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TINE PREFERS CHOCOLATE

Mythbuster: How I clean my moulds!

You may have heard that polycarbonate moulds may not be washed with soap - either by hand or in the dishwasher. But I do both, and my chocolate bonbons are both shiny and are released from the moulds easily :-)

Polycarbonate is an extremely durable material, and it can easily withstand washing-up liquid and being washed in the dishwasher. And yes, when I wash the moulds in the dishwasher, I use a dishwashing tablet. I know that some people wash the moulds in the dishwasher without a dishwashing tablet but in my opinion, you then lack the soap to get the moulds clean. Chocolate contains fat, and fat is dissolved best with warm water and soap.

When I have released the chocolate bonbons from a batch of moulds, I first wash off any larger chocolate residues on the moulds by hand. I use a bath sponge (that I have dedicated to washing chocolate moulds) and a little regular washing-up liquid. Afterwards, I wash the moulds in the dishwasher (by themselves and not together with plates, cutlery, etc.). I place the moulds in the top shelf (i.e. not the cutlery shelf at the very top, if you have one in your dishwasher), use an ordinary dishwashing tablet, and set the machine on an ordinary dishwashing program of 50-60°C.

When the machine is finished, I immediately dry the moulds. I do this by wiping the top and edges of the moulds with a clean dish towel and afterwards, I use my airbrush to blow the cavities completely dry (at a pressure of 4 bar).

If you do not have an airbrush, you can wipe the cavities with a clean dish towel instead. It is important that you dry the moulds immediately after the dishwasher has finished. Otherwise, you risk getting limescale stains in the cavities. Such lime stains will be visible on the finished chocolate bonbons the next time you mould bonbons in the mould.

Be aware that a hairdryer is not suitable for blowing the moulds dry. This is because warm air simply dries out the water, and limescale stains will then be left in the cavities. If you have a hairdryer that can blow cold air, it can be used.

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