Chocolate Tempering MachinesA complete guide to chocolate tempering machines and making chocolate candies

Chocolate tempering machines:
Taking the guesswork out of chocolate making

Chocolates come in many different forms:

Dark chocolate consists of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, with sugar added for flavor. It has a bitter aftertaste, depending on the amount of cocoa solids in the bar. Extremely dark chocolates can have up to 80% cocoa solids. Vanilla maybe added for additional flavor. It is also called semi-sweet, sweet dark or unsweetened chocolate.
Besides the components found in dark chocolate, milk chocolate has milk added (usually full cream or condensed milk) along with vanilla.
White chocolate is made of cocoa butter, milk, vanilla, and sugar. It doesn’t contain any chocolate liquor at all; purists don’t consider it chocolate but because of its cocoa butter, it still has to undergo tempering for a polished finish.

All three undergo tempering to obtain the qualities of a fine chocolate: deep gloss, velvety mouth-feel, crisp “snap” when broken or bitten into, long shelf life, bloom-free, and heat resistance. The process is necessary because they all have cocoa butter that crystallizes in different forms at different temperatures. A badly-tempered chocolate will be dull, crumbly, melts easy, doesn’t keep long, and prone to grayish surface splotches.

For a one-off chocolate making mission, a double boiler or electric skillet; a reliable temperature; razor-sharp presence of mind; and long-suffering patience are enough to counter chocolate’s predilection to losing tempers during the shaping and molding work of transforming them into candies and confections.

For large-volume manufacturers and producers however, tempering has to yield the same consistent quality that their products are known for. There are artisanal chocolatiers who’ve perfected tempering chocolates so much that they can work with large batches successively and still produce standardized results, without losing rhythm. Others are not as lucky so they automate tempering—particularly the melting, cooling, and re-heating cycles that it demands—to achieve desired stock.

The tempering equipment that these large-volume chocolate makers use however is quite huge, easily handling five hundred pounds of chocolate in an hour. A chocolate professional working in medium scale or an entrepreneur selling from home needs smaller-capacity machines to automate the process.

Thankfully enough, manufacturers have come up with countertop counterparts to these industrial chocolate tempering machines and—depending on the size of your operation and the amount of investment you’re willing to put in—are very affordable.

So, what’s a tempering machine?

A chocolate tempering machine is a countertop electronic mixing and heating pan or appliance that automates the process of forming the desirable Type V crystals of high quality chocolates. A computer chip dictates temperatures; with the chip pre-programmed to “walk” the chocolate through its tempering paces—melting, cooling, and reheating—while mixing the chocolate in a regulated manner.

It is especially useful for homes and small businesses with space-constrained work areas, and for workplaces that have high humidity issues.

Why you may need one

The combination of heating to the exact temperature for different chocolates and mixing just the right amount cause the right crystals to form. A computer-controlled, chocolate tempering machine can keep chocolate in the tempered, melted stage for hours at a time, allowing you to make candies without tending to the tempering process constantly.

To temper chocolate without a chocolate tempering machine, you would use a double-boiler, a candy thermometer that can register temperatures as low as 82.4ºF (28ºC), and a rubber spatula. But even tiny variations in the temperature of the chocolate will spoil the outcome, over-mixing will cause the fats to separate, and under-mixing will prevent the Type V crystals from forming!

Additionally, even if the chocolate is tempered successfully, you must keep it heated at precise levels to keep it tempered while making your candies. If you have made homemade chocolates without a chocolate tempering machine before, you’ll readily appreciate the work these machines do and the time left free to enjoy the candy-making process.

What to consider when buying chocolate tempering machines

There are several reasons to tick off when buying chocolate tempering machines.

Initially, you’d want to take into account how often your outfit (or you) produces chocolates and by how much. If you’re a restaurant with a praline/chocolate section or you’re a home-based operation with regular orders, for example, a chocolate tempering machine may just be one of the more important investments you’ll make.

Besides streamlining production, chocolate tempering machines will ensure that you’re consistently churning out chocolates of the same quality. Especially for chocolate candy makers, product variations can be quite easy to spot, particularly for repeat customers. Inconsistencies in the end product, as in other enterprises, can be a sign of sloppy handiwork that sends the wrong message to clients.

Most countertop chocolate tempering machines can temper between 1-10 pounds of chocolate in a single, one-hour cycle. Check if such capacities fit your operation’s necessities. You’d also want to take into account the number of people who’ll use it and how often the machine will work. You may want an appliance that can withstand the wear and tear of frequent usage and lots of users.

Additionally, your production hours may play an important role in your choice of machines. There’s the Revolation 2 or Revolation x3210 that has built-in, overnight standby modes that you may want to exploit.

Lastly, of course, you’ll have to think about the amount of investment you’re willing to shell out. Then again, chocolate tempering machines pay for themselves in the long run, especially in terms of efficiencies. You’ll just have to weigh your willingness to put yourself through the tedious labor of tempering chocolates by hand against having all the time to come up with more creative designs as well as packaging your chocolate confections to an adoring public.

Popular chocolate tempering machines

For the beginning candy maker
ChocoVision’s Revolation 1 is a basic tabletop tempering machine that’s especially suited for the homemaker or the enthusiast who plans to make chocolate candies for special occasion gift-giving. It has separate settings for white, milk, or dark chocolates and tempering takes only a two-button process. It can work 1.5 pounds of chocolate at a time, and most users are comfortable with the capacity as the whole tempering process takes only about 20 minutes or so.

Operating the Rev 1 is quite simple; instructions are printed right on the machine. You won’t need to monitor temperatures constantly since its built-in computer controls the whole tempering cycle, allowing time to focus on making your chocolate confections.

There is also the ACMC Tabletop Temperer designed for continuous operations. Quieter than the Rev 1, it has a digital temperature setting and readout, using a couple of 100-watt lamps as heat source. The removable 5-quart stainless steel bowl can temper anywhere from one to six pounds of chocolate. Front panel controls and digital displays allow monitoring operations with ease.

For the intermediate user
If you’ve had experience tempering chocolate by hand and you want to automate the whole process, the Revolation 2 may be ideal for your needs.

Rev 2 has the same dimensions, capacity and basic features as the Rev 1, but the former was made with the seasoned candy maker in mind, with a digital temperature display (Fahrenheit or Celsius) that you can adjust. The unique overnight (standby) mode allows you to hold chocolates overnight for the next day without losing tempers. The model also allow you to pause the process, which the Rev 1 doesn’t have, if you’ve half a mind to tinker with the tempering cycle.

For bigger production facilities
If your operation requires more than the 1.5-pound capacities of the Rev 1 or Rev 2, then the Revolation x3210 may just be what you need. Made of stainless steel, it has all of the features of the Rev 1 and Rev 2. More, it can temper anywhere from three to 10 pounds of chocolate in an hour. Its microprocessor is able to control temperatures up to 2/10th of a degree. Just like the Rev 2, it has a pause function and an overnight standby mode.

While there are other chocolate tempering machines in the market, these are the more popular and trusted among chocolate professionals and chefs. In the long run, chocolate tempering machines are good investments, particularly if you’re a commercial chocolate maker, because they consistently and efficiently produce high quality chocolates every time.