate I used was
> Guittard. I am a bit embarrassed to even mention this but after
> looking high and low for the large professional baking bar of Guittard,
> all I found was the chocolate chips. I know that chips usually have
> stabilizers, etc. in them that make them different than just plain
> chocolate, but after reading the label of the bag and not seeing any
> additives, I thought I'd use these (they were certainly very affordable
> and I didn't really care about flavor). The problem is, I know that
> good professional chocolate is sold already in temper, but what about
> chocolate chips (we're talking upscale chips like the Guittard ones I
> used)? I can't say that they looked to be in temper, and they are a
> little small to test as far as hearing the "snap" of tempered
> chocolate...how do I know? Considering that I used the seeding
> technique, the whole process relied on the chocolate used for seeds to
> already be in temper.

They undoubtedly started out in temper. It's hard to tell by looking,
because banging around in the bag gives the outside a look similar to bloom
even though it isn't.

> I think it must have been b/c after warming the chocolate to 115
> degrees and then cooling using the seeds to below 90 degrees, the
> difference was very notable. The texture became thicker and the
> chocolate had that tempered sheen I had read about. Upon cooling it,
> the chocolate set up and had a snap to it.
>
> I guess I should assume the chips were in temper since it all seemed to
> work out. I just have a way of always questioning my work!
>
> Any ideas?

Are these the temperatures you are using? They seem rather high to me. The
chocolate I use recommends something more like 107/82 for the
melting/precrystalization stages. (I actually find that going down to 79 or
80 using my machine give the best results.) Sounds like you are off to a
good start, but you need to practice using some actual couverture.

You will find that catching it at the correct degree of liquidity is
extremely important in molding. Even in the working range, the chocolate
will gradually thicken, and become too thick to mold correctly (that is, if
you are going to fill the molded shells with something).

> Also, I noticed one major frustration in the tempering process is
> keeping the chocolate that is already poured into molds, etc. in
> temper.

According to my most recent book on the subject, you want the difference in
temperature between the chocolate and the mold to be no more than 18F. After
you have filled the mold, you want to remove it to a cooler area to set. As
you might suspect, the less deep the chocolate in the mold, the easier it
is. BTW, are you doing solid chocolate molds, or shells? And how are you
filling them and "trimming" them?

> I made the mistake of coating nuts using my fingers. Well, I
> don't know why it didn't occur to me that my body temp is well about 90
> degrees. Anyway, you can guess the rest. Everything I touched has a
> lovely bloom on it now. No real bother since it's all delicious
> anyway!

Huh--that really shouldn't happen just from contact with your hands. In
fact, one of the classic methods of coating truffles is to roll the truffle
in some chocolate in your palms. I sometimes do this as a "precoat" before
dipping, and I've never found it to cause bloom.Your internal temperature
may be too high, but your hands are likely to be just right.

I wouldn't advise dipping nuts that way, though. Big mess. Use a dipping
fork (or tweezers, as someone else suggests). It occurs to me that another
reason why you may be getting this bloom is what they call "fat bloom" from
the nut making its way through the chocolate coating. I'd have to read up on
this more--I don't dip nuts--but this may be part of the reason why classic
nut recipes first coat the nut in a thin caramelized sugar coating.

> What do you guys do to avoid this? Do gloves help?

I don't use gloves, even when doing the precoat described above. I tried it,
but they drove me crazy. I wash my hands A LOT! <G> I use metal-pronged
dipping tools (the cheaper plastic ones are annoying).

> I used some new cheapish metal molds and they worked great except for
> one thing. When I unmolded everything, the shapes were pocked marked
> by air bubble holes. I also noticed these when I bit into some of my
> other chocolate. I assume I needed to be more careful while stirring
> the tempering chocolate. Is there any way to guarantee that molds come
> out without holes caused by air bubbles?
> Thanks for all your support and help in all of this!!
>
If you have a lot of air bubbles, it may be because you are indeed beating
air into the melted chocolate. Try to stir, not beat. But there are always
some bubbles. Big operations use machines that vibrate the filled molds to
get rid of them. The "by hand" method is to shake and tap the molds. It will
take a moment for the bubbles to begin to rise, though--but of course you
have to act before the chocolate starts to set, which can take only moments
also. It's a matter of judgement. You may find also that some of your molds
might always need a little extra help. I use a tilted teepee that *always*
traps some air at the tip. I've devised a method of fixing this that is
hardly orthodox, but mere tapping on the counter doesn't do it.

As far as tempering, for dark chocolate all my sources say to heat to
115 and then to cool under 90 degrees.

You might be right about the fat...hadn't thought of that. I think I
just need to do a thin coat first, either using my hands as you
suggest, or using tweezer, etc., and then do a second coat. They
certainly tasted good!

The air bubbles.....I really should have figured this one out myself.
I know that to avoid bubbles you tap pans, etc. (like in cake baking).
I think I was in a bit of a hurry when I was practicing.

I was just filling the molds for solid chocolate this time but do plan
on doing filling next time. What do you mean by "trimming"?
Thanks,

S

Hi Stefanie,

Congratulations, once you finally master the skill, its really a good feeling.
I'm not an expert at this, but I've done it quite few times. Regarding the
bubbles that you are getting. All you have to do is gently tap the molds, or
thump them on the table while the chocolate is still melted. This should cause
any air bubbles to rise to the surface. Also, try cheap plastic molds that you
can find in any chocolate store (or you can order them online). They tend to
make the finished product very shiny.

One of the difficulties of tempering chocoloate (when you do it without a
machine) is the fact that you have to work extremely quickly, because the
temperature changes so quickly. One thing you should constantly be doing is
stirring it immediately before you put it into the molds. This will help to
make sure that the chocolate has a uniform temperature throughout...

Good Luck

Thanks. I plan to keep on practicing!

S

SC > wrote:

> What do you guys do to avoid this? Do gloves help?

It helps to have cold hands by nature. Some people can't
work chocolate bare handed because their hands are just
too warm.

> I used some new cheapish metal molds and they worked great except for
> one thing. When I unmolded everything, the shapes were pocked marked
> by air bubble holes. I also noticed these when I bit into some of my
> other chocolate. I assume I needed to be more careful while stirring
> the tempering chocolate. Is there any way to guarantee that molds come
> out without holes caused by air bubbles?

Shaking the mold after putting the chocolate in is what
we do in my wife's shop. Used to do it by tapping the
mold on a counter to release the air bubbles, but I found
a dental lab vibrator that we use now. Some of the
chocolate equipment companies sell vibrators for this
purpose but they cost a lot more than the ones for
dental labs. By the way, searching for "chocolate
vibrator table" on Yahoo or Google will give you lots
of inappropriate results, but "dental lab equipment"
results are much less racy. ;-)

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.