TEMPERING “The exit temperature can
be accurately controlled and set as low as 27°C without
compromising the tempering and quality of crystals”
Tempering: getting it right time and time again
Suzanne Callander set out to find out more about tempering challenges and whether the role of the master chocolatier is still relevant in today’s increasingly automated world
T
empering plays an important role in ensuring the right texture and look of finished chocolate products. While chocolate providers will usually give recommended working temperatures for their chocolate, there are other variables that need
to be considered to ensure perfect tempering. Kennedy’s Confection asks Henrik Folmer, Technical Sales Manager for Chocolate Solutions at Aasted, how these variables might affect the finished product? He says: “Traditionally, the optimal temperature for tempering chocolate has always depended on the desired final product. For example, if you intended to use the chocolate for enrobing a sweet or cookie, the temperature of the tempered chocolate would need to be at the higher end to keep a liquid consistency and, as a result, it would provide a thin layer of chocolate on the product. Of course, the chocolate also needs to be well-tempered to ensure the enrobed chocolate is glossy, gives a crisp break, and has a long shelf life.” Today, however, Henrik says that with modern tempering technology, the answer to the question about the ideal chocolate working temperature is changing. With Aasted’s latest developments there is now almost no correlation between the degree of tempering and the chocolate output temperature in the tempering machine. “For many production processes, the operator is now able to choose a lower temperature for the freshly tempered chocolate, allowing for a shorter cooling time in the production line and thereby saving energy.” Aasted was one of the pioneers of the tempering process, having created the world’s first patented continuous chocolate
22 Kennedy’s Confection November 2022
plate temperer in 1946. In more recent history, Henrik points out that the company has continued to innovate when it comes to the tempering process with the introduction in 2011 of its SuperNova Energy product. He says: “Unlike traditional tempering machines, pre-crystallising in the full stream, the chocolate flow through the SuperNova Energy, after initial cooling, is divided in two. Only one-third of the chocolate is exposed to further cooling and shearing – also known as the pre-crystallising step – while the rest of the chocolate bypasses the pre-crystallisation zone.” The two chocolate flows are mixed again in the final stage
of the process. In principle, this is a very similar process to what happens during traditional hand tempering on a marble worktop. “This process enables an output temperature of the chocolate that is between 1°C and 2°C higher, compared to that of more traditional tempering machines,” explains Henrik. “And it leaves the chocolate exclusively with B5 crystals in a denser structure, which results in a constant flow of perfectly tempered chocolate, ensuring ideal liquidity,” continues Henrik.
Low energy consumption
This tempering process also results in lower energy consumption – which is becoming an ever more important consideration as the cost of energy continues to rise. The solution can achieve lower energy consumption because only one-third of the chocolate is actually exposed to only cooling through the machine, and so excessive cooling followed by reheating of the chocolate is no longer needed.
KennedysConfection.com
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