How to use chocolate moulds
The gloss is a cast of the mould surface, not a property of the chocolate. Everything else follows from that.
If you read nothing else
Polish polycarbonate moulds with dry cotton wool and never wash them. Gloss comes from the mould; release comes from temper.
The mould makes the shine
A moulded bonbon's mirror finish is a cast of the polycarbonate surface. A scratched, dusty or greasy mould gives a matt result however perfectly the chocolate was tempered — which is why so many first attempts look dull despite a good temper.
Moulds are polished with dry cotton wool before use. They are never washed with detergent and never put in a dishwasher: one cycle micro-scratches the surface permanently and the mould never gives a mirror finish again.
Temper does the release
Properly tempered chocolate contracts as it sets, pulling away from the mould wall. That contraction is what releases the piece, and it is visible as a faint gap at each cavity edge.
A piece that will not come out was not in temper. Chill briefly to force contraction, and never prise with a knife — that breaks the piece and scratches the mould, turning a batch problem into a permanent one.
Silicone is a different tool
Silicone moulds release by flexing rather than by contraction, so they are far more forgiving of imperfect temper. They cannot produce a mirror finish, because their surface is not glossy.
For a beginner that is a good trade: silicone or paper cases teach shell work without the release problem.
Covered in this guide
- Moulding chocolateThe method itself.
- Cleaning chocolate equipmentWhy detergent ruins a mould permanently.
- Why chocolate will not releaseThe release failure in detail.
Sources
- ChocolateHQ editorial synthesis — ChocolateHQ(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)
- The Science of Chocolate — Royal Society of Chemistry(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)