Chocolate Tempering: Tips and Troubleshooting

[Jim D.]

When tempered chocolate starts thickening as it is used, the first remedy usually suggested is to raise the temperature a bit (but not too high so as to melt the Type V crystals). The next remedy I try is to raise the temp above the melting point of Type V for a while to melt some of those excess crystals, then lower it back to working temp. My question is why the first remedy works.  It is not melting crystals, so what is it actually doing that thins out the chocolate?  Thanks for any insights.

Edited January 30, 2019 by Jim D. (log)

[Rajala]

Perfect, this was on top when I got here. Had a question, only to realize that Kerry already answered it earlier, when I asked for another chocolate. I'm working with Cacao Barry's "Ghana", and it's like sour milk when melted.   Will go down all the way to 25 to see how that will work for me.

 

Good question Jim, can't help you though.  

 

[Kerry Beal]

4 hours ago, Jim D. said:

When tempered chocolate starts thickening as it is used, the first remedy usually suggested is to raise the temperature a bit (but not too high so as to melt the Type V crystals). The next remedy I try is to raise the temp above the melting point of Type V for a while to melt some of those excess crystals, then lower it back to working temp. My question is why the first remedy works.  It is not melting crystals, so what is it actually doing that thins out the chocolate?  Thanks for any insights.

 

Once over tempered - raising the temperature to 32.5 for milk chocolate or 34.5 for dark will thin it out - I suspect it is happening because some crystals melt out and also that it is just less viscous at the higher temperature. 

[keychris]

It also depends how you're applying the heat - if you're using a heat gun, you're generating a very high localised heat which melts the crystals in that area, but not the rest of them, then you stir and melt more, etc.

[Jim D.]

35 minutes ago, keychris said:

It also depends how you're applying the heat - if you're using a heat gun, you're generating a very high localised heat which melts the crystals in that area, but not the rest of them, then you stir and melt more, etc.

I'm using a Chocovision Delta tempering machine. I raise the temp, then stir as it increases, so insofar as I can judge, the temp is more or less uniform in the bowl. There is a noticeable difference in viscosity of the chocolate after a short time at the higher temperature. 

[martin0642]

I think there's more than one thing going on here - as Keychris said, if you use a heat gun then you are melting out all the crystals in a very localised area - so that thins the chocolate out, stirring melts more but the majority of the chocolate is still in temper/contains the desired crystals so overall it's in temper (as long as you stir well of course).

 

But alongside that (and this probably explains the tempering machine better) - as I understand the science, even well tempered chocolate contains some of the other crystal forms. Remember, we can temper chocolate with just 1% by weight of seeding cocoa butter (ie Mycryo, Kerry's splendid cocoa butter machine ). Not every single crystal in the finished product will be the Type V crystals. Whilst the other forms won't leave it setting with a sharp snap - they will contribute to it thickening. They also melt out easily at the higher temperatures.

 

I may be entirely wrong here....but that's my understanding of it!

[Jim D.]

3 hours ago, martin0642 said:

But alongside that (and this probably explains the tempering machine better) - as I understand the science, even well tempered chocolate contains some of the other crystal forms. Remember, we can temper chocolate with just 1% by weight of seeding cocoa butter (ie Mycryo, Kerry's splendid cocoa butter machine ). Not every single crystal in the finished product will be the Type V crystals. Whilst the other forms won't leave it setting with a sharp snap - they will contribute to it thickening. They also melt out easily at the higher temperatures.

 

An interesting theory. In support of the fact that we can't know what crystals are actually present, I had another puzzling experience recently:  Again I was using the Delta machine but wasn't paying attention to the level of chocolate remaining in the bowl. After it sank below the level of the thermometer that controls the heat, I noticed that the shells were taking longer to crystallize. I checked the temp of the chocolate in the bowl, and it was well over 100F/38C. I was certain that the finished product would be a disaster. But such was not the case--the finished chocolates released without incident and there was no sign of untempered chocolate. If I were just beginning to work with chocolate, I might foolishly ask, "How can this be?" -- but by now I know better than to expect definitive answers.

[Kerry Beal]

3 hours ago, martin0642 said:

I think there's more than one thing going on here - as Keychris said, if you use a heat gun then you are melting out all the crystals in a very localised area - so that thins the chocolate out, stirring melts more but the majority of the chocolate is still in temper/contains the desired crystals so overall it's in temper (as long as you stir well of course).

