How do I temper couverture?

General information on tempering couverture

When tempering couverture, the processing temperature and duration matter the most, in order to achieve the perfect melt. Therefore you have two options:

Tempering with temperature curve

1. Milk chocolate

Melt the couverture over a period of 12 hours. This is important to achieve the perfect melting of the cocoa butter:

• Heat the couverture up to +45°C/+48°C. Put a small part of the warm couverture aside as a reserve.
• Let the demanded amount cool down to +27°C/+28°C, while continuing stirring.
• Afterwards increase the temperature again until +29°C/+30°C, by adding warm couverture with a temperature of +45°C/+48°C and heating the mixture in a water bath.
• Please check that the couverture reaches a processing temperature of +29°C/+30°C and stir the mixture regulary to make sure that the temperature and the crystallisation remain constant.
• Keep in a cool, dry place at +16/+18°C and protect from sun.

 
As an alternative, there exists a faster method as well:

Tempering with vaccination method

The vaccination method, as confections call it, is an easy 3-steps-method to temper couverture:

• Melt two-thirds of the couverture up to +50/55°C in a water bath or put it into the oven (+55°C).
• Cut the remaining third into small pieces and put it into the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Put the warm chocolate off the water bath and mix it with the cold chocolate until it reaches a processing temperature of +29°C/+30°C. The definite processing temperature may vary, depending on how much cold chocolate is demanded.

As for dark and white chocolate, follow the same principles. However, the average processing temperature may vary as well:

2. Dark chocolate

The average procssing temperature of dark chocolate should be +31°C/+32°C. It depends mostly on the cocoa content: the higher, the warmer!

 
3. White chocolate

As for white chocolate, the average processing temperature should be +28°C/+29°C on average. It depends on the milk content and cocoa butter content.
 
Here you can find the definite processing temperatures of our Basic couvertures that are available at our online-shop: