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tempered chocolate? - Page 2

post #16 of 26
11/20/11 at 11:49am
I have never heard of chocolate being divided into cooking and eating chocolate It would be interesting to hear how Le Cordon Bleu makes that distinction.

Rather, if you are going to cook with it, adding other ingredients like cream or adding it to cake batter, you don't have to temper chocolate (though some people think you'll have better results even then, if the chocolate is in temper)

However, I think kmstreepey is correct that if you have chocolate (eating or coooking) and it is in temper--having survived the distribution process-- and you manage to melt it without raising the temperature over about 88 degrees (a little less for milk or white) and you don't get any trace of moisture or steam into it, you may be able to preserve he temper. Alas, even that is not as simple as it sounds.
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post #17 of 26
11/20/11 at 1:01pm
I think what the Cordon Bleu book meant by "eating chocolate" was not a type of chocolate but a reference to actually consuming chocolate. As in, "to eat chocolate requires no tempering" or "just eat it and enjoy." I used the phrase to refer to a Hershey bar because it seemed that the other poster had assumed that it was a category. And it could be!
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post #18 of 26
11/21/11 at 12:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmstreepey

I think what the Cordon Bleu book meant by "eating chocolate" was not a type of chocolate but a reference to actually consuming chocolate. As in, "to eat chocolate requires no tempering" or "just eat it and enjoy." I used the phrase to refer to a Hershey bar because it seemed that the other poster had assumed that it was a category. And it could be!


I looked at the "Le Cordon Bleu" book again and it is written under "melting chocolate". So, I'm pretty sure they mean the type of chocolate that is ready to eat and made for eating as is...as opposed to chocolate that is made specifically for cooking with does not need to be tempered. It's all confusing to me!!!
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Cambell
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We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Cambell
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post #19 of 26
11/21/11 at 3:21pm
Interesting! Thanks for looking that up!
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post #20 of 26
11/21/11 at 3:40pm
It also states...Eating chocolate is..."Glossy , hard , smooth and sold as confectionary, this varies widely in quality. Allow the cocoa butter content to be your guide"

Couverture..." This is not an 'eating' chocolate. It is dull in appearance. Temper it before use so it sets to a hard, glossy finish."

Baker's chocolate... " This a superior form of the common 'cookoing' chocolate. Not particularily flavorful, it is used mainly for decorative purposes."
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Cambell
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We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Cambell
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post #21 of 26
11/21/11 at 3:41pm
I wonder if by "melting chocolate" they mean "chocolate flavored melts" which do not contin cocoa butter and thus do not need tempering?

Hershey bars and other such do need tempering if you heat them above 90 degrees or so.
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post #22 of 26
11/21/11 at 3:42pm
Thanks Serena! I love learning new info like this.
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post #23 of 26
11/21/11 at 3:44pm
That would be 'cooking' chocolate... not 'cookoing chocolate'!! LOL
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Cambell
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We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Cambell
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post #24 of 26
11/21/11 at 11:08pm
Chocolate bars are already tempered. It is a final product to the consumer. Therefore it is in its proper crisp, shiny form.

If you purchase candy bars in fine chocolate, you will pay over $20.00 per pound. So if you want fine chocolate for coating, couverture chocolate is about half the price. But you must temper it yourself. Fine coating chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa butter than a chocolate that you would melt to go into a cake or frosting.

If you try to use fine chocolate other than couverture, you may not get that thin, shiny, crisp coating.

Before you attempt tempering, I would suggest getting a chocolate thermometer. They are at BB&B for about $20.00. Tempering on the stove with a double boiler is easier to control the temp because you can watch the thermometer.
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post #25 of 26
11/22/11 at 12:05am
Whether it is a Hershey bar or fine couverture, when you buy it, if it has been kept all thorough the distribution process at proper temperatures, it will still be in temper such that it will be shiny and break crisply. If, however, it has gotten too warm, it may have bloomed or otherwise not be in perfect temper. If you melt it to dip fruit or chocolate centers or whatever, and it goes over about 90 degrees it will lose it's temper and you have to re-temper it.

If you use the seeding method, the seed chocolate must already be in perfect temper for the process to work. Then you need the correct amount of seed and the correct amount of agitation.

The are differing theories as to whether the seed should be a big chunk or a lot of little chopped up pieces. The temperature curve is different for each kind of chocolate (milk, dark, or white) and even varies by brand. My Callebaut dark says to melt to 122 degrees, many brands say 115 for dark.

A good chocolate thermometer is a big help, but an infra-red thermometer is even better. Since you need to keep the mixture agitated, the fact that you only get surface temperature is not a problem. Constant stirring keep the temperature throughout the mixture even and you get a reading immediately, which makes life lots easier.
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post #26 of 26
11/22/11 at 3:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apti

Quote:
Originally Posted by MimiFix

Even if you are careful with tempering, it can be a finicky process not always with good results. As I wrote in that thread, I often use candy melts with real chocolate to avoid tempering. Combining the two not only adds a nice flavor to the melts but it also avoids the "morning after" problem we can see with tempering.



First time I've heard about mixing the two together



Quote:
Originally Posted by BlakesCakes

I love mixing them together--that way you don't have to temper the real stuff!

I mix about 1/3 coating choco with 2/3 real. I melt the wafers and then add in the chopped up real until it melts. I do it all in the microwave, making sure that I don't get the melts too hot (50% power for a minute, stir, repeat).

The result sets up nicely.

HTH
Rae



http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-656566-.html

HTH
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