Home made chocolate slabs

JordanShannon

LouBlue wrote: »

Chicken. :rotfl:

:rotfl: Knowing me i'll burn the house down:rotfl:
Don't think mum will be best pleased (considering she got me loads of stuff for Christmas from Primark today:j ) I shall have a go although it will have to be heaavily supervised by my mother and a fire extinguisher ROFL:rotfl:
..xx

jodie114

ok i give up.... how does everyone melt the choccie? i have tried directly in a saucepan - result? burnt mess, so i tried in a bowl over a pan of boiling water - result? grainy chocolate that had a decidely strange colour and smell.... same with my microwave melting attempts.. this is starting to cost loads!!!

does anyone add water, butter or anything?

any foolproof methods?

thanks

jodie x

twinklefish

Use the bowl in water technique. I put about an inch and a half of water in a small pan and bring it to the boil. Break the chocolate into a small pieces and put in a plastic bowl and sit this in the pan. Bowl should be a snug fit in the pan. Turn the heat under the pan right down or even off. The chocolate will melt slowly but it will melt. Dont stir or poke it. There is no need to add anything to it especially not water as this will definitely ruin it.

twinklefish

Jem8472 wrote: »

It does not matter how long you leave these in the fridge for they will still be melty when handeled.

The chocolate needs to be tempered. .

quote]

I'm with you on this. I've tried to temper the chocolate but it's incredibly difficult to get it to work even with a thermometer. I've given up on the chocloate 'reforming' as I wasn't happy about giving something that couldn't be removed from the fridge!

I'm now experimenting with fudge and toffee

poppyolivia

Hi there you clever people!!

Hoping you can help me out,

got my sillicone (sp??) shapes .... wanted to melt chocolate and try that, well all went well and it hardened in the shapes but when I took it out its sooooo perfect apart from little random lighter bits????? its disney, so Mickey and Donalds face isn't looking its best...

now I used cooking chocolate (the kids love it) could it be because of that or something was on the sillicone?? as the sides (about an inch and a half thick, yes I am going to calm that down!!lol) and the top of the choclate (the flat bit) are so perfect and chocolatey and everything its just the faces look ruined as all your eye is drawn to is the lighter bits!

thanks for any help or suggestions!

oh and do I need to wipe the sillicone with anything as all I did was wash and 100% dried it then put the chocolate in????

cheers xx

Jem8472

I think what you are talking about is blooming.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate#Storage

In this case it is cause by uneven cooling of the chocolate. (By the way I am no expert) But thats what I think is causing it.

I think part of the problem will be not tempering the chocolate. But the bloom does not effect the choccy so it can still be eaten. :-)

Chris25

jodie114 wrote: »

ok i give up.... how does everyone melt the choccie? i have tried directly in a saucepan - result? burnt mess, so i tried in a bowl over a pan of boiling water - result? grainy chocolate that had a decidely strange colour and smell.... same with my microwave melting attempts.. this is starting to cost loads!!!
does anyone add water, butter or anything?any foolproof methods?
jodie x

I do most of mine in the microwave but you have to be so careful not to let it burn - even when it's melted it can look as though it isn't as it holds it's shape in little squares until stirred.

I break it up into the smallest squares, then put on med heat for half a minute, stir and then keep trying every 10 seconds or so until it's ready.

Jodie, I think you've used too high a heat and/or for too long and possibly got steam into it when over boiling water.

Once you master it, you'll discover how easy it is

Chris25

poppyolivia wrote: »

got my sillicone (sp??) shapes .... wanted to melt chocolate and try that, well all went well and it hardened in the shapes but when I took it out its sooooo perfect apart from little random lighter bits????? its disney, so Mickey and Donalds face isn't looking its best...

thanks for any help or suggestions!
cheers xx

did you use more than one pack of chocolate? If so, it might be that they weren't completely mixed before pouring into mould.

poppyolivia

Chris25 wrote: »

did you use more than one pack of chocolate? If so, it might be that they weren't completely mixed before pouring into mould.

Thank you,

No I just used one pack, JEM8472 mentioned uneven cooling (thanks Jem) ... I was going out so I put the chocolate inthe fridge, and it could maybe me the bits that were touching the fridge surface that have gone weird, that would have been really cold when I put the chocolate in?????

might just do white chocolate shapes!! Might hide the marks better!!:rotfl:

thanks for your time xxx

by the way I have thanked you both but it isn't showing????

xxx

Chris25

poppyolivia, it's ok, sometimes the thanks take a little while

would it help if you piped icing on the faces?? would that disguise them a bit