Class 2: Pre-Crystallization – The Most Important Skill to Learn

The single most important technical skill when working with chocolate is learning how to pre-crystallize it. Whether you're making bonbons, cake decorations, or just your own chocolate bars, it all starts here. You might be wondering what pre-crystallization even means. Let me explain:

Pre-crystallization is about creating or introducing the right type of cocoa butter crystals into the chocolate. There are different ways to achieve this, and I’ll guide you through the most common methods. Of course, I'll also share the absolute best way to do it. Spoiler alert: you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen to pre-crystallize chocolate the best way possible.

Most people call this process tempering. But here and now, I’m making a case for using the correct term. Of course, you can call it whatever you like!

The common ways to pre-crystallize chocolate are:

• Tabling
• Mycryo
• Silk
• Seeding

In this first lesson on pre-crystallization, we'll focus on the tabling method.

Tabling might be the most classic way to pre-crystallize chocolate. It’s the method most people have seen "in action" and want to try themselves. My guess is that it gets shown off a lot because it looks more “exciting” than other methods. It’s also relatively quick, but it becomes tricky if you're working with larger amounts of chocolate since you need more surface area as the quantity increases.

So, how does it work? There are actually two slightly different approaches. Not to make things more complicated—honestly, they’re almost the same, except for one small difference.

Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Prepare Your Chocolate

Start by weighing the amount of chocolate you want to pre-crystallize. For this method, you'll need a metal scraper and a palette knife (or similar tool).

Melt the chocolate, either in a microwave or over a water bath (French: *bain-marie*). Be careful not to burn the chocolate—you can burn it no matter how you melt it. If you're new to this and using a microwave, avoid the highest setting. Start at around 600 watts and heat for one minute at a time.

Another tip: always start with the same amount of chocolate. That way, you'll get a feel for how the chocolate behaves and how long it takes to melt and reach the right temperature. Also, avoid working with very small amounts. The less chocolate you have, the faster you need to work. Make it easier for yourself! Use 600–800 grams of chocolate until you’re comfortable with the technique.

Don't forget—you can theoretically re-use the same chocolate over and over again, as long as you don’t burn it. So, don’t be afraid to mess up—that’s exactly how you learn!

Step 2: Melt the Chocolate

When melting white or milk chocolate, be extra careful. If it gets too hot, the milk proteins can burn, causing small lumps. That's definitely something you want to avoid.

You can melt dark chocolate to 45–50°C, while milk and white chocolate should be melted to 45°C. Some manufacturers claim you can heat milk and white chocolate to 50°C, but to be safe and avoid ruining your chocolate, stick to 45°C.

Once melted to these temperatures, the crystal structure will have broken down into a disorganized liquid form. Now, it’s time to create the right crystals again—that’s what pre-crystallization is all about.

Step 3: Choose Your Approach

At this point, you can choose between two approaches for tabling:

Method 1: Pour Out All the Chocolate

1. Pour all the chocolate onto your countertop, which needs to be made of stone or a similar material.
2. Avoid laminate or wood surfaces. Steel is also not ideal.
3. Spread the chocolate with a palette knife and scrape it back into a pile using the metal scraper.
4. Repeat this process until the chocolate reaches the desired temperature.

Two things happen here:

1. The chocolate and cocoa butter cool down, causing the fats to become supercooled, which creates the crystals we’re after.
2. The shearing forces from spreading and scraping help form crystals, though some unwanted crystals form as well.

To get rid of those unwanted crystals, you’ll need to gently reheat the chocolate to melt them, leaving only the desirable Type V crystals.

Once cooled, scrape the chocolate into a bowl and carefully reheat it—perhaps in the microwave. If you heat it too much, the chocolate won't crystallize properly.

Method 2: Pour Out Two-Thirds of the Chocolate

1. Pour two-thirds of the chocolate onto the countertop, leaving the rest in the bowl.
2. Once the chocolate on the counter reaches the right temperature, return it to the bowl.
3. The warmer chocolate in the bowl will gently heat the cooled chocolate, melting away the unwanted crystals while preserving the Type V ones.

Step 4: Heat with Care

If you're reheating the chocolate in a microwave, be extremely careful. It’s easy to overshoot the temperature. Heat just a few seconds at a time, stir thoroughly, and check the temperature. Repeat until you reach the correct working temperature.

Step 5: Target Temperatures

Here are the standard temperatures for most types of chocolate:

Wondering why milk and white chocolate need lower temperatures? It’s because the milk fat in these chocolates affects the cocoa butter, causing the crystals to melt and reform at lower temperatures. We’ll dive deeper into this in a future lesson.

Step 6: Finish Strong

No matter which method you choose, make sure to stir thoroughly in the final container. This helps spread the Type V crystals evenly, ensuring the chocolate crystallizes properly.

Once the chocolate is ready, it’s time to get creative! Fill your bonbon molds, make decorations, dip truffles, or create anything else delicious.

Step 7: Test Your Chocolate

If it’s your first time pre-crystallizing—or if you're feeling unsure—test the chocolate. Dip a small piece of parchment paper and wait. If it sets with a matte finish and no streaks after a few minutes, you nailed it!

Milk and white chocolate take a bit longer to set because of their milk fat content.

That’s it! Pre-crystallization might seem tricky at first, but with a bit of practice, you'll master it. And once you do, your chocolate work will become smoother, shinier, and much more satisfying.