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Almost all of us may be of the unanimous opinion that succumbing to the allure of chocolates with their irresistible creaminess, shine and snap is inevitable. But these features are not inherent in chocolates and can be obtained only through a process called tempering. This process consists of three steps, heating, cooling and reheating; during these steps, only if you maintain specific temperatures, can you succeed in tempering.

But maintaining correct temperature ranges is not an easy task as there can’t be even slight deviations; a reality that chocolatiers have to contend with for several reasons:

• Cocoa butter, the most elemental ingredient in chocolate, has fats that can crystallize into six different structures.
• These six types of crystals each dominate at six different temperatures and this random formation can hamper successful tempering.
• Successful tempering just means creating as many type V crystals as possible. If you maintain other temperatures, the remaining five crystals will multiply along with the type V crystals.
• Consequently you should strictly maintain only the correct tempering temperatures at which the type V crystals bond and proliferate.
• If other crystals are allowed to dominate, your tempering process will be a failure and you’ll keep on repeating tempering till you get the right shine and snap.
• Maintaining specific temperatures during tabliering and seeding, the two methods of tempering by hand, though crucial, is just one aspect of tempering.
• Other factors such as a moisture-free work area and equipment as well as reliable thermometers can impact on your tempering success as well.

You cannot think of tempering by hand when you regularly produce big quantities of confections; in this instance, a tempering machine will be a wise investment because it leads to consistent and uniform quality chocolates. Further, the microprocessors on these machines will maintain temperatures at their specific levels as well as retain tempers for longer hours. Since you save a lot of time and energy from watching temperatures, you’ll be able to focus on crafting strategic business plans as well as find out ways to take it forward to the next plank of development.

Although it’s important to know how to temper by hand for those certain occasions that you’ll have to do it, a tempering machine will still be needed because you can maintain uniformity in quality in all your products and also plan delivery schedules strictly according to the terms you agreed with the buyers of your chocolates.