Could you go into a bit more detail on the theory of tempering ? If my chocolate drops below the working temperature do I have to start tempering it over again? Could you please tell me where to purchase the chocolate? I'm having trouble molding with white chocolate. Are there any tricks? I've been making home made chocolates. I would like to know if anyone has a recipe for See's Bordoux filling? Thanks! It's my favorite! Where may I find bulk chocolate in the Atlanta area? I've been ordering online at chocolatesource.com; however, they seem to be out of stock more often than not. Do you know of a local place where I can walk in and purchase? I've been using Callebaut, but I'm open to trying something different. Thank you, Christina Is it possible to dip a soft pretzel stick that has been cooled to room temp. into chocolate and still have it be able to set up? How can I make a ganache ? I make ganache and I am interested on knowing after I have my mix ready can I put it on the molds and put it in the fridge instead of doing the balls? What are the heating and cooling temperature for tempering alpha, beta, bea prime and gamma crystal patterns of cocoa butter? What are differences between using Marble and granite for tempering the chocolate? I have heard that granite is better, but why? Thanks so much for your knowledge. Laurie Duncis lduncis@herzing.ca How do we produce chocolate that contain unstable gamma crystals, beta prime crystals, or alpha crystals? how do you restore seized chocolate? How do I keep my tempered chocolate liquid enough to pour into my molds? It often gets too thick to work with by the time I get to my third mold. I want to make a gianduja ganache which I want to whip for a plated dessert. Can I use gianduja and cream alone or will I need to add an additional chocolate/ingredients? I have read that whipping ganache shortens the shelf life, can it be rewhipped? Thanks for your time and response. Does white, milk and dark chocolate melt differently? Can you use a general digital or meat thermometer for tempering the chocolate? Thank you Mary I am interested in making chocolates and would like to know of any books DVDs that could help from tempering to putting in molds to making candy. And where can I order the book(s)? Thank you. Nancy Why chococlates slabs are getting very loose when melted? It is making liquid very difficult to handle.I am using compound chocolate.Is it the problem of tempering? Also what is the best % of hydrogenated fat in compound chocolate which will give a good texture taste with out a bloom. What i need to do to get a smooth texture . Rifgt now we are getting a rough surface when we are using compund chocolate I would like to specialize in fruit filled chocolates and have managed to develop good texture and flavour. However, I am having trouble with oozing fillings and cracking chocolate coatings when I hand dip the fillings. Can you please give me some advise on what I am doing wrong. Thank you, Katharina I find that quite often my chocolate bars are streaky - some bits of the bar are really shiny whilst other bits are dull. Am I not tempering correctly or is my mold not clean enough? - Thank You - Robert Can you please tell me how to make the flowing caramel for chocolate centres. Not the hard caramels. I am interested in making chocolate transfer sheets. I have read it can be done using screen printing and pad printing, even using inkjet printers. Any advice would be great. I have been trying to use the Guittard Chocolate A peals and I am having so much trouble. I have been using the milk chocolate and when I either pour it over truffles or try to use it in a mold it does not come out shinny. I have had it stick to the molds and they look dull. What am I doing wrong? Thank you, Kathy Received a temper machine and have tried the bittersweet Callibault chocolate in it and it jst won't come out shiny. There is no temperature gage on the machine, just white, milk, dark. I am so frustrated. HELP! Mary what is the ingredient in for example lindt 'truffles' that make them shelf stable? Is there something that can be added to traditional cream based ganache to extend its shelf life beyond a few weeks? thanks, good site, Brent I have to make approximately 400 truffles for an upcoming event and would like to make them ahead of time. How far in advance can I make them using your recipes and what temp / place is the best storage for them? I make cigar shapes out of white choc,but when the chocolate gets a bit old, it wont melt down, it goes soft but wont melt.Why does it do this and can it be saved.Thankyou.Lindon What is heat stable chocolate and why does it not burn at high temperatures. Should I use chocolate in biscuits center i.e it is always in liquid form and do not burn during biscuit baking How to temper cocoa butter? In tempering chocolate,how many times do I have to heat/cool the chocolate?and that depends of what? sir, plz help me out i am student of hotel management dfrom india. i have started making chocolates at home and i am going to