Tempering chocolate to achieve that lustrous shine and crisp
snap associated with fine chocolate products is really quite simple once you
have a basic understanding of why it is necessary and what steps to take in the
process.
Chocolate contains two main components – cocoa solids and cocoa
butter, the native fat of the cocoa bean. Real chocolate ranges from milk to
dark sweet, semisweet, bittersweet and extra-bittersweet.
The type and
blend of the cocoa beans that are selected, the degree that they are roasted,
the sugar content, the cocoa butter content, and the method and degree of
refining all effect the characteristics of a chocolate. Couverture
chocolate is a very high quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter
which when combined with proper tempering gives chocolate that desired sheen,
snap and creamy, mellow mouth feel as it melts on the tongue. It comes in
various forms such as blocks, bars, coins (aka pistols or callets), and chips
(not to be confused with baking morsels or baking chips which have a lower
cocoa butter content so they will retain their shape after being baked in a
product).
Chocolate Liquor (cocoa mass) is pure unsweetened chocolate
from roasting and grinding cocoa beans. Its main two components are cocoa
solids and cocoa butter.
Dark chocolate consists of cocoa mass and cocoa butter to
which varying degrees of sugar have been added. Dark chocolate will have
a minimum of 15% cocoa mass and may go as high as 73% (or higher). Highly
influenced by bean selection, blend and roasting used to make the cocoa mass,
flavor characteristics range from simple, strong, basic chocolate flavor to
fruity, floral, spicy, earthy, hay-like, tobacco-like, and roasted notes.
Milk chocolate consists of cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar,
and milk or cream. In addition to the flavor influences listed under dark
chocolate, flavor characteristics come from the type of processing techniques
for the dairy ingredient. Milk chocolate will have on the average 10%-14%
cocoa mass, but may range beyond 35%. Flavor characteristics are
described as very light nutty, creamy, condensed milk, cooked milk, and
caramelized.
White chocolate contains no cocoa mass but does contain
sugar, cocoa butter, and milk or cream.
Chocolate flavored coatings and pastel coatings are made
with the same ingredients as chocolate except the cocoa butter is replaced with
a similar type of specially processed fat (usually hydrogenated tropical
oils). These are often known as compound coatings. These do not
require tempering as does real chocolate.
Essentially tempering chocolate involves a three step
process – melting,cooling and pre-crystallizing (don’t let this word
frighten you; more about that in a moment), and rewarming. Why does
chocolate have to be tempered?
Remember, chocolate is composed of two main components:
- cocoa solids
- cocoa butter
Cocoa butter, the native fat of the
cocoa bean and a main component of chocolate, has a very complex system of fat
crystals. Each of the crystals has a different melting point ranging from
63°- 95° F. Once melted, cocoa butter will remain in a liquid state for a
long period of time. For this reason, chocolate goes through a process
called tempering.
Without tempering some of the fats in the
chocolate migrate to the surface and cause fat bloom (those unsightly grey
streaks that you may have seen before). Once the chocolate finally sets
up its texture would be coarse and crumbly. The fats that melt at higher
temperatures are the ones to solidify first. These high melt point fats
give chocolate its shine and snap.
The objective of tempering is to create a very fine fat
crystal structure in the chocolate. In a melted tempered chocolate these
high melt point fats have begun to solidify into very fine crystals that are
distributed throughout the melted chocolate. When the chocolate is left
to cool, the chocolate solidifies quickly, because the fine crystals act as
seeds around which the rest of the chocolate solidifies. Tempering is
simply is a process of cooling and mixing for a period of time, and then
rewarming it until the chocolate reaches a desired temperature which will
insure it to solidify properly, usually in the range of 86° - 88° F.
Now before we proceed to the step-by step procedure for
tempering chocolate, let’s review:
Couverture must be tempered because it contains cocoa butter
Cocoa butter is a complex fat made several types of fats.
Each of these fats has a different melting point – some at
high and some at low
The high temperature melting fats are the ones to solidify
first as the melted chocolate cools.
The objective of tempering chocolate
is to create a very fine fat-crystal structure in the chocolate.
In a melted, tempered chocolate, the high-melt point fats
have begun to solidify into fine crystals that are distributed throughout the
melted chocolate. When the chocolate is left to cool, the chocolate sets
or solidifies quickly because the fat crystals act as seeds around which the
rest of the chocolate crystallizes.
