does anyone knows how to temper chocolate in humid countries eg. singapore?

Question

im having probs tempering choc esp. getting them to set. i don't hv an airconditioned kitchen, moreover in singapore, its very very humid. does anyone has a technique coz i really really wanna make choc curls, spirals & other beautiful decorations. thx.

Answer 1

I've read a few things that have been pretty vague.

1. The website below suggest using a fan during the cooling phase.

2.There are ways around the humidity issue, including adding small amounts of cocoa butter or raising the temperature slightly after the chocolate comes into temper.

3. When you buy chocolate for eating or cooking, it has already been tempered at the factory. But when chocolate is melted at home, the fat crystals are disturbed. To bring them back to proper alignment, you first have to melt all four kinds of fat crystals found in chocolate by heating cooking chocolate to a temperature between 118 and 120 F (about 2 degrees lower for milk chocolate and white chocolate).

The melted chocolate has to be cooled down to 80 by stirring and adding small amounts of finely chopped chocolate to it. This cooling aligns the crystals. Finally, the cooled chocolate has to be reheated to 91 (85-87 for milk chocolate and white chocolate) and held at that temperature for the period you work with it. If the temperature drops by more than a couple of degrees, fat crystals will get realigned, set and make the chocolate muddy and crumbly.