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I know there are lots of posts on here about white chocolate ganache, but after a rather messy and oily experience using a cheap supermarket brand I would rather pay more if I will get better results. It’s my own fault as Paul did advise not to do this and now I know why! I have made it in the past using Lindt as Paul suggests in his tutorial, but buying in small bars this way works out expensive. I was wondering instead about buying in larger amounts and using either Belcolade or Callebaut. Ideally something that has a reasonable shelf life as well. Any advice much appreciated. Thank you.

Pleased to report that made a perfectly acceptable white chocolate ganache this weekend using Lidl white chocolate. This time I melted the white chocolate first (in bowl over pan of boiling water), then added the cream which I’d brought to the boil in microwave. Stirred together just enough to combine then set in fridge overnight. Warmed up in short bursts in microwave until soft enough to spread. Didn’t separate into oily mess this time – thank goodness – so clearly I’d done something right! I used the calculator on here for ratio of white chocolate to cream.

Hi Julie

Paul uses Belcolade and my own preference is Callebaut. Both are excellect professional chocolates. I have also used Lidle white chocolate ( the cheapest brand) and have had good results, as far as for making ganache. There is a taste difference between professional couvertures and basic compounds. However, ganache can be made with any chocolate which you prefer to eat by hand. It doesn’t have to be couverture. Tip when making ganache is to allow the hot cream to penetrate the cold chocolate before stirring gently. Vigorous mixing separates the oils from the chocolate solids causing any oily or grainy appearence. If your ganache does break in this way, it can be fixed. Take a peak here for the fix:
https://www.cakeflix.com/questions?s=oily+ganache

Chocolate can also be warmed up very slightly to give it a head start before pouring on the hot cream. Take care not to burn the chocolate, it will only need 30 seconds to get the chill off of it. Alternatively, heat the cream to boil in a saucepan. Take it off the heat, wait a few seconds to cool then tip in the chocolate. Leave it to melt before beginning to stir gently.
Most chocolate has a reasonable shelf life. If you are using small amounts it would be best to purchase smaller bags of couverture. These are available online by googling the product by name.

Hope this helps. Please post again if you need more information.

Thank you once again MIWL for such a helpful reply. I wish I had though to look on here last week to deal with the oil slick in my kitchen! I was blaming the cheap chocolate, but sounds like I could have been to blame as well! I might give the Lidl own brand a go before trying anything else. I generally try to just use ganache as a crumb coat , and not have it any thicker than needed, so if I can get away with keeping the cost down without impacting on texture and flavour then that’s a winner all round….Thanks again!

You’re welcome Julie. Don’t blame yourself too much because white chocolate can be very temperamental and needs to be handled with a little more care than dark due to it’s lack of cocoa solids. If you need ratios for ganache, the site calculators based on the ‘carry on ganaching charts’ come in useful.
https://www.cakeflix.com/cake-calculators

Good luck with your next batch x 🙂

Paul used Lindt white chocolate in his tutorial, however, it appears you are stating he does use Belcolade. I am only requesting clarification because of taste. Does he only like the taste of the dark and milk chocolate in the Belcolade brand and Lindt in white chocolate or does he use the wholesale Belcolade white chocolate as well? I found Belcolade white chocolate online, but if it is not highly recommended I don’t want to buy any. Can you comment, please?

Great result Julie and thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve used Lidle white chocolate for people who have a certain budget. If you’ve read through some of the white chocolate threads on the site, you’ll see that I frequently refer to using Lidle brand (29p per 100g). It works perfectly well for ganache and for piping when melted as it sets really well. Beats using candy melts!
To be honest, unless someone is used to eating or tasting more refined chocolates, most folk don’t know the difference between couverture and compound. Sometimes though compound chocolate can work out more expensive than couverture.

Hello

I use the white chocolate ganache loads and always find it really stable. I get the white chocolate from Lidl’s its only about 39p per 100g bar. I use a 3:1 ration with their double cream also. I chop the chocolate quite small and microwave for about 15 seconds and then stir the chocolate round even though its still hard and put it in for about another 15 seconds I don’t want it soft from the microwave and then when the cream is just on the boil pour it over the white chocolate leave it for about a minute and then stir.

I have to be honest I use all Lidl’s chocolate for my milk chocolate ganache, I use the Bellarom chocolate for that at a 2:1 ration but substitute one bar of the milk chocolate for their rich chocolate.

I never have to use dark chocolate ganache when I use these.

I used the Bellarom white chocolate at around £1.20 for a 200g bar if I remember. So that’s working out at £6 per kg. Tempted to try the even cheaper version now though! For milk chocolate ganache, when you say you use the Bellarom milk chocolate and substitute a bar of the milk for the rich, do you mean the Bellarom version of dark chocolate? Thanks