sell them. but my chocolate is started melting at room temp. i used dark chocolate.how should i overcome this problem plz help me. mahesh joshi choc printing with bubble jet I tried to make a chocolate sauce (Lindt bittersweet, heavy cream, and corn syrup) and overheated it. Now the mixture has separated into a solid blob and an oily part. Is there anything I can do to salvage a lot of expensive chocolate? What is untempered chocolate, and what items can Imake with it? Thank you Lisa Hi, I'm not an expert in making white chocolate truffles... If I'm making 2,000 pcs. white chocolate truffles with ganache as a filling (For a wedding), When do I start making it? and where can I store it? How long will it keep? Oh! You will be a great help for answering my questions.... Many thanks! I am beginning chocolatier and I don't know which brand of chocolate to use. I have experimented with guittard and scharffenberger and have heard good things about callebaut, what is your opinion? Preferably a company that offers enrobing and filling consistencies of chocolate in milk, white and dark. Hi. Once I pour my tempered chocolate into my molds, I've been placing them in the freezer, which seems to work quite well. Does it matter how long I leave them in the freezer? Once out of the freezer does it matter if they sit out uncovered for a while, or do they need to go directly into a bag. And finally is there a curing time for this chocolate where it gets harder etc? Thank you for your help. Kerry, How do I scale down a recipe that has the percentages provided? Are there any disadvantages to doing this? Stephanie Hi, I am a blossoming chocolatier. I am trying to make round discs using a chablon sheet. My chocolate is properly tempered, but the finished product off of a transfer sheet with my logo has some shiny and some dull spots. Is this related to the cooling temperature? The effects where present when left to set in a room at 20 degrees C. Can you assist me please with the best way to resolve this? Thank you, Lynn I would like to ask how to keep white chocolate (after conching process)in liquid form while storing in a holding tank before transfering the cream for further processing? What is the minimum temperature that can keep the cream still remain in liquid form? How to determine that temperature? I am running into fat and sugar bloom when making homemade toffee. How do I correct the problem without tempering? I assume that using tempered choc on toffee will not adhere well. Is that true? I've tried keeping at room temperature (avoiding fridge) but the choc doesn't ever get hard enough to cut and package, etc. I've recently tried the fridge long enough to firm choc then cut and bag for the freezer - was hard to cut and bag before choc was too soft to package. Help, running out of ideas. Thanks so much. Hi, may I know how to determine the specific gravity of the white chocolate cream? The formula of SG=density of substance/density of water. I need to compare the density of the cream with density of water at same temperature which is in 20C or any other temperature also can? CAN WE USE OVER TEMPERED CHOC ON BISCUITS Is there any help for seized chocolate? how i handle a chocolate transfer sheet where i can storage ,because i live in a hot place ? why does the doctor dips the thermometer in a liquid before use How to temper compound chocolate? Thanks, Raji. Density of chocolate I was recently told about a product called Alpha crystals that is fairly new. It is a new and quicker way to temper chocolate however I am having trouble finding it online do you know anything about this product? Hi, I am making truffles with a chocolate and cream ganache centre that are flavoured with oils and then coating them by hand with tempered chocolate. Once odne I amt hen bagging them in food standard plastic bags and tying the bags closed with ribbons. After a few days the dark chocolate truffles start to secrete moiusture however and become ruined as the tempered chocolate coating softens. Does anyone have any ides why this might be happening, it seems to be more in respect of dark chocolate than any other. Thanks. Hello, We are making tempered chocolates in molds with ganach centers but we are beginning to have problems with mold forming inside some of the chocolates. Do you have any tips on hoe to avoid this? Thanks in advance for your help. I just bought my first polycarbonate molds and find that the chocolate shells are much too thick. The chocolate was at around 87-89 degrees and we poured it in and out as quickly as we could. Are there any tricks to getting a thinner shell? Thanks. This is my second year hand dipping fondant in chocolate. I do temper the chocolate. Melting in the oven then cooling in a electric skillet to about 85 degrees while moving it around in the \ Can you restore old chocolate? I notice some recipes call for corn syrup and others for invert sugar. Are they pretty much the same? How important is it in chocolate making? Does it make them keep longer? Is it okay to use compound chocolate for