PROBLEMS AND CORRECTIONS
When Working With Chocolate

The Chocolate Is Too Heavy & Thick:

If chocolate seizes (thickens because of contact with moisture) you may be able to “save” it by stirring in vegetable shortening or vegetable oil one teaspoon at a time. If this doesn’t work it can be used for cooking or candy fillings.

The Chocolate Has Cooled Too Much:

Add some warm chocolate or gently warm the bowl until the chocolate reaches correct working temperature. This will not work for a chocolate that has turned to a pudding texture.
Tempered Chocolate Won’t Set-Up: This usually happens when you don’t use enough seed chocolate during the tempering process. Without enough seed chocolate, there are not enough seed crystals to allow the cocoa butter to crystallize.

Tempered Chocolate Won’t Release from The Mold:

There are a few reasons for this:

1. The chocolate won’t release when you don’t use enough seed chocolate during the tempering process. Without enough seed chocolate, there are not enough seed crystals to allow the cocoa butter to crystallize;
2. The chocolate may have been tempered too much; let it cool down and then retemper the chocolate properly;
3. Your molds were not the right temperature when you deposited the chocolate. If the molds are too cool or too warm, the film of chocolate that actually touches the molds will have lost its temper causing it to stick to the mold;
4. As a temporary solution, try putting the mold in the freezer and allow it to harden more. Don’t let it stay in too long though, or you’ll get condensation!

Compound Chocolate Won’t Release from The Mold:

Your molds were not the right temperature when you deposited the chocolate. If the molds are too cool or too warm, the film of chocolate that actually touches the molds can make it stick to the mold. Try putting the mold in the freezer and allow it to harden more. Don’t let it stay in too long though, or you’ll get condensation!

Streaks Appear In The Finished Products:

You are working at too low or too high of a temperature. Check your temperatures with your thermometer. If it is too hot add some chocolate and stir until it cools to the correct temperature. If it is too cool stir thoroughly before and during use. Add warmer chocolate to bring the temperature back up.

The Finished Item Has “Cracks” In The Chocolate:

If items are placed in a refrigerator that is too cold, the chocolate contracts too fast and will crack.

Molded Items Are Dull When Removed From Mold:

There are several reasons this can happen:

1. The room you are working in is too humid or when you cooled the chocolate your refrigerator or freezer had too much moisture. The humidity causes condensation on the chocolate which in turn dissolves the surface sugar. When the sugar recrystallizes, the appearance is dull;
2. Your molds were greasy and not polished well;
3. Molds were in poor condition, were poor quality, or were not clean;
4. If you used centers, they were too cool. The centers must be the same temperature as the chocolate;
5. Molds with chocolate in them were left in refrigerator for too long;
6. When you cooled the chocolate in the refrigerator or freezer, it was too cold, which forms condensation – see 1.) above;
7. If you tempered the chocolate, you may have over tempered it. If it’s overtempered, the cocoa butter crystals grew to the extent that they don’t allow light to reflect from the surface of the chocolate. Retemper the chocolate and make sure to use it as soon as you can so that the cocoa butter crystals don’t grow.

White Marks Appear on Demolded Items:

The molds were not dried properly. Water can become trapped in molds with heavy patterns. Make sure that they are completely dry before filling.

Tempered Chocolate Became Thick Like Pudding:

The chocolate was left tempered too long before using. The cocoa butter has slowly solidified in the chocolate causing it to become like pudding. Repeat tempering process.

Bon Bons or Filled Centers Have Moisture Seeping Through The Chocolate:

You may have filled the molds with chocolate that was not at the right temperature or the chocolate was too thin making it prone to breaking and cracking.

Bubbles/Air pockets Appeared:

There are several reasons this can happen.

1. The chocolate was agitated too much during mixing. Slow down the agitation and allow the trapped air to be released;
2. The temperature of the chocolate may be too low. Slowly raise the temperature and then allow the chocolate to cool down slowly so that the bubbles have time to disappear;
3. After you put the chocolate in the mold, make sure to tap the molds multiple times. The vibration will allow for the trapped bubbles to release. If this doesn’t initially work, tap more, using more force in the tapping.

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