The willpower of any person will be demolished and vanish into thin air in the face of smooth and delicious chocolates. Such high quality with smoothness, softness, lavish creaminess and snap are imparted to chocolates through tempering and hence this process should never be ignored while making chocolates.
Here are the three types of chocolates and their components:
- Cocoa butter and chocolate liquor are the main ingredients for dark, semi-sweet or unsweetened chocolates with a little sugar added if deemed necessary. Vanilla will help reduce the bitterness lent by cocoa .
- Enticing milk chocolates can be made with the addition of milk to cocoa butter and chocolate liquor.
- White chocolates have cocoa butter along with vanilla and sugar, yet purists don’t accept it as part of the chocolate family because of its lack of cocoa liquor.
Tempering is an important process which should not be skipped as it gives chocolates the ability to resist heat, a velvety smoothness, lustrous shine and the snap. Tempering also prevents blooming, which makes chocolates appear streaky, dull and flaky.
Tempering by hand is an intricate process that only a few, usually the masters, will choose to do. It’s a cyclic procedure which involves heating, cooling and reheating chocolates at specific temperatures. A double boiler takes care of melting the chocolate; a properly-calibrated thermometer will be helpful in maintaining specific temperatures during the tempering, dipping and molding; and a rubber spatula will be handy in working the chocolate to its proper thickness. Sticking to tempering temperatures is what makes the process difficult because even incremental changes can destroy proper chocolate tempers. Take care though. Over-mixing and under-mixing will also spoil the output as one separates the fats and the other hampers type V crystal production.
Consider producing chocolate candy with an affordable counter-top tempering machine as it helps you obtain a consistent grade of chocolates every time you make them through the automation it provides. Before buying one though, the factors you must consider include your finances, the number of operators of the machine and the number of hours you will be using the machine daily.
For beginners, ChocoVision’s Revolation 1 is an apt option as it can handle a maximum 1.5 pounds of chocolate, with separate settings for various types of chocolates.
An ACMC Tabletop Temperer can be used for uninterrupted noiseless work. It includes a 6-pound-hourly capacity, a couple of 100-watt bulbs as heat source, and front control panels and digital displays to make checking temperatures easier.
Revolation 2 and Rev 1 have no variations in them but skilled chocolatiers usually opt for the Rev 2 as it has an overnight standby mode and a pause function.
Since Revolation x3210 has a capacity of tempering 10 pounds of chocolates per hour, it is used for tempering more chocolates. Like the Rev 2, you can pause the process and leave chocolates tempered overnight.