baking? I'm making chocolate mints; a recips I found that puts a layer of semi sweet melted chocolate, then white chocolate with mint extract, then milk chocolate on top. I've found two things I would like some help with. First, the chocolate gets so hard and I would like it to stay a little soft so I can cut the mints, second, the layers don't stay together very well, especially when I try and cut them. Any suggestions? How far would you have to run to burn off two chocolate biscuits? I am making homemade choco. potato chips and popcorn. I live in Florida and I would like to know how to store them and how long I can store them. I will being selling these treats and will be making quanties. Please give me all the tips I will need to keep these products fresh. Sherry we melted some chocolate chips in a bowl to coat some candy. after seating up, the chocolate was to soft. what kind of chocolate should we use next time to get a harder coating? Thank you! I have been making a truffle recipe that calls for only crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese and dipped in chocolate. My question is, what is the shelf life of a truffle like that while being refrigerated and is there a way to make these safe without refrigeration? I am worried about the cream cheese and I was hoping to have a way to give them as gifts without having to worry about keeping them constantly cold. Maybe an additive? Thank you so much for any help! what can i add to keep a 70% cacao chocolate permanently liquid at room temperature? I would like to make some chocolates suitable for diabetics but with a shelf life of one month or more. can you please help me. thankyou Sheila Thanks for the time. I use Guittard chocolate I like it very much. My question is; when I temper and cover an item, and go with the process or cooling etc. they come out very nice, but the chocolate is just a little hard. Can I use corn syrup to soften it a bit. What do the pros use to get it soft but firm? Ciao I made some chocolate suckers and days later i am noticing some dull spots on the chocolate. I dont think I tempered them correctly. Can I remelt them again. We have an unopened plastic bucket of liquid marble chocolate marked 2007. Is it still good to use in a fountain? I tried to make a chocolate sauce (Lindt bittersweet, heavy cream, and corn syrup) and overheated it. Now the mixture has separated into a solid blob and an oily part. Is there anything I can do to salvage a lot of expensive chocolate? what steps in adding fehling solution to determine the sugar content of it? What will I add on chocolate bar to liquefy it and not go back to it\'s hard texture once not heated. For choco dips. Thanks how to make chocolate very hard HiKerry, I just bought a small bakery and I was thinking of buying a tempered machine, as tempering chocolate seems very hard for me... What machine do you recomend? I probably need just a table top one, as I don\'t have much room and the budget is tight:) Thanks, Maria What is the shelf life of bagged chocolate pieces? How long can a human live off chocolatey substances (including chocolate milk and chocolate coco) alone? I am a chocolate maker in California. I am trying to get a really glossy shine laquer finish on molded chocolates. I have used everything I can get my hands on and nothing come close to the effect I am trying to come up with. The best examples I can give you are the shine on motorcycle helmets and cigar humidor boxes. The closest I have come up with is powdered food coloring mixed into tempered and not melted cocoa butter made of pure V crystals. I need something closer. Any suggestions? What ways are there to lessen the environmental impact of making, using and disposing of chocolate products? Hi, I am having great difficulty tempering white chocolate. I have a fair idea how to temper milk & dark chocolate (I\'m using Callebaut) or at the very least, i know how to test to see if it\'s in temper, but I never seem to be able to get the white chocolate right or know what to do in order to get it in temper. I have just about followed/tried every instruction, being careful not to overheat it, etc. I have been infusing my white chocolate with peanut butter as part of my recipes. Could the peanut butter be the root of all my problems? I can never get it hard & my latest batch even seems grainy. I have wasted so much time & effort on this! Any advice? my white chocolate is WAY to thick i have tried to add wax, but it just isn\'t working....any suggestions. Hello Kerry - I am a budding chocolate maker, and just found your wonderful website. I am interested in making transfers for chocolates using an ink jet printer (see question 25). Would you be able to send me the link to your demo on doing this please. Regards Genevieve Loxley Australia Hello Kerry - I live in a very hot, damp, humid part of Australia (Queensland) and would like any advice you can offer me in this environment. I have tried using couverture chocolate but am having trouble keeping it in temper and keeping the dreaded bloom