Are you a little hazy on what’s causing the buildup of a film on
the surface of your chocolate moulds? You’re not alone. Learn what causes this
common problem and get preventative tips on how to avoid it in this excerpt
from RCI’s Mechanics of Chocolate Moulding course.
We all know the temperature of chocolate and, even, your workspace is important, but did you know the temperature of your moulds could also be
affecting the quality of your chocolate?
Cold moulds can cause chocolate to stick to the surface of a mould
because the chocolate has not had time to grow the proper crystals and shrink
free of the surface. Moulds should be 75-80° F before coming into contact with
chocolate. And, bonus, the solution to this problem is easy, because moulds within this temperature range will self clean.
Repeated deposits will remove the buildup from the surface of the moulds.
Although cooking spray can work wonders for baking pans, never coat chocolate moulds with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. This may
appear to help prevent buildup; but it will create early bloom on the surface
of a moulded piece because of the incompatibility of the vegetable oil and the
cocoa butter in chocolate. Compound coatings made with lauric fats, such as
palm kernel oil, are even more susceptible to bloom than chocolate, if
incompatible fats are mixed with them.
Now that you know your chocolate moulds like to be kept at a
cozy 75-80° F, how do you check the temperature of a mould? An infrared thermometer "gun" will do the trick and can be found at any of your local home improvement
stores. Click here to view best-selling infrared thermometers on Amazon. Prices range from $16 to $130.
Happy Moulding!
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