Hello again,

I have a few questions about tempered chocolate. I've been using
Valrhona Caraibe, if it matters.

First, what is the purpose of the final heating when tempering
chocolate? Most guidelines I've seen suggest heating (dark) chocolate
to 130 F, then cooling it to 84-85 F, then heating it again to 88-90 F.
From what I've read, though, the unstable forms of cocoa butter melt at
around 84 F, and the stable ones don't start melting until around 90 F,
so it seems like the chocolate should be usable anywhere within that
temperature range.

The last couple times I tempered chocolate, the final heating to 88-90 F
seemed to kill the temper, so I ended up doing it just by looking at the
appearance of the chocolate. That's been more successful, and the
chocolate has ended up at around 85 F. So I'm curious what the food
chemistry is behind the recommended process.

Second, are there any good ways to minimize the amount of shrinkage that
occurs when tempered chocolate sets? I've noticed a tendency for the
chocolate to shrink to the point where it cracks, usually causing a bead
of sugary syrup to poke out from the ganache (and mar the surface of the
dipped chocolate).

Finally, how important is it to avoid hardened pieces of chocolate (e.g.
bits that have hardened onto the marble slab) when tempering? I've been
trying to avoid them for fear they'd seed the wrong type of cocoa butter
crystal, but maybe I'm being too cautious.

Thanks for any ideas.

Blake

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the cocoa butter in chocolate consists of many fat groups with melting points
that vary between approximately 60 and 110 degrees F. Cocoa butter actually
melts a few degrees below this but we warm it slightly higher to make sure. The
fats that melt at the higher temp. are also the first ones to solidify as the
melted chocolate is cools. These fats, when distributed throughout, are what
give the chocolate its gloss and solidity.(if properly tempered the chocolate
should break with a snap).
FOR DARK CHOCOLATE
melt and heat to 115-120
cool to80-82
warm slowly to87-90
FOR MILK OR WHITE CHOCOLATE
Melt and heat to 110-115
cool to 78-80
warm slowly to85-87

The reason why you reheat it the final time is because when you cool it down
the chocolate is now too thick to use and must be warmed before it can be
utilized. Great care must betaken in this final step. if you let the chocolate
get just a few degrees above the recommended temp, too much fat will melt and
the chocolate will separate and show on the surface in the whitish pattern
known as bloom.

hopefully that answers some of your questions. i have been following those
temps i posted above and have gotten good results. good luck
Mike

In article , Mk3217 wrote:
[...]
FOR DARK CHOCOLATE
melt and heat to 115-120
cool to80-82
warm slowly to87-90

The reason why you reheat it the final time is because when you cool
it down the chocolate is now too thick to use and must be warmed
before it can be utilized.

That makes sense. But then I have a couple other questions:

- Will tempered chocolate remain in temper even if it's heated and
cooled across the entire range of 80-90 degrees (based on your ranges
for dark chocolate)?

- Why does it need to be cooled to the lower temperature range in the
first place? In other words, what happens at 80-82 that couldn't
happen at 87-90?

Great care must betaken in this final step. if you let the chocolate
get just a few degrees above the recommended temp, too much fat will
melt and the chocolate will separate and show on the surface in the
whitish pattern known as bloom.

I'm unfortunately very familiar with bloom. I've gotten to the point
where I can usually get chocolate in temper without much trouble, but
sometimes I get nothing but streaky or speckled chocolate when it dries.
(Tonight I tried four times in a row without success, so I'm feeling
pretty grumpy about it right now.) I have a Polder digital thermometer
which has 0.1 degree precision, so I'm pretty sure that I'm keeping the
chocolate in the right temperature ranges, but sometimes it Just Doesn't
Work. I feel that if I could understand the chemistry behind the
process, I'd have a better handle on making it work reliably.

Blake