Tempered chocolate

It involves cooling liquid chocolate while agitating it until a small amount of cocoa butter crystallizes.

The liquid is then heated to maintain only the most stable crystal forms, which serve as nuclei for the rest of the cocoa butter to solidify around.

By the 1950s, the tempering process involved cooling chocolate to 86 °F (30 °C), until it was "mushy", then raised to 91.4 °F (33.0 °C) before it was molded.

[4][5] When these crystallize, they can form six different structures (traditionally named I through VI by the chocolate industry), and only one of these (V) produces the snap and gloss desired by consumers.

Of the forms the cocoa butter takes, ones that are more dense and have lower energy structures are harder to melt.

The milk fat lowers the temperature needed for the crystal to seed, reducing it to 84.9 °F (29.4 °C), compared to 94.1 °F (34.5 °C) for dark chocolate.

In the third and final, the temperature is raised, as any correctly formed crystals, which are heat resistant, will not melt in this stage.

Some machines include a final stage, where the nuclei are allowed to stabilize by continuing to shear and slowly heat the chocolate.

Initially poured on a cooler area, chocolate is mixed using a scraper, causing crystals to form.

This machine observes whether chocolate sets very quickly when cooled, indicating it has been successfully tempered.

It is desirable for enrobing and molding to have the chocolate begin to set at a higher temperature.