Crystallising and storing chocolate
It’s Easter Week and we cannot definitely stay away from chocolate. Dark, Milk, Flavoured or Spiced Chocolate, an amazing ancient recipe obtained by mixing cocoa paste, cocoa butter and sugar to create the goodness’ food. Pastry, Chocolate Shops & of course Restaurants are packed these days, trying to create and offer the ultimate experience for your palate. We all know that feeling: “the craving for chocolate”, the simple remedy for a bad day that makes you feel better just after a bite. Elaborated Pralines & Desserts, Drinks, and Spreadable Creams and of course Easter Eggs and Bunnies are common items on the list of heavenly products you can make from cocoa.
But not everyone knows how complicated can be the work of a chocolatier. The main issues in chocolate making come from an incorrect management of temperature, which is a key step in order to obtain the characteristic brilliance of chocolate.
VISION features the extraordinary ability to control the temperature even with low humidity levels, which is fundamental for processing chocolate and obtain a top quality product.
CHOCOLATE CRYSTALLISATION. Simply cooling liquid chocolate will not get you a shiny and crisp product due to poor crystallization of cocoa butter. A normal refrigerator does not feature adequate temperatures and humidity control functions, which will lead to deterioration in quality. With VISION you can stabilise and store chocolate at the perfect temperature with low humidity levels, as well as running a special “pop-out” cycle with adjustable temperature, humidity and time, to get the right shine and promote flavour development.
Video: Pastry Chef Paolo Pitti explains the importance of VISION in chocolate crystallisation
STORING. Storing chocolate properly is essential to keep appearance and taste unaffected. Inappropriate temperature and humidity make it dull and uninviting, or worse they cause cocoa butter to melt, creating a whitish patina. The ideal storage temperature is between 12°C and 18°C with a maximum humidity level of 45% to 50%, which can be easily obtained with VISION blast chillers, storing counters or cabinets