Hello All. I know this is something I should already know (probably have forgotten it a few times over!). When tempering chocolate using my Delta machine, occasionally it becomes very thick just as the machine says it's in temper. Whenever that happens I just start the process over again because I know it will just cause me blooming problems if I continue. Is the thickness being caused by over seeding, or something else. Thanks for the help, John

updated by @john-duxbury: 04/09/15 07:57:12

Could be. Is there any chance moisture is getting into it? if not, warm it up 1-2 degrees.

Thanks Sebastian. I'm careful with moisture but I will up the temperature a few degrees. John

if it is moisture, add 0.05-0.1% fluid lecithin to help address it

I was noticing the humidity level in my work room this afternoon and it's around 65% so maybe it is a moisture problem.

I tend to get the same problem with the delta but only after being in temper for too long. Four or five hours. Raising the temp to 89-90 f takes care of it pretty well. We have very low humidity here.

When this next happens, could you double check the chocolate temperature with a different thermometer? When this happens, does it seem like the melting stage reached its final temperature more rapidly than normal?

I've seen my (very old) Rev II machine sometimes show strange temperature readings and then go to the next steps in the tempering process on the basis of what seem to me to be transient measurement errors. I've seen my system declare that tempering was finished because of a transient low reading, caused by a bad connection to the temperature sensor.

-Jon

Thanks Jon. The amount of time seemed normal and I usually do check the temperature manually - it was right at 88 (Dark Chocolate). I've used it a few times since then and the problem hasn't recurred. I now use a portable air conditioner that I locate right next to the Delta so I'm hoping that it was either a humidity or an over-seeding problem.