Loading ...
Loading ...
Loading ...
10 CHOCOVISION REV V
FAQs
1. What is “pure” chocolate?
What is “compound” chocolate?
“Pure” chocolate (unsweetened) is produced
from the seed of the tropical cacao tree and
contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter
in varying proportions. Most consumed chocolate
is sweetened with sugar. Milk chocolate contains
sugar and some form of either condensed or
powdered milk. “White chocolate” contains
cocoa butter, sugar and milk but no cocoa
solids (thus is not truly chocolate).
Compound chocolate is a chocolate
replacement made from a combination of
cocoa, vegetable fats, coconut or palm kernel
oils, and sweeteners. Compound chocolate is
designed to simulate enrobed chocolate on a
product.
2. Why do I have to temper my
chocolate?
Cocoa butter is the fat in cacao that gives
chocolate its stable properties. To be
considered “real” chocolate, a chocolate bar
or chunk can contain only cocoa butter, not
any other fat. Cocoa butter is the reason that
chocolate must be tempered.
Cocoa butter is comprised of three to four fatty
acids, each of which solidifies at a different
temperature. When chocolate is melted, the
crystals of fatty acids separate. The objective
of tempering is to entice those separated fat
crystals of cocoa butter back into a stable form.
Proper tempering gives chocolate a smooth
and glossy finish, a crisp snap, and reduces
melting to the touch compared to untempered
chocolate.
3. What is seed chocolate?
The “seed” is tempered chocolate (chunks or wafers)
that should be set aside and placed behind the
baffle at the beginning of the temper cycle (your
machine will beep three times to indicate that your
chocolate has hit its melt-point and is ready for
-
tempering/seeding). These pieces of seed chocolate
act like magnets,attracting other loose crystals of
fatty acids together, beginning the crystallization
process that results in a proper temper.
Tempered chocolate melts at a much higher
temperature than untempered. The fat crystals are
locked together tightly and are resistant to developing
chocolate bloom.
4. What is bloom?
Chocolate bloom is visible by whitish-gray streaks
or spots on the surface of the chocolate, typically
caused by two things; moisture (sugar bloom) or
warmth (fat bloom).
Sugar bloom is caused by moisture which makes
the sugar in chocolate dissolve. Once the moisture
evaporates, sugar crystals remain on the surface.
Your chocolate will become sticky and discolored.
Although sugar bloom is most often the result of
humid storage, it can occur when stored in a cool
climate and moved too quickly to a warmer one.
Fat bloom is similar to sugar bloom, except that
it is fat or cocoa butter separating from the chocolate
and depositing itself outside of it. As with sugar
bloom, the most common causes of fat bloom are
quick temperature changes and overly warm storage.
Bloomed chocolate is edible. It just does not appear
as appetizing.
Loading ...