handling ganache

[Anna W.]

How long can ganache stay at room temp with out compromising safety?

[annie]

I'd like to know the answer to that, too! The restaurant where I work leaves the ganache sit out overnight- sometimes a couple of nights. And that's the least of it!

Our new intern is serv-safe certified, and she must be having nightmares.

[W.DeBord]

Well I'm sure not a scientist but I'll guess, if that's of interest....
I'd guess about 5 days. I think it would depend upon the amount of cream you have in it. The less, the longer it should last on the shelf.

It will be interesting to see the answer to this.

[thebighat]

By the book I think it could stay between 40 and 140 for 4 hours. Chocolate is fairly inert, but c'mon, heavy cream? Even ultra pasteurized and boiled? A tub of ganache I left out for a while once, just to see what would happen, grew a luxurious pelt of mold. I get the creeps when I see stuff like that left out.

[m brown]

Back in the stoneage when I was at school and after, out with the heavy hitters, it was common to leave ganach out on the counter. The flavor was greatly improved by allowing the ganach to stay at room temp for 24 hours.
Eggs and Butter were left out as was cream cheese for cheese cake the next day.

Creaming mixes was a breeze because your ingredients were ready to go.

Now I use a Microwave to bring butter and cheese to room temp or leave the bowl on top of the oven for 1/2 hour.

I keep the ganach in the cooler and warm it when needed either over dbl boiler, micro or oven top.

I dream of Unpastruized Stilton.............

[Anneke]

We always left ganache in a 1/6 container on top of the convection oven so it would stay warm enough for ease of use at service time. At the end of the enening, it would go back in the fridge. Never had a problem. Never took its temperature though... I figure the combination of sugar and acidity from the chocolate would probably make it a tough breeding ground for the little buggers. Not to mention that there isn't much oxygen in there either and there is quite a bit of fat. I'm sure that if it's a product you make ever day or other day, and no fingers go into it (tough, I know) it should be pretty safe.

[Anna W.]

OK- lots of different answers here. I have a four tiered wedding cake to do. The very latest I can possibly enrobe the tiers is about 10:00 am. It needs to be delivered between two and four and probably won't get cut till 9:00pm. Is anyone going to get sick from this? Or is there a way to refrigerate it without losing the shine? Any suggestions. I have never done a cake of this magnitude before in ganache, always just small ones. HELP!

[Anneke]

I've never done this and I'm certainly no pastry expert Anna, but I have seen pastry chefs regaining the shine of a ganache with a warm blow dryer with a diffuser. Couldn't tell you if that would work on a large piece though...

[angrychef]

I've left ganache out for 24 hours with no problem, as long as I use it immediately. The surface is completely covered with plastic wrap. Longer than that no good. I'm wondering whether the 40-140F rule is the absolute rule here.

[W.DeBord]

I wonder if you'd/we'd get an answer to this if you e-mailed this question to some of the bigger name chefs. I'll e-mail , the bakers dozen, Norman Love, The French Pastry School and Bo Frieberg.

Anyone else game to e-mail around and see if we can get an answer?

[momoreg]

How 'bout the health department?

I usually leave it out overnight, but something tells me that the health dept. would not agree.

[Anna W.]

Wendy- you apparently have better connections than I do. You guys are it for me in the pastry world. Although, I do have some connections on the decorating side if you ever need that. I appreciate the effort!!!!!!!!!

[Spoons]

I leave mine out(covered) on the counter over night to firm, no problem. Never more than that, couldn't tell ya.

Does that still go for Lemon Curd?
Still in the 4 hour window.
Love the stuff, but do not use it in my cakes.
I don't fridge my fondant cakes. They're in a super cold room.

[W.DeBord]

I don't have any connections Anna, I just go to their web sites and e-mail them.

I got an answer from J. Torres (site) this morning. They wrote they have special equipment so theirs lasts 5 weeks. They just said yours won't last as long.


Not a solid 'answer'.

No one else answered, yet.

[panini]

The FDA guidelines are not specific enough to tell you it falls into the 4 hour window.
There are some items that fall into this catagory, cheese danish etc.
You are changing the structure , the same as when you bake cake with eggs and milk.
Anna,
Even if it falls into this window, from the responces it appears
that you won't make someone sick.
I refrigerate mine, but have left finished products with it out past the window.
I'd just thought I'd answer before WDeBords email came