Confessions of a Chocolatier

Nearly a year has passed since my first experiments with chocolate and airbrushing. Naturally, the more hands on time I have with the airbrush, the more I learn! It’s been much too long since I’ve posted about my journey and what I have discovered. With increased interest in the art and many of you asking questions I set out to relay the best of my findings.  Today will be the first post in a series of airbrushing tips I will call Technique Tuesdays.

Temperature

We all know that with all things chocolate related,  temperature is number 1! We also know what works  today, may not work tomorrow. I’ve come to realize that this may be due to humidity, which I have found can be EXTREMELY hard to control.

When airbrushing cocoa butter, any temp. from 90 -100 “can work”. But, the higher the temp- the higher the risk! High spraying temps can cause sticking and unsuccessful transfer to the chocolate producing ugly results. And just because it comes out ok at 100 once,  doesn’t mean it will the next time.

Depending on the look you desire you may want to try spraying at varying temps. Cooler cocoa butter results in better textures where hotter creates a sort of puddling effect. The puddling can be cool on a detailed mold but also risky,  if you pool too much it may not transfer to the chocolate entirely.

90-95 produces the best results for me and the texture I am going for. The most important tip I have regarding temperature is that if you are using a can of compressed air vs. an air compressor(as I am), you will need to start with the cocoa butter temp slightly higher, such as 95.

The air from the can tends to come out very cold, quickly cooling down the cocoa butter. I help reduce this and help prevent the can from freezing by placing it in a jar of hot water. I also recently started heating up the paint nozzle with a blow dryer, before I start to prevent any clogs. This is also a useful tool for de-clogging the nozzle during use. When using a can of compressed air t is very important to be sure you are not over tightening the regulator knob. If the pressure is too high,  moisture will spew from the air trigger and may get into the molds. Moisture is the enemy!

Everyone has suggestions for different temperatures; remember there are so many factors that play part in the process. What works for one person may not work for you. Your biggest role is to be patient and have fun!