Before you think that tempering is too difficult for the average home chef, read why it is so important.
There are two types of chocolate available for purchase-real chocolate and chocolate coating. Understanding the difference between these two types is vital to appreciating the reason good chocolates are so decadent.
Real (couverture) chocolate contains only a few ingredients: cocoa butter, cocoa solids (chocolate liquor), sugar, milk solids, vanilla, and lecithin. The cocoa butter "wets" the dry chocolate particles and keeps them separated. When cocoa butter melts in the mouth at body temperature the chocolate is released from its suspension and stimulates the taste buds. The melting of the cocoa butter is responsible for the mouth feel or sensation of creaminess in good chocolate. Real chocolate, when properly tempered, will shrink as it sets up, making it ideal for molding applications. It also resists melting more than coatings, and is not usually easily marred by fingerprints.
Chocolate coatings are similar to real chocolate (couverture) in that it contains cocoa solids, sugar, milk solids, vanilla, and lecithin. However, either the amount of cocoa butter is reduced or it is entirely exchanged for vegetable fats. Vegetable fats are much cheaper to use than cocoa butter, have a higher melting temperature, and allow the chocolate to be molded without tempering. The flavor of the coating depends on that vegetable fat which usually does not melt at the appropriate body temperature often leaving the consumer with a "waxy" taste or texture. The primary reason coatings were developed was to allow mass production of inexpensive chocolate such as Hershey's because the machinery and time to temper the chocolate was eliminated, reducing the production cost.
Coatings are often used by the home chef to prepare confections because they are easy to work with. They melt easily and smoothly and they solidify with little or no effort. Remember that by using a chocolate coating, you are trading flavor and mouthfeel for effort. Most people who truly appreciate fine chocolates will notice if you use coatings. An additional problem that is inherent with using coatings is that hand dipped centers will usually fall through to the bottom, leaving a leaky hole. Also, making a molded, filled chocolate shell is nearly impossible with quality results. Coatings will melt and fingerprint when touched, making them tricky to package and store.
The benefits of using coatings to us are few, but one chief benefit is that they are easy to color and can be used to make very complexly colored pieces with detail because they set up quickly.
Before you use a coating such as almond bark, Wilton "chocolate", or others consider that the effort of using a higher quality chocolate for your masterpiece is always appreciated even by consumers who are not food connoisseurs.
We also teach classes on ganache, tempering, and homemade candymaking. Join us if you are in the area!