Let’s Temper
Chocolate must be tempered if it is being used to coat
confections or made into chocolate decorations. If the chocolate is being
used as an ingredient in a baked product such as a cake or a cooked product
such as a pie filling, tempering it is unnecessary. There are two methods
for tempering chocolate – the Inoculation method, and the Tablier
method. Before you begin have all of your ingredients and tools
ready. You may find using a yoghurt/chocolate thermometer helpful in
determining the correct temperatures until you are comfortable with the
procedure.
A word of precaution - the temperature of the room in
which you are working is very important. The ideal room temperature for working
with chocolate is 65° to 68° F. If the room temperature goes over 70° F
the chocolate will not set up properly and will go out of temper. In
addition, if you plan to coat candy centers in chocolate, make sure the centers
are not too cold when dipping them. This can cause the chocolate to crack
once it hardens. Ideally, the temperature of the centers should be close
to that of the tempered chocolate.
You can temper any amount of chocolate that you wish.
The following directions are for 1 pound of chocolate.
Step I – Melting the Chocolate
Chop the chocolate and place in a stainless steel or glass
bowl.
Place one inch of water in a small heavy saucepan.
Place the saucepan on the stove and heat the water just
until it is steaming.
Keep the pan over low heat and avoid letting the water come
to a simmer.
Place the bowl containing the chopped chocolate on top of
the pan of steaming water.
Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted (115° to
118° F)
Remove the bowl from the pan and wipe the moisture from the
bottom of the bowl with a dry towel.
Step II – Tempering the Chocolate
Inoculation Tempering
Add a piece or two of solid, tempered chocolate (about 3 to
4 ounces total for 1 pound of melted chocolate – 20% to 25% of the weight of
the chocolate you have melted) or the same amount of coins a few at a time to
the melted chocolate. Work the piece of chocolate with your hand (like
you were using a bar of soap) while stirring the chocolate if using a solid
piece or just stir it if using coins. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl
as you go.
Continue to do this until the chocolate is cool - 86° to 88°
F for milk chocolate, 88° to 89° F for dark chocolate.
Check it with a chocolate or yoghurt thermometer to be
certain. An old candy maker’s trick is to test a bit on your lower
lip. It should feel just slightly cool, neither warm, cold or
neutral. Smear a bit of chocolate onto a small piece of parchment paper.
The tip of a metal icing spatula may be used instead. It should set up
within a minute if it is in temper.
Once the chocolate is in temper it
must be used right away. Remove any solid pieces of chocolate that were
used for tempering and the chocolate is now ready. As the chocolate
continues to cool, re-warm it following the directions given below. This is the easiest method for home use, particularly when
you are tempering a large amount of chocolate.
Tablier or Mush Tempering
Pour about one-third of the melted chocolate onto a marble
slab or onto a biking sheet.
Using a metal palette knife or dough knife, work the
chocolate back and forth quickly.
Stop to scrape down the knife with a metal icing
spatula. Continue paddling the chocolate until it begins to
thicken.
Add the chocolate back into the melted chocolate and stir to
incorporate the two. Test for temper and temperature as described in the Inoculation
Method. If the chocolate is not tempered, perform the technique
again.
Always test the chocolate before using to make sure that it
is in temper (refer step 3 Inoculation Tempering). As the chocolate
continues to cool, re-warm it following the directions given below.
Unless you have a large marble work surface at home, this
method is best reserved for tempering small amounts of chocolate.
Step III - Re-warming the chocolate to keep it in working
condition
As you work with the chocolate it will become too cold and
it is necessary to re-warm it. Chocolate that is too cold will be dull
when it hardens. Re-warming can be accomplished in two ways.
- Keep another bowl of warm, melted, un-tempered
chocolate over a pot of hot water. Add a little of the warm chocolate to
the tempered chocolate to bring it back then add it back to the tempered
chocolate. Never add more than 20% of the weight of the tempered
chocolate. Start with a small amount and add more if necessary.
OR
- Place the bowl of tempered chocolate back over the
steaming water stirring constantly for just a few seconds. Remove the bowl
from the pan and wipe the moisture from the bottom of the bowl with a dry
towel.
In either case, if the tempered chocolate becomes too warm
it will go out of temper and the tempering process will have to start all over
again. To be on the safe side, test the chocolate to see that it is in
temper each time you warm it back up to working temperature.
Once you have done the tempering procedure a few times
you’ll get the hang of it. Soon you will be on your way to amazing
friends and family with your own chocolate creation.