 

But alongside that (and this probably explains the tempering machine better) - as I understand the science, even well tempered chocolate contains some of the other crystal forms. Remember, we can temper chocolate with just 1% by weight of seeding cocoa butter (ie Mycryo, Kerry's splendid cocoa butter machine ). Not every single crystal in the finished product will be the Type V crystals. Whilst the other forms won't leave it setting with a sharp snap - they will contribute to it thickening. They also melt out easily at the higher temperatures.

 

I may be entirely wrong here....but that's my understanding of it!

That seems to make very good sense. And might explain part of why when very thick overtempered chocolate is left in a bowl it often looks like crap the next day in the middle. That and the latent heat of crystallization at work.

[martin0642]

I've been digging around a it more (mostly to avoid doing actual work...) and it seems that.....

 

When we temper chocolate properly; we should only have Type V crystals in there. However - as chocolate cools in various machines/bowls etc....it will likely cool/heat unevenly. This is what can lead to the formation of other crystal types. So basically...as we already know...stir stir stir stir....no really...stir it. 

 

I'm guessing even the best home tempering machine will be prone to uneven temperatures, at least under some conditions (ie: Jim D's situation above). 

 

Also - as we also know.........chocolate has yet to read any of the chemistry books and will behave exactly as it chooses, no matter what the "science" says

[Kerry Beal]

1 hour ago, martin0642 said:

 

 

Also - as we also know.........chocolate has yet to read any of the chemistry books and will behave exactly as it chooses, no matter what the "science" says

Ain't that the truth!

[Rajala]

I will be in a situation where temperatures reach around 30 degrees celsius, and need to temper in that temperature. At least try to. Anyone got any ideas or suggestions how to handle that? It feels like tempering white chocolate would be the hardest.  

[curls]

45 minutes ago, Rajala said:

I will be in a situation where temperatures reach around 30 degrees celsius, and need to temper in that temperature. At least try to. Anyone got any ideas or suggestions how to handle that? It feels like tempering white chocolate would be the hardest.  

I'm curious to see what others suggest to your dilemma. I would either find a way to cool down your workspace to at least 22 degrees celsius (72 F), suggest an alternative to chocolates (popsicles or ice cream), or decline the job. Guess  another alternative is to use compound chocolate/summer coating but very few of those products taste good.

 

Would you be willing to share any more details about this situation and why you are considering an attempt to work with chocolate at 30 C?

[Rajala]

3 hours ago, curls said:

I'm curious to see what others suggest to your dilemma. I would either find a way to cool down your workspace to at least 22 degrees celsius (72 F), suggest an alternative to chocolates (popsicles or ice cream), or decline the job. Guess  another alternative is to use compound chocolate/summer coating but very few of those products taste good.

 

Would you be willing to share any more details about this situation and why you are considering an attempt to work with chocolate at 30 C?

 

You're thinking about something like cooling down a marble slab a bit? That would be a possibility. But it will be outside, so it would still be a higher temperature in the air. It doesn't have to be perfect, I would just need to get the chocolate tempered and I could ret it set in the fridge. If there are some few ugly spots on it, it doesn't matter.

 

It's for a friend, party outside - and it would be a fun thing to do. I'm just thinking about what's possible and how to overcome the biggest challenge with the high surrounding temperature, and thought that there would be some knowledge here.  

 

 

[teonzo]

If the temperature is around 30°C (and not above) then tempering is not a big issue. You just need to melt the chocolate with a good advance (say about a couple hours), let it rest at your hot working temperature (30°C) until it reaches it, then temper it via seeding or agitation. Checking temper is mandatory (using a fridge). A cold water bath (water with some ice cubes at about 8-10°C, not iced water at 0°C) can be of help in case the party day will be hotter than 30°C. Beware of thermal inertia: if you cool a bowl with chocolate in a cold water bath, then the chocolate will keep cooling after you take the bowl out of the bath (the bowl reached a lower temperature than the one you are measuring inside the chocolate). This should cover the tempering part.

