I made some candy today with a fondant center and tempered milk chocolate. Well I have a few questions about tempering chocolate and drying it. I am using a Revolation 1 to temper.

1. Is it ok to put the chocolate in the refrigerator to help the chocolate cool faster? Will that hurt the temper and final product in anyway?

2. Even though my chocolate is dry on the outside it still seems to not have that crisp break like it almost hasnt dried below the top layer. Is that possible?

3. Even after the chocolate feels dry to the touch is does not shine. It has a look as if it has just started to melt. Why is that? I thought it was suppose to be shiny after tempering.

Thanks in advance.

updated by @bryan: 04/10/15 13:11:58

It sounds like your chocolate is not tempered well. Please check your process with a thermometer with known accuracy. Take the chocolate to 115(f) let it stir there for awhile. Think of it as melting ice cubes in boiling water. Even though the water is boiling, it will take some time to melt the ice. It will take some time to melt the crystals. 5-10 mins. Take your temperature down with seed chocolate to the manufacturer's recommended temperature. It will vary based on the chocolate white, milk, dark... Let the chocolate stir at that temperature for a few minutes. - you are recreating the proper crystals and evenly distributing them.

Regarding your questions:

1. The fridge for a few minutes will be fine. - Please read about temperature shocks though.

2. The chocolate is 'dry' to start with. It is a dry liquid when melted. Think of it like molten metal. What the chocolate is doing is crystallizing as it cools down. The lack of a crisp break is an indicator of the temper of the chocolate. Also, chocolate will continue to crystallize for 24-48 hours after dipping. Is your snap getting better after a day?

3. Re shine: Again, this is an indication of incorrect temper. there are MANY different things that will affect this. - temperature of your dipping room, how quickly the chocolate cools, temper of your chocolate, temperature of your fondant, temperature of storage, humidity, .... and the list goes on.

Hang in there! Keep at it and it will come and get easier. I'd suggest searching TheChocolateLife and ChocolateAlchemy for more help on tempering. There is a wealth of information on here.

Yeah it seems like the chocolate is hardening as I give it a day or two.When I temper I am using a machine so I figured the temps should be fine. At least I thought so.

I hear you, but the machine could have a miscalibrated thermometer, or something else going on. I'd still use the machine, but check the temps to be sure they are correct.