away. So, I have started experimenting with compound chocolate but am having problems getting it out of large aluminium molds as it is not shrinking enough. I am attempting large sculptural pieces (I\'m an artist), not small bite size pieces. Regards Genevieve Loxley Australia how to make a chocolate topping for an ice cream pie that doesn\'t get to hard in the freezer? how can I make a dark chocolate gananche for an ice cream pie that dosn\'t get to hard in the freezer? how can i keep truffles in point? Are well in the fridge, after a time at room temperature become very soft Where can I purchase envelopes of no-melt chocolate? why does the doctor dips the thermometer in a liquid before use? Can you Print Chocolate on a Bubble Machine what is this website about? Why did my molded chocolate elephant come out dull and not shiny? Also the center was whitish looking. . Hello Kerry - I am a budding chocolate maker, and just found your wonderful website. I am interested in making transfers for chocolates.I have also tried colouring the moulds with the help of cocoa butter and food colour..afer i pour the chocolate freez it and de mould it the coating is left behind in the mould only the chocolate comes out... please help Hello Kerry... I am a budding chocolate maker and just found your wonderful website. I am interested in making colours to coat the chocolates ...I want to know how much colour shall i add to the cocoabutter... and what should be the consistency of the mixture so that it comes out clean from the mould I am tempering and molding chocolate. My test temper, either on wax paper or a glass plate always looks great but when I pour it into the molds there is always bloom, both on the surfaces and throughout. They are rather thick molds, 13mm so I am wondering if I should not re-heat the chocolate as high...? (currently 115 - 80 - 91) Thanks why a doctor dip the thermometer in liquid before use how far in advance can you dip pretzel rods in white chocolate and then colored sugar is sprikled on top? it is for a wedding 19 days away? Hi Kerry. I enjoy making chocolate however am not good with tempering chocolate. Would you mind giving me a simple way of doing it? Also, what kind of double boiler would you recommend that is environmentally friendly? Thanks, Marie Hello Kerry. I'd like to start making raw chocolate and selling it. Do you have any suggestions on where to buy the cacao beans? What equipment would I need to make the chocolate into a powder? I'm positive my dark chocolate is at the right temperature when I pour it into the molds, which I then put into the freezer to harden, for about 5 mins. I then fill them with room temp. ganache, then I put the mold in the refrigerator for an hour for the ganache to harden. I then seal them with temper chocolate. Should I be letting the first coat air dry at room temp? I want to learn how to decorate truffles with all the different colors but I am not sure where to start. I purchased some colored cocoa butters and some spray equipment but I am not getting very good results... The cocoa butter wants to separate from the chocolate...?? I have researched quite a bit but have not come up with the full process of what to do??? i have a cookout tomorrow and im making something called unbaked bars. it calls for milk choc on the top as a frosting i only have semi sweet squares how can i use it? i have no time to go to the store! can i added milk or 1/2&1/2 to the semi sweet? please help now! i only have a few hours!!! tell me the name of the machine in which I could melt the bar & tell me the solution for avoiding melting process once they got shape after moulding What kind of equipment is needed to make cacao beans into powder? What kind of eco-friendly double boiler would you recommend for tempering chocolate? I am a beginning chocalatier and have been making hand dipped truffles. Sometimes after dipping as the coating starts to harden I get small - pinsize - filling extrusions out of the side of the truffle. I hate to say it but it almost looks as if the truffle is pooping. I have been scraping it off with a knife and dabbing on some tempered chocolate over the hole but would like to know what causes this. I would like to know the reason why my moulded milk chocolate is very soft Kerry, do you ever do any classes on the west coast or are they all in Ontario? Why does chocolate get hard when put in freezer why does chocolate get hard when it is refrigerated? Could you please tell me where to purchase the chocolate? how do you get chocolate liquid outside of chocolate milk? Why are my chocolates melting quickly, and what do I do to to keep them for longer In making chocolate cream pie, I use bittersweet chocolate squares by Bakers. It does not melt all the way anymore. It seems to stay a bit in tiny pieces during the cooking process. I think the change I have made is to use whole milk instead of skim to make it thicker. Could that be the reason? I have even melted it first in the microwave and it only helped a little bit. thank you! kay How do