"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