Nenette Chocolates | The Bloopers (Things Don't Always Go To Plan) 

Hi Margaret. Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. Do let me know how you get along - and if you have any questions along the way. Nenette

One of my favourites too 😊

That's likely to make chocolate-making a bit of a challenge! Air conditioning might be necessary for you then. I absolutely recommend switching to being a professional chocolatier as an antidote to the corporate world. I 'used to be' a chartered accountant! I find that chocolates make more people smile. Have fun with my demonstrations and let me know if you have any questions. Nenette

My hairdryer/hot air gun is really unsophisticated! It's either on really fast or on less fast!. The temperature is hot. But to answer your question, I suggest that you use lower heat settings while you work out what works for you. It's easier to add more heat than rescue something that has got too hot. Certainly the case on the moulds. You don't want to melt the decorations you've worked so hard to create - all you're doing with the moulds is gently take away any chill you can feel with your hands - bring the temperature up to your body temperature. I hope this helps. Thank you so much for watching my videos and do let me know how you get along! Nenette

Hi Lisa. It sounds as though you have great fun experimenting in the kitchen too! My understanding of the sous vide is that it is effectively a hot water bath. I steer well clear of water when it comes to chocolate (if water gets into the chocolate, the chocolate will sieze). I use a dry Bain Marie instead. Effectively, you're working with a source of heat to melt your chocolate in either case. Neither will temper or keep your chocolate in temper. You have to remove the chocolate from the heat in whatever pot it is you're using over your heat source and then temper the chocolate. You can then place the tempered chocolate back over the heat source while you work with it. But keep a close eye on what's happening to the chocolate. If your heat is too much, it will take the chocolate out of temper again. You'll get to learn what setting to put your heat source on to keep the temperature right. But don't assume your chocolate is in temper just because it's at the right temperature!! I don't add anything to my chocolate when I'm tempering it but I know other people do. So I can't help you with this, I'm afraid. Hope this helps!!

@@NenetteChocolates It definitely helps! Thank you! When I was watching a couple chefs using it for the purpose of setting the temperature to 40-45C, then programming it to reduce temperature to 34-35c then stabilize at 30.5. It sounds like a great idea. They would also pull the bag out of the water and massage it to keep it moving. I might give it a go! Who knows, it might work and turn out to be my new favorite way. Or it could turn out to fussy.

@@lisaanderson135 it sounds interesting, but the trick to tempering is movement as well as temperature- to manipulate the fat molecules in the chocolate. But let me know how you get along!

Hi Trudie. Thanks for wayching and for getting in touch. The grey streaks are a sign that you've not quite got the tempering right. Don't worry. It'll come with practice. Just remember, before you pour your chocolate into the mold, to test it by dipping a metal blade or knife into the tempered chocolate, tapping off the excess and leaving it to set for 3-5 minutes. When set, it should allow you to brush your finger over the surface without leaving finger prints behind. If the ambient temperature in the room where you're working with your chocolate is more than around 18 degrees C (which it may be at this time of year) you will also struggle to keep your chocolate in temper. So, while you thought youd tempered it correctly, the chocolate gets too warm while your back is turned! If this is the case, try working early in the morning before the day heats up. I hope this helps. Nenette

@@NenetteChocolates thank you so much, I was struggling so much yesterday and thought I did everything right, can putting the chocolate into a fridge cause the grey as well, as my third attempt I thought I had nailed it but within minutes of being in the fridge it went greyish

@@cchloe19 don't despair. It sounds like you're having a tough time of it. In my experience, if the grey streaks appear when the chocolate has been in the fridge, it's still a sign that the tempering hasn't gone quite as it should. Really check you're happy with your temper test before you put the chocolate into the mold. If you're still struggling, drop me a note on my contact page www.nenettechocolates.co.uk with your contact details and we can arrange a call if you like.

@@NenetteChocolates thanks Nenette, I was just about to ask if you do any workshops/courses other than your RU-vid tutorials?

@@NenetteChocolates Thanks Nenette I have sent you a message via your website