The big problem is on the rest. Making decorations / sculptures I would say is out of question, too many obstacles. Hand dipping would be a nightmare, since you would need to stop every few pieces. Molded bonbons are doable, you need to put the molds in the fridge before pouring the chocolate to create the shell, but you need to use the molds when they are around 20-22°C, if you use them at fridge temperature then you get a THICK shell. To do so you need to open the fridge and check the temperature at close intervals, but I suppose you will be using a portable fridge (since it's an outside party) dedicated to only this purpose, so you don't risk to ruin the other food in a normal fridge. For the filling, just use a gianduja and forget about the rest to avoid troubles. Capping is the crucial part, if you start with the mold at a low temperature then you ruin everything (chocolate will set immediately and you won't be able to scrape the mold). I would suggest to limit the number of molds to 4 and not above, since you will loose a lot of time cheking their temperatures (this is the case when an infrared thermometer is your best friend). Carry plenty of ice packets inside the portable fridge,  put the molds in a single layer without overlapping them, so check your fridge size (in case ask for a second portable fridge). When talking to party girls don't be chocolatey technical, keep it simple and pretend to be a magician not a technician.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[pastrygirl]

8 hours ago, Rajala said:

I will be in a situation where temperatures reach around 30 degrees celsius, and need to temper in that temperature. At least try to. Anyone got any ideas or suggestions how to handle that? It feels like tempering white chocolate would be the hardest.  

 

That sounds like a challenge! Do you know anyone with an anti-griddle?

 

Do you specifically want to make mo(u)lded chocolates, or just do something fun with chocolate for your friend?  Is it meant to be only a demonstration, or will guests take part?

 

Definitely find a shady spot with good air circulation and away from brick or concrete walls or patios that will be heating up in the sun all day.  You could get a few blocks of ice and blow fans over them to generate cold air, that might help.

 

If you're open to things other than mo(u)lding, what about something involving ice cream, since it's going to be so warm out.  Thin milk and dark chocolate down with coconut oil then dip ice cream sandwiches or fruit popsicles in it.  Have a variety of nuts and sprinkles that people can add on. 

 

Or use ice to make the chocolate set and make chocolate bowls to fill with berries and whipped cream (etc)

 

[Rajala]

Thanks @teonzo ! I'll store the moulds in a colder place - seems like that is the key for this.

 

Don't know anyone with that @pastrygirl, but it will be mostly making a simple bonbon or maybe a chocolate bar. Ice cream is a good thing to think about though.

 

 

[eglies]

Hi guys,

 

Please help, I prepare my chocolate in melting pot all good perfect temper leave it overnight in melting pot covered and at the correct temperature, when I come in the morning its thicker and need to use heat gun to rewarm it. I am worried about it going out of temper. Any tricks to recommend?

 

Thanks

 

[curls]

Open to other solutions but I don’t think that you can leave chocolate in a melter unattended for several hours and still have it be in temper. As you mentioned, it will over-crystallize and turn to sludge.

 

When I am working with chocolate for several days in a row, I keep my chocolate in the melter overnight at a temperature high enough to keep all the chocolate melted and fluid. In the morning, I temper the chocolate in the melter and make adjustments throughout the day to keep the chocolate in temper.

[Kerry Beal]

It's the nature of tempered chocolate to thicken over time when held in a melter. Options are to store overnight warmer and out of temper - then temper again in the am.

 

Alternately you can push the temperature of the tempered chocolate in the morning to the maximums - 34.5 for dark, 32.5 for milk or add some warm untempered chocolate to the thickened mass to dilute the over tempered crystals.

 

 

[eglies]

Thank you guys...I was sure there was no way out of this 🤔

We will think of a way

[pastrygirl]

I do as @curls does.  Heck, even if I'm just pausing and doing something else for an hour I turn the melter up a few degrees to prevent excessive crystallization. 

 

You can't expect to temper once a week or even once a day and just keep the chocolate warm & ready, it takes constant maintenance.

[AKS613]

I was watching an Irish baking show and the expert said that an easy way to temper/keep temper is to melt it to a temp no higher than 35C. As long as the chocolate doesn’t creep beyond that it will stay tempered. No need to heat and cool. Has anyone ever heard/tried this?

[teonzo]

It works if you start from perfectly tempered chocolate. But I would say 35°C is a bit too high, better using 32°C as a reference for dark chocolate, 30°C for milk and white chocolate. If you go above them you start risking.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Jim D.]

IF (and this is crucial) the chocolate is tempered when you start--which usually means you take it out of the manufacturer's bag--this method works. It's what I ordinarily use when I am making ganache and want to keep the chocolate in temper. You can take it up to 35C or even higher as long as a good portion of it (maybe 1/4 or 1/3) remains unmelted. You take it off the heat, and as the unmelted chocolate melts, it provides the seed to temper the rest. Why don't people use this method all the time? For the simple reason that it's not practical when you are dealing with more than a small amount; it requires too much attention, care, and time.

[Kerry Beal]

What Jim says - I nuke until it's pretty close to 3/4's melted and let the residual heat do the rest of the work. Works well one small amounts with chocolate straight out of the bag and a microwave you can trust.