Hi guys, I've been using a Kitchener wine fridge to set my chocolate over the summer months and it's worked great. Although the room can get up to 28Celsius (82Farheneit), the fridge has been keeping itself at the desired 20C (68F). However, now that it's winter (I'm in Australia), the temperatures are beginning to drop. My Kitchener wine fridge does not have a heating element to it, so it is now simply adopting the temperature of the room, which isn't getting above 15C (59F).

Can any one see that there would be a problem with the temperature of the fridge not reaching the desired 20C? Obviously there is no humidity to worry about, but once we really get into winter the room will get into the 5C (41F) and below territory.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Clayton

updated by @clayton-smith: 04/10/15 16:55:40

I often set my chocolate in a conventional fridge (I'm in Australia too). The trick is to take it out once set and not leave it in there too long. So I don't reckon a room temp of 4C would be any problem.

Hopefully you're not trying to do your tempering/moulding in a room that is 4C though - that could be interesting

Thanks for the reply, it is greatly appreciated. In response to your reply, I can definitely keep the room I'm working in between 17-19 degrees with our homes heating system - thankfully. I've done two chocolate courses and both used different methods for setting the chocolate. One was at the method I've been using which is to have a cabinet/fridge set at 20-22C, with milk taking 24 hours and dark 12 hours to set. The other school used a blast chilling method which required the chocolate to be placed in a fridge set at 3-4C and removed once set and placed at room temperature to settle. I guess my question then is, why wouldn't this method be adopted by the mainstream, as it clearly allows for more production?

Also, what's the approximate temperature of your room once you take your chocolates from the fridge? Or does it change?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

My room temp changes a lot depending on weather (not ideal). Once the chocs are out of the fridge, the room can be anywhere between 15-24C. If it gets warmer than that, I turn on the AC. If the AC can't bring the temp down below 24C, it is officially to hot to make chocolates (which happens a bit during summer).

I don't know the scientific benefits of one method over another, but I have used both methods (well, a room at 18-22C rather than a fridge) and both worked fine.

Greatly appreciated. It's all a bit new to me at this stage, but I'm gradually getting there - thanks largely to people like yourself. Thanks again.