More chocolate issues

[onehsancare]

My son and I have been making chocolate mint bars. (Layer of bittersweet, layer of white with peppermint oil, layer of milk chocolate.) When we cut the (room temp) bars, they often shatter, or separate the layers.

I’ll be the first to admit that our tempering skills could be improved, but I’m wondering if that’s the cause of the splitting. Any ideas?

[momoreg]

When you pour each layer on, make sure that the layer underneath isn't too cold. Sometimes this can prevent the layers from sticking. Before cutting, let it come to room temp, and cut with a hot knife to prevent shattering.

[smiley]

Congratulations your tempering techniques are on par...that is the source of your woes. cutting with a hot knife will take the chocolate out of temper where it touchs giving you sugar or fat bloom. The answer may lie in the speed that you build you creation. when tempered chocolte goes from tempered to set there is a stage that can best be described as tackey (a skin forms but the chocolate isn't set.. this is when you want to add your next layer and also the temp that you want to cut the product at. the downside is that you can't spread any layers to forcefully because it is still mallable . you best bet is to have all three mixes temperred and ready to go simultaneously and use the fridge to develope the skin..

[onehsancare]

Thanks!

I'll be trying your method this weekend. (But if we thought bringing one type of chocolate at a time to temper was hard, three at a time will really be a challenge!)

[Salthouse]

I thought it would be fun to try making a chocolate sculpture once. And I tried three techniques for cutting chocolate. The hot knife technique gave a really nice edge, but I don't think i got my knife hot enough because it didn't get very far. Scribing with a fine point allows you to define a line. Then you have to relieve the stress behind it by carving out an angle. This works really well for defining complicated shapes, but the loss probably won't serve you well. The final technique that I liked was to saw through with a bread knife. The losses are slightly greater, but if you've missed that leathery stage when you can cut through the chocolate, it is at least another option although it won't do much to help your layers stick together.

[smiley]

As I review my answer I see that I didn't completely answer you question...... while the chocolate is in the tacky stage you can score the surface with a knife (you could cut right through if you have one layer but dealing with three may be harder) and when it is set it will be more likely to break along the scribed line that you do, I say more likely because there is a knck to it. keep your lines clean and at 90 degree angles..... after a few practices you can make wicked shapes