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I can tell that I’m out of it at work lately because I’m just not in tune with my chocolate! I have not been tempering very well at all lately and it’s bumming me out.
Tempering is the process of cooling down liquid chocolate while agitating it in order to encourage the growth of Beta crystals in the cocoa butter. Then heating it slightly to destroy bad crystals. The end result is a glossy chocolate that has snap and a smooth mouth feel. If you’ve ever left chocolate in your car and it melted, then cooled off and solidified, you would likely notice that is has a white look to it and feels weird when you chew it. That white appearance is known as “bloom” and in the case of too much heat, it’s a fat bloom. The cocoa butter got hot and out of temper and showed itself on the surface of your chocolate. Tempering is tricky and frustrating at times, but when it’s done well — it’s amazing. I am usually so good at it, but my head’s not in the game. Each chocolate has its own “personality” when it comes to temper and I’ve just been ignoring them. Need to get back in the game!!!