I am frequently asked “why is my chocolate so thick?” and “how do I thin it out?” These are great questions with answers that can be a bit complicated. So, let’s dive into the topics of viscosity, and thinning out your compound or chocolate. 

Viscosity 

Viscosity tells you how thick or thin the melted chocolate or coating is; the lower the number, the thinner (more fluid) it is. The industry standard for measuring viscosity is to use a Brookfield viscometer with the melted chocolate or coating at 104⁰F. My rule of thumb: 

• Thinner viscosity is 12-27 Brookfield (BF) 

• Medium viscosity is 27-38 Brookfield (BF) 

• Thicker viscosity is 38-50 Brookfield (BF) 

Many years ago, the MacMichael viscometer was used in the confectionery industry for this measurement. When these were no longer made, the industry switched over to Brookfield viscometers but kept the ‘MacMichael’ units of measure to avoid confusing customers. So sometimes you’ll see MacMichael (MM) used to indicate viscosity. To convert from Brookfield to MacMichael, multiply the Brookfield reading by 3.4 to get the MacMichael reading. 

Which viscosity do I need? 

For molding applications, generally a thinner or medium viscosity works better. Thinner viscosity makes shaking out the air bubbles easier. If you are shell molding, you may want a medium viscosity if the thinner viscosity leaves you with too thin of a chocolate shell. 

For hand dipping, generally a medium or thicker viscosity works better. Thicker viscosity will hold a mark or decoration best. Also, the thicker your viscosity, the thicker your chocolate coating will be on your finished pieces. 

For enrobing, generally a medium viscosity is desired. However, this will depend on the type of enrober you have and the coating thickness you want on your finished pieces. Some enrobers work better with a thinner viscosity. 

Having been in the confectionery industry for 40 years, I’ve addressed many customer inquiries and complaints on this topic. I’d say 90% of the time, the issue is that the chocolate or coating is too thick. Only 10% of the time the complaint is that the chocolate or coating is too thin. Since chocolates are available in a plethora of different viscosities, you can choose the viscosity that is best for your application. Some manufacturers even make the same chocolate recipe available in various viscosities. If you are on the fence about which viscosity to choose, I recommend going with the thinner one. 

Chocolate vs. Compound 

One aspect of viscosity that chocolatiers often overlook is that the manufacturer’s measurement of viscosity is melted chocolate or coating at 104⁰F. Cocoa butter-based chocolate must be tempered before molding, enrobing, or hand dipping, and the process of tempering adds 2-4% crystallized cocoa butter and reduces the temperature to around 87-90⁰F. Tempering is estimated to roughly double the viscosity of the chocolate, compared to the untempered viscosity at 104⁰F. So, keep in mind that if you buy a 37 BF viscosity chocolate, it will act like a 74 BF viscosity chocolate after you temper it. And if you happen to over-temper the chocolate (this is a topic for another day!) then the viscosity might act significantly higher than 74 BF. 

Palm kernel oil-based compound coatings do not need to be tempered. They are typically used at a temperature range of 94-102⁰F and the viscosity in this range will be very close to the manufacturer’s measured viscosity at 104⁰F. This is why compound coatings seem to run thinner than chocolate! 

Blocks vs. Wafers 

Another aspect of chocolate or compound viscosity is that it can increase over time during storage. I call this “viscosity creep” and it is most noticeable with chocolate or compound that is molded in wafers form, especially white and milk wafers. One study with white compound wafers that were 24 BF viscosity showed that the viscosity increased during storage approximately 1 BF each month. After 8 months, the viscosity measured 32 BF. It is theorized that all the extra surface area of wafers allows moisture to migrate in, which thickens the viscosity. When chocolate or compound is molded in 10-pound blocks, the viscosity seems to be more stable over time.  

Most compound and chocolate products have at least 12 months of shelf life. It is always recommended to store them at 55-65⁰F and at less than 50% relative humidity, which should hopefully minimize the “viscosity creep” during storage. Still, if you are using white or milk wafers older than 8 months old, there is a good chance they will be thicker than the day they were manufactured. 

Thinning your Compound 

It is easy the thin out palm kernel oil-based compound coating if you find it is too thick, simply add some extra palm kernel oil. We recommend using Paramount C w/L, which is palm kernel oil with lecithin, in flakes form. It can be found here: https://linneasinc.com/product/shortening-flakes-50lb-102-degree/ 

I recommend adding in increments of ½ % by weight, so for every 6 pounds of compound coating, add ½ oz. of Paramount flakes. Once your coating is melted to 115-120⁰F, you can sprinkle in the Paramount flakes. The heat of the coating will melt the flakes, just stir them in. I estimate this will reduce the viscosity 2-4 BF points, but results will vary. Continue adding in ½ % by weight increments until you achieve your desired fluidity.  

Thinning your Chocolate 

It is equally easy to thin out cocoa butter-based chocolate if you wish, simply add some extra cocoa butter. Do not thin your chocolate with fats or oils other than cocoa butter. It can be found here: https://linneasinc.com/product-category/chocolate/cocoa-butter/ 

I recommend melting the cocoa butter first, since it comes packaged as a huge solid block. Add the melted cocoa butter in increments of ½ % by weight, so for every 6 pounds of melted chocolate, add ½ ounce of melted cocoa butter. I estimate this will reduce the viscosity 2-4 BF points, but results will vary. Continue adding in ½ % by weight increments until you achieve your desired viscosity. 

Lecithin can also be used to help thin out chocolate but is less effective. Most chocolate recipes already contain approximately ½% or more lecithin, which is already pretty close to the saturation level where lecithin is no longer effective. In fact, too much lecithin can start to thicken up your chocolate. Also, it is not a great tasting ingredient! A little goes a long way. I would not add more than ¼% by weight total, which is ¼ oz. for each 6 pounds of chocolate. After this, continue thinning with cocoa butter until you achieve your desired fluidity. 

Cocoa butter can be purchased in two ways: deodorized or natural. Either one works just fine. Deoderized cocoa butter has been stripped of its flavor using steam, so it tastes somewhat bland. Natural cocoa butter has not been through the deodorizing process, so it has its full chocolatey flavor and can add some flavor to whatever you are adding it to. Personally, I prefer natural cocoa butter, because it tends to have a longer shelf life.