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wrote:
> Hi Roy
>
> Valrhona recommend that their couvertures are melted over night to 58
> degrees C. 3/4 of the couverture then cooled to 28.5 degrees on
marble
> (I use granite) before being added back to the remaining 1/4. The
> couverture should then be held at 32.5 degrees C until use. Working
> temperature 31 degrees C.
>
To me its pretty odd to having such higher temoerature for melting.
I agree that two third to three quarters of the bulk chcolate are
melted and then poured on the marble /granite slab to supercool it and
allow the formation of the desired crystal form.
Your holding temoerature is notmal and within range like any other
chocolate.
Now with such a high temoerat9 for melting)ure it implies that the
nature of the cooca butter used in such chocolate formutation has lots
a higher melting point fractions of the symmetrical triglycerides and
less of the lower melting fractions.
I was wondering if these Valrhona contains a higher amount of cocoa
butter equivalent fats( CBE) compatible with cocoa butter.Or they have
some sort o f higher melting fractions cocoa butter equivalent
improvers in the chocolate formula to be for it to withstand such
higher melting temperatures. Having said that does this chocolate
exhibit a waxy feelin in the palate.

> Don't ask me why Valrhona should be different, but having used this
> method and temperatures successfully for over a year I'm not going to
> question it. Actually that is not true. I have tried various
different
> tempering methods and temperatures. The one they recommend really is
> the best.
Hmnn, I still find it odd and different from other chocolates. IMO I am
not brand conscious person,( I donot want to be under the mercy of this
chocolate manufacturers and suppliers dictating things to me )if one
chocolate have a unique prescribed meting temoeratures than the rest I
will not use that on my chocolate manufacturing systems as you have to
modify your parameters just to fit it in.
Indeed its risky to melt chccolate at higher than 50 degree C and in my
experience specially with hand tempering there is the propensity for
lump formation once that temoerature barrier ( I stated in my first
post) is surpassed.Besides you may have to agitate at higher speed if
you heat the chocolate at higher temperatures and that will introduce
air bubbles that will sometimes serves as nuclei for lumps to form.
> My problems only started recently when I started using a hairdryer to
> remove the excess chocolate from a freshly dipped centre. In a way I
am
> trying to ape the roll of hot air in an enrobing machine.

In my experience with enrobing machines, there is indeed the so called
temperature difference within the different zones in the cooling
tunnel of such equipment, but that was for the purpose of improving the
efficiency of the process.Often you cannot easily simulate that by
hand.
Unnecessary heating and cooling cycles may affect the nature of the
chocolate temper and may ins some cases promote fat bloom.So I don't
see the need of imitating machine performance if it can be done simply
without it.
> Fundamentally my desire is to have a 0.5 enrobing of couverture. What
> are your thoughts on using hot air as opposed to adding extra cocoa
> butter to the couverture?

I do not find the use of hot air recommendable for hot tempering. Once
the chocolate centers are enrobed they should be allowed to set
immediately and prevent temperature fluctuation to occur.
Regional superheating by blowing hot air may introduce some moisture
laden air into the chocolate making the pregelatinized starches in the
chocolate to sieze up and form lumps. Ambient humidity is fluctuating
and if the air is humid you will have difficulty getting your chocolate
free from lumps with such procedure.
I reitirate that I use only the hot air dryier to soften some chocolate
that had hardened on sides of the pot and stirring it back to the bulk
to make it uniform in consistency; but never for mass melting of the
already soldified chocolate.
If I need to melt small quantities of hardened tempered chocolate in
the pot I carefully use the bain marie or other suitable heater for
it.
Adding cocoa butter may help thin the chocolate but to me that is a
very expensive process. You can do that if expense is not your
problem.
For me I would rather make my own chocolate with the type of
institutional scale equipment for manufacturing chocolate I had in my
disposal and the range of cocoa bean types I had in stock.Then I had a
firm control with the chocolate properties that suits best my needs.
Or if supposing ,the purchased bulk chocolate in the holding tank, I
had, has the propensity to be thicker than what the product
specification says I add some polyglycerol polyricinoleate( PGPR about
0.1-0.3% depending on the thinness of the chocolate viscosity I need(
either for spinnnng cast products like easter egg and bunnies or
enrobed and molded chocolate pueces.

Roy