Is couverture chocolate different to regular chocolate? 

The short answer is yes! Couverture and confectionary chocolate is different. Most chocolates on the premium market contain the same sugar, cocoa butter, and cocoa solids and milk solids. Some chocolate may also have vanilla to enhance the flavour of chocolate.

Confectionary chocolate used in industrially produced lines is similar to couverture chocolate but vegetable oil is used as a substitute as it has a longer shelf life with less heat risk. 

While on the other hand Couverture chocolate is produced with higher quality ingredients. A greater percentage of Cocoa butter can be found in couverture chocolates. The procedure to create couverture chocolate gives it a naturally smooth and silky appearance as the chocolate is ground to a finer texture. Cocoa butter is the most expensive ingredient in chocolate, and therefore Couverture chocolate is generally more costly than other types of chocolate. 

The cocoa butter allow the chocolate to melt faster, making it trickier to work with as it then becomes more heat-sensitive but more delicious to consume. Therefore, couverture chocolate is a popular choice to make treats such as pastries, truffles, and other confections.

Why does cocoa butter make couverture chocolate so unique?

Cocoa Butter is a natural fat derived from the cocoa bean. Cocoa butter is fantastic because it has a crystalline structure that is polymorphic. This means that the fat crystals in the cocoa butter behave differently at different temperatures. Therefore, Cocoa butter can improve taste and texture because cocoa butter melts at body temperature but is solid at room temperature. Due to the behaviour of cocoa butter, couverture chocolate needs to be tempered. If you have ever been into our Fremantle Chocolate shop and factory and looked through the viewing window you will be able to see two of our massive tempering wheels! 

Is tempering couverture chocolate important? 

Have you ever wondered what tempering is? If you have guessed it has something to do with temperature, you are correct! Tempering is the process of raising and lowering the temperature of chocolate to alter Cocoa Butter’s behaviour. When chocolate is not properly tempered it can be prone to:

• White streaks
• Spots and marks
• Blooming
• Featureless appearance
• Brittle
• Difficult to mould into shapes
• Melt quickly 

For example, bloomed chocolate:

While on the other hand, tempered chocolate should be easy to work with, have a glossy surface, a smooth and creamy mouthfeel, and above all have a satifying snap when you break a piece of chocolate.

Overall, tempered chocolate will affect the texture and appearance of the chocolate, but if you are planning to mix chocolate into baked items or anything where the appearance and texture of the chocolate don’t matter, then untempered chocolate will work fine! So, if your first attempt at tempering chocolate goes wrong, just bake some brownies; problem solved!

How to temper Couverture chocolate at home: 

• Rest a metal bowl on a saucepan with 1 inch of water.
• Ensure the bottom of the metal bowl is 1 inch above the surface of the water. Do not rest the bowl on the water.
• Reserve a quarter of the amount of chocolate you are tempering in a separate bowl for later.
• Bring the water in your saucepan to a simmer.
• Stir the chocolate until it has all melted.
• Bring the chocolate to 40C for Milk chocolate and 45C for Dark chocolate.
• Remove the bowl of your melted chocolate from the saucepan and wipe the steam from the bottom of the bowl.
• Now it is time to use the reserved chocolate!
• Add the reserved chocolate into your melted bowl of chocolate and stir until it is smooth. We do this to bring down the temperature of the chocolate.
• We need a temperature of 32C for Milk chocolate and 35C for Dark chocolate.
• Now your chocolate is ready!

At our factory

At our factory, we sell bags of milk, dark and white couverture chocolates that are perfect for tempering! Below you can see our 500g bags perfect for tempering chocolate!

For Fremantle Chocolate bags visit –

Couverture Chocolate Buttons – Fremantle Chocolate (freochoc.com.au)

 If you want to learn further, visit Charlotte Levy’s article. Charlotte’s article goes into detail about cocoa butter, tempering chocolate and more! It is certainly a good article for chocolate lovers! Find the article here – https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/74041/an-overview-of-the-crystallinity-of-cocoa-butter/

Conclusion

In conclusion, couverture chocolate is different from other chocolates on the market! The biggest difference being is that Couverture chocolate contains more cocoa butter. 

The product of the week is our 250g Rocky Road! You can find the product here – Rocky Road 250g Box – Fremantle Chocolate (freochoc.com.au)