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Tempering - A Quick Guide

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412 views4 pages

Tempering - A Quick Guide

Uploaded by

aml
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A QUICK GUIDE TO

TEMPERING
REASONS FOR TEMPERING/ CRYSTALLISATION
If the couverture solidifies after melting without any further handling the appearance will be spoilt. It will be speckled grey
in colour and it will lack hardness and the ability to contract.

If your couverture is not correctly crystallised there is a danger of:


• Grey-white speckled appearance on the chocolate (fat bloom)
• Grainy and brittle structure
• Rapid melting on contact
• No contraction
• Sticking to the mould.

Crystallisation gives the couverture:

• Great gloss and shine


• Snap
• Smooth mouth feel
• Good contraction.

It is the cocoa butter in the couverture that requires crystallisation. The correct handling of the cocoa butter will ensure
you achieve a perfect finish and texture. When we start working with couverture the cocoa butter is in a solid form.
Melting the couverture without controlling the heating and cooling can create the undesirable properties listed above. The
crystals in cocoa butter come in different shapes and structures, the crystal we require to be present when our couverture
is crystallised is the beta crystal. That has a shape and structure that enables it to interlock enabling contraction. Six dif-
ferent crystals may be formed; we have the beta crystal and five others we refer to as unstable crystals. The five unstable
crystals all develop below 29°C (84.2°F). The unstable crystals attempt to join together to contract, but in doing so they
generate heat and friction which keeps the couverture in a liquid state for a longer period of time. This also causes the
cocoa butter to separate and settle in larger particles on the surface which is the cause of fat bloom.

In order to avoid developing the unstable crystals we need to ensure the cocoa butter structure is entirely constructed of
beta crystals ensuring that as the temperature of the couverture drops below 29°C (84.2°F) there is no space for the
unstable crystals to develop. The unstable crystals, if developed, will also melt at any temperature above 29°C (84.2°F).

To generate the beta crystal we need to follow three basic principles which involve time, temperature and movement. At
the correct temperature with efficient movement and time you will create the correct amount of beta crystals.

Recipe from SAVOUR ONLINE CLASSES | savourschool.com.au


Copyright ©2017 Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School. All rights reserved.
CRYSTALLISATION & TEMPERING METHODS
There are various methods of tempering (now referred to as crystallisation), each of which has pros and cons depending
on your working environment and room temperature.

Three points are always of paramount importance:

TIME - MOVEMENT - TEMPERATURE

The only way to increase the number of beta crystals in your chocolate or couverture is with movement at the correct
temperature. You cannot multiply the beta crystal without movement. Keep in mind, if you are not
heating all the chocolate or couverture to 45°C (113°F), you may not be melting all the beta crystals before you start.
In these methods the couverture tends to become more viscous the longer you work with it which is called over crystal-
lisation. It is therefore important to crystallise your chocolate couverture as you require it rather than maintaining it in a
crystallised state for long periods or overnight.

The working temperatures required for the different couverture and chocolate when crystallised are:

Dark 31°C (87.8°F) - 32°C (89.6°F)


Milk 30°C (86°F) - 31°C (87.8°F)
White 29°C (84.2°F) - 30°C (86°F)

Maximum movement at the correct temperature will ensure perfectly tempered couverture. Once you follow the steps to
crystallise your couverture the only way to determine if you have the correct amount of beta crystals is by doing a test.
Take a small square of silicon paper or a plastic scraper and cover a small area by dipping in the prepared couverture.
Leave this test at room temperature no higher than 22°C (71.6°F).

Dark couverture should set in approximately 5 minutes.


Milk couverture should set in approximately 7 minutes.
White chocolate should set in approximately 10 minutes.

If your couverture doesn’t set during this time it is not correctly crystallised. If it sets but it has streaks on the surface it
requires more movement to evenly distribute the beta crystals. Do not use the couverture if your test hasn’t set. Couver-
ture takes 24 hours for all the beta crystal to interlock and fully contract.

Recipe from SAVOUR ONLINE CLASSES | savourschool.com.au


Copyright ©2017 Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School. All rights reserved.
Maximum movement at the correct temperature will ensure perfectly tempered couverture. Once you follow the steps to
crystallise your couverture the only way to determine if you have the correct amount of beta crystals is by doing a test.
Take a small square of silicon paper or a plastic scraper and cover a small area by dipping in the prepared couverture.
Leave this test at room temperature no higher than 22°C (71.6°F).

Dark couverture should set in approximately 5 minutes.


Milk couverture should set in approximately 7 minutes.
White chocolate should set in approximately 10 minutes

If your couverture doesn’t set during this time it is not correctly crystallised. If it sets but it has streaks on the surface it
requires more movement to evenly distribute the beta crystals. Do not use the couverture if your test hasn’t set. Couver-
ture takes 24 hours for all the beta crystal to interlock and fully contract.

Recipe from SAVOUR ONLINE CLASSES | savourschool.com.au


Copyright ©2017 Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School. All rights reserved.

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