Ask The Alchemist 263 - why chocolate seizes

Before we get to Ask the Alchemist this week, I want to remind everyone that we are now closed for the holidays and will re-open January 2, 2019. The stores are still open but nothing will ship until we are back. It is family time. Without further ado, the last, and certainly not least, Ask the Alchemist for 2018. Enjoy. It is a big one.

Ask the Alchemist 263

Level: Alchemist

Read Time: 20 minutes

I am a baker dessert maker and I also make chocolate. I noticed in your milk chocolate video you say only dry ingredients for chocolate you are going to temper. Which got me thinking, I make ganache and if you let it set and if you don't make it with a lot of cream it can set up nicely. So my question is this. Why no wet ingredients if you know how to incorporate them like in making ganache? Is it that it sets up better with dry ingredients? Do you have the science that can explain it better. Bakers generally are more scientifically minded So I am fairly sure I could understand the explanation.

We humans seem to like categories. We like to shove, and stuff, and coerce things into little cubby holes. I mostly get why we do it – at least I think I do. For me it is so that I can understand a complex system. Unfortunately, if you are not careful, you end up thinking that those arbitrary boxes you have divided something into are reality and not just a convenient way to think about them and the result is that nuance can be lost.