they get the liquid centers into the chocolates I´m using Callabeaut 811 natural Vanila, I´m making molds, I´ve been running ito the same problem. I temper the chocolate and I found out that If I use it at 31° I get fatblooms and the chcolate crystaliese much slower with bad results. If I keep it at about 33 to 34° celcius it turnes out perfectly. what is the best chocolate to use in my temper machine I am having difficulty getting white chocolate and semisweet chocolate to stick to one another. I used some professional molds to make some chocolates but they won't come out of the mold. Can you help? How can I get my white chocolate to thicken, it seems to be runny and not the consistency to make truffles. Have I not enought chocolate or too much cream. I didn,t add butter, is that the problem? Hi There, I want to make chocolates using molds with really runny centers (the same consistency as flowing caramel) Can you suggest a base recipe I can use to add flavors to? I want to make flowing peppermint, strawberry, orange, pineapple, raspberry, apricot etc. Also, do you have any suggestions for what I can use to provide the flavors for these fruity varieties eg. can I use Jam in combination with a base type mixture? Kind Regards, Susan Johnson sir, iam mudassir ihave problem of making a chocolate with ganache in that my toffees is shrinking and i have kept at 19-20degree celcius what is the reason and what type of precaution can i do? I buy a big block of Guittard chcolate then break it up into small pieces to melt in a heated chocolate pot. I then dip my caramel or turtles or whatever into the melted chocolate. I then put the tray in the fridge to set up. A couple of days later the chocolate gets these spots on it. Like little bubble burst that are kind of whitesh looking. How can I prevent that? Why is the chocolate truffle not getting firm to mold into a ball? It's been set in the fridge for about 4 hours. I have a follow up question to 113 - about the 'pooping' truffle out of the chocolate. My question is about caramels. I make the caramel, let it sit for a day, cut into squares and then dip into tempered chocolate. Some 'poop' out a small bubble of caramel, some don't. I have tried covering one side with the tempered chocolate, let set, then dip, and it still happens. The caramel is at room temp (which is pretty cool right now being winter). Any suggestions? Hi, im doing a PAL Progect And I need to ask something, Do you refrigerate or freeze the chocolate to make it hard? Similar to question 113, whenever I hand dip truffles, I'm having trouble with them cracking or small expansions happening. I am very careful to ensure that the ganache is never refrigerated and is at room temperature when dipped. Is there anything else I can do? It's extremely frustrating to have this cracking and 'pooping' happen! do chocolate squares have a shelf life how to keep chocolate in room temperature without melting What are the disadvantages of leaving the chocolate in the fridge? What causes ganache to seperate and how i can restore it if seperated? Is there a way to keep strawberries from shrinking after dipping in chocolate? When I dip them and refrigerate over night, te strawberries have shrunk away from the chocolate coating. how thick will chocolate get when over heated We have made several hundred pieces of molded milk chocolate for an upcoming wedding which are now getting \ i bought a belgum chocolate from a local baker. My problem is that it doesn't get hard, shiney, and has some light streaking. What am I doing wrong? Could it be influenced by the fact I don't have my air on and that room temp is too high? I am frustrayed because the chocolate costed me $65.oo for 4 pounds and I wanted them to turn out nice for my daughters wedding. I am doing a patisserie NVQ and this is one of my questions I can't find the answer to :-( What is the effect of adding salted butter to melted chocolate? I'm thinking about trying to sell some of my home made chocolates on line. How would I go about shipping them to potential buyers without them melting? THANKS YVONNE I am using a ratio of 2 1/2 cups chopped white chocolate to 1 cup heated heavy cream, but my white ganache is not setting properly. I am using it to make key lime truffles and coconut truffles. I use this method for all of my other truffles and have no problems. What am I doing wrong. I used Callebaut, two dot white for the ganache. HELP!?!?! I'm using compound chocolate. I want to put the colour to the white chocolate. Is there any other thing I should put other than cocoa butter and colour/flavour.... pls help me.. I have never made homemade chocolate before but I came across this website and I am hoping someone can help me. I want to make dairy free chocolate with a hard chocolate coating (like an M & M). Anyone have any ideas? Thanks! i added water to white chocolate and now it won\'t ture hard, shoulod i refrigerate it. or how do i fix it? i added water to white chocolate and now it won\'t ture hard, shoulod i refrigerate it. or how do i fix it?
