How
do you temper chocolates?
1. Using a Double
Boiler
A. Melt the chocolate
to 100-110° F
B. Allow the coating
to cool to:
1. 83-84° F if
Milk Chocolate
2. 85-86° F if
Dark Chocolate
3. 87-88° F if
Rainbow Coating
C. Hold the coating at
this temperature until it starts to thicken
1. Thicker coating
means more "seed" crystals
2, Thinner coating
means there are less "seed" crystals
D. Allow the coating to
warm to:
1. 86-87° F if
Milk Chocolate
2. 89-90° F if
Dark Chocolate
3. 90-92° F if
Rainbow Coating
E. Hold the above temperature.
2. Hand Dipping
A. Melt some coating
by either:
1. Placing some coating
in a sauce pan in a warm oven
a. Do not heat above
130° F
b. Stir occasionally
while melting
2. Or placing some coating
in a double-boiler
a. Use low heat
b. Stir coating while
it melts
c. Do not allow water
or water vapor to come into contact with the coating
B. Cool the melted coating
to about 92° F
C. Pour about 1/2
lb. of the melted coating onto a cool surface
D. Mix and fold the
coating with the hand until it become fairly thick
E. Add about 2 lbs.
of the melted coating to the thickened coating
F. Mix the two together
very thoroughly
1. Add more of the
92° coating if it is still too thick
2. Add less 92°
coating for more advanced temper
G. Coat the centers
1. Cover the center
with tempered coating
2. Shake the excess
coating off the center
3. Place coated center
on a tray, foil, or waxed paper
4. Trace a design
on the top using a finger
3. Shaved Coating
Method
A. Melt some coating
as in Part 2, a.
B. Cool the melted
coating to about 92°
C. Using a knife or
a spatula, slice some coating from a block of coating that is in good temper
1. Make a slice as
thin as possible
2. The ratio of shavings
should be I part shavings to 9 parts melted coating
D. Stir the shavings into
the melted coating until the shavings are completely melted and thoroughly
mixed into the coating
E. Adjust the temperature
of the coating to the appropriate temperature (as listed in Part 1, e.)
1. Use room temperature
air to cool the coating
2. Heat the coating
very gradually if it is too cold F. The coating can now be used for either
enrobing or molding
4. The 80/20 Method
of Tempering
(NOTE: this method
will work with both chocolate and compound coatings that have a melt point
of approximately 92° F. It will automatically adjust the coating to
the proper final temperature.
A. Melt some coating
as described in 2, a.
B. Cool the coating
until it is 93-95°F
C. Pour 20% of the
coating into a separate sauce pan
D. Stir the coating
in the pan containing the 20% until it starts to become pasty
E. Return to 20% to
the pan containing the 80% of the coating F. Mix the two together thoroughly
G. The coating should
now be in temper
5. Important Temperatures
A. Work area 75-85°
F
B. Molds 78-82°
F
C. Candy Centers 70-75°F
D. Cooling Area 65-70°
F (initial cooling)
Cooling Area 45-50° F (main cooling)
Cooling Area 65-70° F (final phase)
6. Useful
Tools
A. A thermometer -
preferably a metal thermometer that can be calibrated
B. A wood handled
spatula with a rubber blade
C. Metal sauce pans
Troubleshooting Guide for Tempering
Chocolate
PROBLEM: BLOOM (Gray Surface!)
Probable Cause
#1: Excessively cold air or too rapid a cooling rate Solution:
Use warmer air during initial cooling in cooling area
Probable Cause
#2: Lack
of "seed" crystal Solution: Allow the chocolate to thicken more before
heating the chocolate to the deposit temperature
Probable Cause
#3: Excessive
amounts of incompatible fat
Solution:
CANNOT
BE CORRECTED BY TEMPERING (small amounts - up to 5% - can be added to pure
chocolate to recover the product
Probable Cause
#4: One of the most common causes is improper storage conditions
in which the product is temperature stressed
Solution: Do
not allow the chocolate to be subjected to alternating periods of warm
temperatures and cold temperature during storage
PROBLEM: FINGERPRINT BLOOM
Probable Cause
#1: Fingers are warmer then the temperature at which cocoa butter
will melt
Solution: Do
not handle the chocolates unless hands are cool and dry or wear gloves
PROBLEM: GRAY IN SOLID CHOCOLATE
(has the appearance of slate)
Probable Cause
#1: Cold air is blowing on the chocolate as it is poured into the
mold
Solution:
Raise the temperature in the work area and keep drafts from blowing on
the chocolate
PROBLEM: GRAY SURFACES
Probable Cause
#1: The chocolate was too cold when it was deposited
Solution: Raise
the chocolate to the proper deposit temperature
Probable Cause
#2: Excessive "seed", the chocolate is too advanced in temper
Solution: Add
some untempered chocolate to the tempered chocolate to dilute the amount
of "seed" to the proper level
PROBLEM: STICKY SURFACES
Probable Cause
#1: Moisture is condensing on surface of the chocolate (sweating)
Solution: Dehumidify
the air in the room or allow the chocolate to warm up before exposing it
to room air
PROBLEM: GREASY SURFACES
Probable Cause
#2: The chocolate was not properly tempered
Solution: Be
sure there is enough "seed" before molding
PROBLEM: VERY SHINY SURFACES
Probable Cause
#1: The chocolate was not properly tempered
Solution: Be
sure there is enough "seed" before molding
PROBLEM: CHOCOLATE BECOMES GRANULATED
WITH TIME
Probable Cause
#1: The chocolate was deposited without being tempered
Solution: Follow
one of the listed tempering procedures
PROBLEM: GRANULATED STREAKS DEVELOP
IN THE CHOCOLATE AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME
Probable Cause
#1: The "seed" material was not mixed adequately with the untempered
chocolate
Solution:
Be sure the chocolate is thoroughly mixed before attempting to deposit
it
Probable Cause
#2: Hot air was blowing on the stream of chocolate as it was being
poured into the mold
Solution: Be
sure the air in the work area is not warmer than the chocolate that is
being deposited
PROBLEM: CHOCOLATE IS STICKING TO
MOLDS
Probable Cause
#1: The mold is too cold
Solution:
Be sure
the mold is approximately 80° F before depositing the chocolate
HOME
| CANDIES | RECIPES
| NEWSLETTER | MESSAGE
BOARD | CATALOG | AOL
CHATS |