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Kitchen Notes: Tempering Chocolate
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Michelle
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:44 am    Post subject: Chocolate Truffles Reply with quote

Hey, thanks so much for the amazing site! Big smile
I have a question though: I was making the chocolate truffles and melted the chocolate with the already boiled heavy cream directly over a flame. I think it burned, but the main problem was that at the end, when I cooled the chocolate, there was some fat/oil mess that looked like it had oiled out or something when I cooled the concoction. What is it and why did it happen?
Thank you SO MUCH!
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:10 am    Post subject: Re: Chocolate Truffles Reply with quote

Michelle wrote:
I was making the chocolate truffles and melted the chocolate with the already boiled heavy cream directly over a flame. I think it burned, but the main problem was that at the end, when I cooled the chocolate, there was some fat/oil mess that looked like it had oiled out or something when I cooled the concoction. What is it and why did it happen?

If the chocolate burned and then resulted in some oily goo, then that oil is probably from the cocoa butter that is part of the chocolate. When chocolate burns, it seizes and oils that were suspended in the solid chocolate can separate. Using the technique where you pour the hot heavy cream into the chocolate and using that heat to melt the chocolate can prevent that.
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guest
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:57 am    Post subject: making chocolate drizzled covered popcorn Reply with quote

Sarris candies makes a chocolate drizzled popcorn. Sarris only ships to South in winter months. How to heat chocolate and be able to pour or drizzle over popcorn and have the chocolate get firm or hard on popcorn. Guest
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Sydney
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:02 am    Post subject: White Chocolate Reply with quote

I just did some dipping with white chocolate for the first time and had horrible, horrible results. It didn't temper at all using the same procedure I normally do for semi-sweet. I finally realized after reading this site (duh!) that it tempers at a lower temperature.

My fix: After melting the chocolate using the microwave method I stirred and stirred until all the lumps were gone and it began to cool, then I placed the bowl on a cookie sheet that I had cooled in the fridge and stirred until it began to thicken up a bit at a lower temp. It worked, and hardened up really nicely when I used it. Incidentally, you don't have to work as quick with the white chocolate because it doesn't set up as fast as the dark chocolate does.
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BB's Chocolate
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:00 am    Post subject: chocolat spots! Reply with quote

Hi,
HELP---does anyone know what causes the chocolate to "spot" after drying? I made chocolate covered pretzels and within 2 days they were covered in spots! I felt they were ruined and didn't want to give them to anyone.
Thank you
BB
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If by spots, you mean a whitish haze or very tiny spots, they aren't ruined. I believe they were exposed to a humid environment during cooling and storage. In anyone's normal home environment, I never heard of chocolate going bad in two days.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:28 pm    Post subject: re: chocolat spots! Reply with quote

the spots are sugar and oil separating from the chocolate. your chocolate was too hot. it got seized. they are still edible.
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crazy_j_c



Joined: 02 Feb 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:33 am    Post subject: Using Ghirardelli 100% Cocoa Bars Reply with quote

I've purchased a bar of Ghirardelli 100% Cocoa and I am attempting to melt it down, add sugar and hopefully raspberry flavoring to it, and then reform it, but can't seem to get the sugar to melt into the chocolate. Can anyone give me a pointer? I've thought about using confectioners sugar to it instead of standard granulated sugar but I simply haven't gotten that far yet, would it help? Also I've been trying to add standard butter to the mix to give it som fat, will this break the process should I use cocoa butter instead?

Thanks in advance.

Jason
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been making chocolate truffles from a recipe using heavy cream and chocolate discs. I am very careful to heat the ceam just to a boil, remove it from the heat and then add the chocolate. Sometimes it sets perfectly and sometimes it comes out like pudding. what gives?
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hmmm, ganache /gnoche - pick your spelling . . .

is essentially just that - chocolate melted in hot cream.

it is made - intentionally - thicker / thinner depending on intended usage - but the generally accept "method" to control final consistency is the ratio of (heavy) cream to chocolate.

how carefully are you measuring, and are you using the same brand of product(s) each time?
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New to tempering
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:20 pm    Post subject: Easy way to start tempering chocolate Reply with quote

Check out "Dove Chocolate At Home". It is a home party based business that helps entry level people temper chocolate and make molded chocolates, truffles, etc.. with ease. They sell a tempering unit for $199 (everywhere else wants over $300 for this same unit) and if you host a party and have $200 in sales, you get one item half price (a tempering unit for $99). They sell molds, decorative transfer sheets and all of the tools and the best chocolate in bulk to work with. I have tried my new tempering unit and can make molded chocolates with ease! Thanks Dove Chocolate At Home
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanx dillbert. We are a little OCD... we actually use a scale to measure the chocolate. We buy the chocolate from the same shop each time. That is why it is such a mystery. Is it possible that there is that much variation in the fat content in cream when it is manufactured?
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

if you are using a commercial heavy cream - i.e. a branded type packages & widely sold - I would think it reasonably consistent from batch to batch.

since you are weighing the chocolate, that leaves me guessing blindly as well.

how big a batch are you making? the reason I ask is: if you are making a cup, small differences in measuring / fat content may be more apparent than when scaled up.

hopefully someone with more experience with "chocolate that goes bump in the night" will help out here.
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Donna
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:15 am    Post subject: cutting designs by hand with tempered chocolate?? Reply with quote

I am making a cake for my son's graduation. I want to make a design to place on top of the cake. I would like to cut out geometric shapes with dark and white chocolate. Can I temper chocolate spread thin on a cookie sheet or silpat and cut my own designs. Does anyone know how?

Thanks,
Donna
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:23 am    Post subject: Re: cutting designs by hand with tempered chocolate?? Reply with quote

Donna wrote:
Can I temper chocolate spread thin on a cookie sheet or silpat and cut my own designs. Does anyone know how?

Are you trying to cut with a cookie cutter or a pair of scissors? Once hardened, the chocolate will shatter if you try to cut into it in any fancy way (you can probably do straight lines...). What I would attempt is to brush it onto a sheet of parchment paper and wait for it to begin to harden. Before it's completely stiff, cut it into the shape you want (with either a cookie cutter or knife or maybe even shears) and then wait for it to completely harden. Then peel the parchment paper away.
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