Dissecting Every Chocolate Tempering Process

The tempering process of chocolate must take place before you can use couverture chocolate. What is the process of tempering chocolate and couverture chocolate?

Couverture chocolate is a type of chocolate with a high cocoa butter content. Because of the high cocoa butter content, couverture chocolate needs to go through a tempering process to stabilize the fat content.

Without the tempering process, couverture chocolate is difficult to work with and will result in an incomplete dish. Therefore, you need to learn about the tempering process of chocolate through the discussion that KioskCoklat will present below.

What is the Chocolate Tempering Process?

The process of tempering chocolate or tempering chocolate is a chocolate processing process that is carried out by heating and cooling the temperature of the chocolate that has been melted. You must perform both of these steps within the recommended temperature limits. The goal is to form a stable crystal structure of cocoa fat or cocoa butter .

If couverture chocolate is heated to too high a temperature and vice versa, the texture of the chocolate will deteriorate because the cocoa butter will come to the surface. This is known as fat bloom .

Various Benefits of Tempering For Chocolate

You must be wondering why chocolate tempering techniques are needed when processing chocolate. This is because the formation of fat crystals in the tempering process can affect the structure and characteristics of chocolate for the better.

The following are a series of benefits of the tempering process for chocolate:

1. The chocolate will have a firm, dense, and stable texture.
2. Chocolate will make a " snap " sound when you break it.
3. The appearance of chocolate is more shiny and perfect.
4. Tempered melted chocolate has optimal fluidity for various applications.
5. Chocolate is easier to remove from the mold after the molding process.
6. The chocolate cooling stage is faster and the chocolate doesn't melt easily.
7. Chocolate displays are less prone to damage as they are more resistant to fingerprints if you touch them.

Also read: Types of Chocolate in Pastry

Does Chocolate Always Have to Go Through Tempering Techniques?

The chocolate tempering process only needs to be done for couverture chocolate types. You do not need this process to process compound chocolate as it contains less cocoa butter than couverture chocolate.

Apart from that, you also only need to use this technique if the results of the chocolate will be seen directly and affect the appearance of your creation. For example, you may need to do some tempering if you are using the chocolate as a chocolate glaze or decoration. This is done so that the chocolate looks shiny and beautiful perfect. However, if you only use it as a filling for pastries or cakes, then this process is unnecessary.

How To Temper Chocolate?

There are 3 ways you can do the chocolate tempering process , namely:

1. The Au Bain-Marie Plus Ice Bath Technique

You are familiar with the au bain-marie technique for melting chocolate, right? The au bain-marie technique , also known as the double boiler technique , is where you melt chocolate over boiling water.

The au bain-marie technique can be applied in the tempering process of couverture chocolate . All you have to do is chop the couverture chocolate , place it in a large bowl and melt it over the boiling water.

For the heat setting, you should melt the couverture chocolate at 45 to 50 degrees Celsius. More than that, the quality of the couverture chocolate will decrease. Don't forget to stir the chocolate mixture periodically so that the chocolate melts perfectly.

After the heating process, then we will enter the cooling process using the ice bath method . You only need to place the bowl of couverture chocolate dough that has melted on top of another bowl containing ice cubes. Stir the chocolate mixture until it reaches 27 o C. Next, reheat the couverture chocolate until it reaches 45 to 50 o C and you can use it.

2. Seeding technique

The seeding technique for tempering chocolate also makes use of the au bain-marie technique . It's just that the difference is you don't need the ice bath method .

In using the seeding technique , you will need to divide the couverture chocolate into two bowls. Melt all of the couverture chocolate in the first bowl. When the chocolate is completely melted, gradually add the other chocolate while stirring until it melts.

You also need to pay attention to the heat temperature for the seeding technique and each type of chocolate uses a different temperature. You can check the guide as follows:

• Dark chocolate is heated at 31 - 32 o C
• Milk chocolate is heated at 30 - 31 o C
• White chocolate is heated at 29 - 30 o C

Also read: Getting to Know What Chocolate Paste Is

3. Using the Tabling Technique

For those of you who have a microwave , use this tool to temper chocolate. The process of tempering chocolate will be easier by using a microwave .

The method is very simple. All you need to do is heat the chopped couverture chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Next, take out the chocolate and give it a stir, then put it back in the microwave . This process needs to be done several times until the chocolate melts perfectly.

Once melted, pour ⅔ of the chocolate onto the counter. You need to use a table made of marble or granite because of the cold surface.

Next, flatten the melted chocolate using a spatula or scrapper , then do the chocolate agitation. This stage is very important to do because it can help speed up the process of crystallization of chocolate.

The agitated chocolate crystals will make the chocolate cool faster. Do this process many times until the chocolate reaches a temperature of 26-29 o C. Then combine the chocolate with the remaining ⅓ melted chocolate still placed in the glass, stir until smooth.