How To Prepare Chocolate Molds

A simple tutorial on How To Prepare Chocolate Molds for shiny bonbons and bars.

I am always a little hesitant when it comes to how-to posts. The underlying message is that I am a subject matter expert and I really don't see myself in that way. Instead, a perpetual student...

I am not saying that I am totally clueless (ok, I have my days) in this area.  In addition to my non-food related education, I have a Professional Chocolatier accreditation from a reputable culinary school. In addition to countless hours practicing, I've also taken intensive workshops with the likes of Melissa Coppel, Ramon Morato and Valrhona. The thing is, outside of my kitchen, I've never worked in the culinary industry and that, in itself, often makes me feel like an imposter.

This imposter, however, likes to share what she has learned along the way, be it from real-deal professionals, my personal trials and errors, or my sometimes unconventional thought process. This is the first in a series of tips for working with chocolate, that is by no means exhaustive. I hope some small part of it will be of value to you.

Let's start with a quick intro or recap of some of the more commonly known and used molds.

The Right Mold

Choosing a mold design is a very personal thing. The market is filled with a plethora of shapes and sizes from makers such as Chocolate World, Pavoni, Martellato and a number of others. The more widely used molds are FDA-approved PVC (hobby and professional grades), silicone and polycarbonate. There are also chocolate molds made of stamped or cast metal, but I've not used them.

Hobby-Grade PVC

If you are an occasional dabbler and cost is your greatest concern, then I would suggest hobby-grade PVC molds - made with thin plastic for short run applications. The first shapes I bought were a champagne bottle, christmas trees and giant egg for showpiece class project. That was the only time they were used. They are:

• inexpensive and come in an array of fun shapes
• more susceptible to warping
• can be very difficult to work with; especially for a beginner. In particular, when it's time to invert the mold to tap out the excess chocolate. I speak from painful experience...
• less likely to impart a brilliant shine to the finished product

Silicone Molds and Stencils

I love and use silicone molds for hot and cold applications like mousse, cakes etc. However, I don't find them practical for making filled chocolate - they just aren't rigid enough to work with, in my opinion. However, they are a great option for solid chocolate and chocolate decorations, like chablons (used to make thin decorative chocolate pieces).

If the above two options are all you have access to, I've found that placing a wire cooling rack over the mold (similar to when you turn out a cake after cooling) before inverting to drain the chocolate helps some. Then just pull the mold across the rack, while still inverted to scrape away the excess chocolate drips. Not perfect, but a decent work-around.

Professional-Grade PVC Molds

Professional-grade PVC molds are generally more costly than their hobby-grade cousins. Considered second to polycarbonate molds in the quality of chocolate they produce, they tend to come in larger-scale, theme-specific shapes for special occasions and holidays. Great for show pieces.

Polycarbonate Molds

These are the molds I use almost exclusively, food-grade polycarbonate. The industry standard for professional chocolatiers and pastry chefs, they are made of a hard, durable plastic in many shapes and sizes. You can also find them in 3-D magnetic molds (some designed for use with chocolate transfer paper). Polycarbonate molds are:

• somewhat pricey, but
• reusable and durable (when treated with care)
• available in a myriad of shapes (I would stick to simple shapes to begin, like a demi sphere)
• add to the shine of your finished chocolate
• simple to use and easy to clean (some designs more than others)
• easy to unmold (when your chocolate and cocoa butter are properly tempered)

So, you just bought your first polycarbonate mold. You have given it an initial wash in lukewarm water and a mild detergent and allowed it to air dry. Now let's prepare it for molding!

How to Prepare Chocolate Molds

In school, we used cheesecloth to clean our molds. I now use cotton balls or pads and a high content alcohol (94%) - a tip I picked up in a Melissa Coppel class. I like the higher content alcohol, as it evaporates quickly. You only need to dampen the cotton slightly and go over the mold a couple of times. I wear gloves during cleaning, to avoid adding fingerprints.

It's easy-peasy, but I put it in this video, for the visual learners. Next in the series, how to make your own cocoa butter colours. Feel free to leave any additional tips, thoughts or questions below.