Chocolate confectioneries require higher grades of chocolate compared to those for chocolate chip cookies. Recipes that require pure chocolate have to undergo tempering to attain that creaminess, glossiness and firmness. Tempering also allows chocolate to have a longer shelf life.
Chocolate that didn’t go through proper tempering is prone to bloomingit will be flaky, blotchy, and crumbly. White spots will appear on its surface as a result and the candy won’t even last for a two days.
Cocoa butter is the key factor in chocolate tempering–the reason why chocolates are “real”. Cocoa butter contains fatty acids that need to crystallize. During this process, it can form six different types of crystals when different temperatures are applied. To get the exact crystal type, chocolate temperatures should be regularly checked. You will get the best chocolate features once the exact type of crystals is obtained. Once you get the right crystals, you can assure that chocolate will turn out smooth, creamy, rich and shiny.
Fatty acids in the cocoa butter bind themselves together to create crystal structures. In order to bind them well and produce the exact consistency of crystals, exact temperature is also needed.
Crystals in chocolate have its own freezing and melting point. It freezes and melts when it reaches certain temperature. For instance, water when in an ice form melts and turns into liquid at a temperature of 32 F. It turns into ice again at a lower temperature of 0F.
When water is about to turn into ice, it has to meet its freezing point. The molecules in water will start sticking together and form crystals. The crystals will now occupy the space, crammed full. The stability of the new form of solid will rely on how dense and uniform are the created crystals.
Crystallization in chocolate is just the same as in water. When chocolate is in its tempered form the crystals are very stable and it’s hard to disfigure the shape. Once chocolate tempering is done properly, it will remain tempered even in room temperature of about 68-77F or 20-25C. The point of melting for chocolate is at 98F or 37C; usually at this point, the crystals begin to be loosed from their bonds and break up.
The temperature plays a great role in tempering. Chocolate makers have to depend on their calibrated thermometer to be able to determine that the temperature is accurate. Mercury-Gauge Chocolate thermometer is usually the one that chocolatiers use because it is accurate in reading temperatures. It can read temperature as low as 80F. If you are serious enough in your chocolate candy making, you have to acquire this equipment.
If the temperature is not accurate during the tempering process other types of crystals may form and take over the process. Another type of crystals may form at 79F and another at 97F. That is why it is really important to check on the temperature regularly.
