Melted Chocolate

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Go Bubba Go
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Melted Chocolate

Post by Go Bubba Go »

Not sure I've ever seen or heard a good explanation for this behavior.

Why is it that once a candy bar melts, it will not return to it's solid character until the temperature is much lower than room temperature, often not until freezing?

Is there a molecular bond of some sort that is broken by melting? Or is just that there is stored heat in the chocolate that needs to dissipate before it will return to solid, and it takes a while for this to occur at room temperature?

How do they get melted chocolate to "turn solid" at the candy bar factory? Cool it? Freeze it?

Before you think I've lost it, remember this particular forum is entitled "General Off Topic"... :D
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doct1010
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Re: Melted Chocolate

Post by doct1010 »

Interesting thought. What actually melts is the cocoa butter. The chocolate itself requires higher temp. At the factory they use a tempering process and allow it to cool slowly. Yes there is a molecular structure which changes in differing heat ranges, crystals form or not depending on the temp. Useless info I never imagined I would care to recall. Summer job many many moons (35?) ago in M&M Mars factory. :lol:
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Bulldog
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Re: Melted Chocolate

Post by Bulldog »

The secret is to eat it before it melts! :wink:
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Pinewood Daddy
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Re: Melted Chocolate

Post by Pinewood Daddy »

Bulldog wrote:The secret is to eat it before it melts! :wink:
I'm all for that!!! :mrgreen:
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BigSilver
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Re: Melted Chocolate

Post by BigSilver »

The thermodynamic term your looking for is enthalpy or "heat of fusion" That is the amount of energy that must be added to melt a solid or energy removed in order to return to a solid state from liquid state. That is why the citrus growers flood their fields when their will be a hard freeze. The water gives up its energy in order to freeze therefore helping to protect the crops by limiting the time that the fruit is coldest. :idea:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_e ... _of_fusion
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