I have now twice experienced that when I'm tempering dark chocolate is becomes incredibly thick – almost solid- in the cooling phase
When it happens I will accidentally heat it up to much as to get it into a texture where I can work with it. (I make filled chocolates)
I use real chocolate, a water-free heating device, the right tempering method, and a good thermometer, so I have no idea why this happens
The chocolates usually turn out okay, but it's frustrating that I can't figure out, what I'm doing wrong
I hope someone out there can help me with some advice!
Thank you on beforehand!
Best Answer
Based on what you’ve written, i can think of two possible reasons why you’re getting thick tempered chocolate.
As the ratio of cocoa solids increase, the viscosity of your melted chocolate will increase. If your chocolate is high on solid content, you might need a bit more cocoa butter to decrease viscosity.
Even though, you have a water-free heating device; due to the moisture of the environment and condensation caused by cold could introduce some water into your chocolate. Adding something to bind the water might help, the go-to emulsifier to bind some water is Lecithin. 0.5% to 1% Lecithin could help with binding the water, thus reducing the viscosity in a couple of minutes.