Impress your customers
during the holidays and year around with 3D moulded chocolates. Brian Donaghy
of Tomric Systems shares step-by-step instructions for working with both solid
and hollow moulds, plus important considerations when it comes to tempering and
cooling.
Start with Good Temper
It seems fairly basic, but before we dive into
moulding chocolate, I feel compelled to note that proper moulding techniques
all start with chocolate in good temper. Good temper leads to appropriate
viscosity (90 or below for 3D moulding), which ultimately leads to better
finished pieces, whether that be your three-foot hollow bunny, your solid
chocolate Santa pop or the shell to that beautifully decorated artisan-style
praline. We are always looking for bubble-free chocolate, of even thickness
throughout the moulded piece with the beautiful shine and snap that will
delight our customer. How can we get there?
Solid Moulds
Many 3D moulds are designed as an open or closed
format. The open format allows the mould to be made hollow or solid, while the
closed format only allows for hollow manufacturing. Solid forming is fairly
straight forward; clip the two (or more pieces) together, fill with chocolate,
(bubble-free is easier to achieve, if you vibrate the mould while filling) and
set filled mould in a cool space with air flow—I prefer 50˚F for my
refrigeration temperature. Leave the mould there until you can see the
chocolate pulling away from the inside of the plastic. If the chocolate piece
experiences breakage during this time, I will often remove some of the clips
and turn the mould onto its base to finish the crystallization process. Once
the piece is ready to be unmoulded, I remove it from the cool space and allow
it to return to room temperature before I unmould. Waiting this little bit, helps to prevent
sugar bloom or condensation on the piece. If the mould has flash (chocolate on
the seam that slipped between the plastic sides), cut it off with a utility knife
or sharp paring knife and then use compressed air or a badger-style brush to
remove the excess chocolate.
Hollow Moulds
The process for creating hollow moulded chocolates is
similar to the solid, but after filling it while vibrating the mould, set the
mould aside at room temperature for a couple minutes. Next, pour the chocolate
from the mould back into the temperer. Repeat this process until the piece is
the appropriate weight or thickness. Create the bottom of the piece, by pouring
tempered chocolate onto a lined sheet pan, slightly bigger than the base of the
mould. Stand the mould into that pool of chocolate and place the mould and
sheet pan in a cool space. Like the solid piece, remove clips early if there is
breakage, and bring the piece back to room temperature before unmoulding. The
extra chocolate around the base of the mould can be easily removed prior to
opening the mould by placing a knife between the mould and the chocolate, it
should just break away if the chocolate is finished crystallizing.
Cooling Time
What amount of time is best to store chocolates in a
cool space before removing the mould? This will depend on a few factors; the
size of the mould, how much chocolate the mould uses and the actual temperature
of the space. Regardless of these variables, remember that no matter the size,
amount of chocolate or room temperature, you will get more consistent results
if that space has moving air, because moulding chocolate that has been properly
tempered requires heat exchange created by airflow.
Follow this expert advice to achieve bubble-free moulded
chocolates with a beautiful shine and snap.
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