First I have to say...I AM SOOO NEW TO CHOC. TOday, I tried to make 2 cute molds I bought...one lipstick and nail polish. Ya, had such a problem. I don't want to give up....But man, choc is hard...Not to mention...I was using the microwave..I have before no problem...then, it was gettin hard and wouldn't melt. What was the problem? Does choc expire?
Any suggestions please? I wish there were courses for choc I do like it...well I WANT to like it.
Thank you, Nicole
Yes, chocolate does expire. It's usually best between 1.5 years since its purchase- although mine never lasts that long.
Did you temper the chocolate?
Yes it can but it would take a long time. If you are using the microwave maybe you got it to hot. If you do then the chocolate can seize up and it won't melt no mater what you do. It's like you have burned chocolate.
You will know that chocolate has aged if you see a white chalky film on it, called "Bloom."
Proper storage also prevents bloom (as well as proper tempering of course). Once chocolate has bloomed, it's not spoiled, but you don't get a nice shiny finish.
ps. nicoles-a-tryin, if you ever get to Toronto there are so many places to learn about chocolate and tempering. One place is http://www.jsbonbons.com/classes.php
WOW! Love this site..Learn something new everytime I am on here.
Well, that explains it...Yes...I had Bloom! HEHE...It said on the box...Nov 2003...So, I guess that was it. Cause it just never got to the melting point. And I was goin pretty slow..10 sec then another 10 etc..
Then again, my newer choc...turned white after it harden..Is that normal too.
Thank you guys!! I really appreciate it!!
The newer choc...Looked fine no Bloom...Then after it came out of the fridge I noticed it had white stripes through it.
Chocolate really doesn't need to be refrigerated. It may have devolped the white streaks from the change in temperature. Even if chocolate has bloomed I still use it for brownies or a sauce. But I would save new, good quality chocolate for tempering and molding.
OH I didn't know that..I thought it had to harden in the fridge. Thank you SO MUCH!! Love learning new stuff....That is awesome!!
Oh Nicole, I misunderstood what you were saying. Yes, you do refrigerate molded chocolates to release them from the molds. I only meant that you don't have to store chocolate in the refrigerator for keeping purposes. Sorry if I confused you.
If your molded chocolates had white streaks after they had set in the refrigerator, could it have been because the chocolate got too hot when you were melting it? I am by no means a chocolate expert, I work with it but not on a regulas basis.
If you're using real chocolate, and after molding it had streaks in it, it wasn't tempered properly before molding and the fats in it came to the surface (the crystals weren't properly aligned by proper tempering) during refrigeration.
Tempering is a process that all real chocolate needs before you mold it. If you don't temper it properly, you get dull, greyish, streaky chocolate that doesn't snap when you bite into it.
This website is pretty helpful in explaining this.
http://www.sallys-place.com/food/columns/williams/choc_tempering.htm
HTH
Rae
If your chocolate bloomed after you dipped then more then likely it wasn't tempered correctly. Tempering chocolate isn't easy. The easiest way to do it is to melt the choc. in the microwave starting at 30 seconds and then every 10. Add a little bit of crisco or veg. oil to help with the smoothness when you dip the choc. so the choc. will run off more smoothly. Make sure that no water gets in the choc., a tiny little drop will make it seaze (sp?) up on you. Once out of the microwave add a chuck of chocolate or a small handful (depending on the amount you just melted) and stir that in. Once that choc. melts it is tempered and you can dip it. If you have any choc. left over that you saved and want to re-use it the chocolate has to be tempered over again.
If you have a candy thermometor I can give you the exact temp's for tempering chocolate for the tranditional method. Just pm me or ask here on this thread.
Don't feel bad either about working with chocolate since it's not easy to work with. We just learned that it is the most complex food to work with as well as the hardest in the whole world in culinary school a few weeks ago. That's straight from the chef and pastry chef's mouths--
I too have had problems with candy molding. I use the Wilton brand of confectionary coating that isn't suppose to need tempering. At times I find when I unmold my candy it has dusty looking streaks in it. I melt it according to Wilton's method of 1 minute in the microwave on 50% power then 20-30 second intervals after that until almost totally melted. I don't understand what I am doing that I get these streaks! Have any of you used the Wilton brand and had the same problem? If so, how did you solve the problem?
Sandy
I'm bumping this for you Sandy because I don't know the anwer. I've only worked with candy melts just a few times over the years.
I really only have problems with melting white chocolate. If you add a little shortening to it, it will help.
Yes, chocolate does expire. It's usually best between 1.5 years since its purchase- although mine never lasts that long.
Did you temper the chocolate?
Help me out on this one. I've seen the term "tempering" a number of times. Everything I've read on it just looks to me like "melt it". Is there a difference between tempering and melting it in the microwave to dip strawberries? (which is what I do now).
if you would like to see how you can work with chocolate you can check the classes
http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp
For anyone interested in a comprehensive online chocolate course:
www.ecolechocolat.com.
It's a little pricy, but I learned more than I ever thought I could about chocolate and candy making.
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