Paraffin in your chocolate

[sampatt]

Is it really bad for you? I wanted to use it for cookie decorating, to make my chocolate shiny and set up better.
If I'm using one Ghirardelli baking bar, how much would I use? Do I just melt in into the chocolate?

 

[retired baker]

its going to downgrade the quality you paid for.
It won't make it shiny.
What is a bar of choc, I buy 10lb bars , if you mean 4 oz its barely enough volume to temper with assurance.

 

[sampatt]

Yeah I'm baking in pretty small batches, 20 or so cookies at a time (Gingerbread). Once I brush on my chocolate I can get it to set up in the fridge, I'm just looking for a way to keep it from melting all over your fingers when you eat them.

 

[retired baker]

Yeah I'm baking in pretty small batches, 20 or so cookies at a time (Gingerbread). Once I brush on my chocolate I can get it to set up in the fridge, I'm just looking for a way to keep it from melting all over your fingers when you eat them.

yeh ok, the easy way is blend good choc with choc candy coat fake choc that contains coconut fat or wax,
the better way is just do a quick microwave temper, be aware the smaller the batch the more care you have to take not to scorch it, don't let it run more than 15 seconds at a time, as it begins to get clumpy reduce the run times to 5 seconds, stir between each run.

This video demonstrates with a larger bowl of choc so he lets it run longer, for a very small batch you can't do this.

 

[sampatt]

Yeah I've been reading and watching a lot of videos about tempering chocolate. I've never worked with chocolate before, I always thought you melted it and that was it. So I'm learning. Thank you for the replies and the video. Hopefully next time, my chocolate Gingerbread will turn out the way I want it to.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Is it really bad for you? I wanted to use it for cookie decorating, to make my chocolate shiny and set up better.
If I'm using one Ghirardelli baking bar, how much would I use? Do I just melt in into the chocolate?

1 use real chocolate and temperate properly to set it up.temperate properly to set it up

2 use cocoa butter to make chocolate shiny. You just apply a small amount of cocoa butter to mold before adding chocolate.

 

[Mona]

Paraffin is often used to make chocolate shinier and help it set better, especially for decorating, and it's generally safe in small amounts. For one Ghirardelli baking bar (4 ounces), you’d typically add about 1-2 teaspoons of paraffin. Just melt the paraffin along with the chocolate, stirring constantly to ensure everything is well combined and smooth. Make sure you’re using food-grade paraffin, and always check the manufacturer’s recommendations for best results.