Hello:
I am new to chocolate and just read that it's possible to add cocoa butter when tempering to make the chocolate more shiny and improve taste. Can anyone comment on whether this is a good idea? I would like to know before starting to do this in case it's wont' turn out.
Thanks and have a wonderful holiday season!
Julie
Personally, I don't think it's a good idea at all, and it certainly won't improve taste. In fact, adding cocoa butter in most cases will MUTE the taste of the chocolate.
Brad - Callebaut has been pushing this idea. Not surprisingly, they suggest using their "Mycryo" brand of cocoa butter. It probably works, and for a home hobbyist it might very well be an easier method. I don't know; I haven't tried it myself.
I wouldn't imagine too many professionals would go this direction however. And chocolate makers would probably be dead set against it, since they have already made their chocolate with whatever cocoa butter content they think it should have.
There is a difference between adding cocoa butter and adding Mycryo. With Mycryo you are adding beta crystals, not just cocoa butter. Of course the cocoa butter is the beta 5 crystals, but just plain cocoa butter isn't the same thing.
Callebaut's reasons are self serving to say the least.
At no time do I advocate adding cocoa butter during the tempering process, whether it's properly crystalized or not. For the most part, the viscosity of a good couverture can be controlled by temperature and crystalization.
My philosophy is simple: You wanna work with chocolate? Learn to temper chocolate.
Having said that, I have attached to this post an EXCELLENT document I have written on tempering chocolate. Why is it excellent? Because it makes tempering chocolate simple, and tells you all the things that online posts don't tell you.
This document makes tempering chocolate so simple that I taught my dog, and he how holds courses on chocolate tempering! LOL
DON'T CHEAT. LEARN TO TEMPER CHOCOLATE!
All chocolate works under the same principles, whether milk, dark, or white. You just need to keep in mind that in the case of white chocolate, there are more "tiny bits" separating the cocoa butter crystals, so it takes longer to crystalize. That's all.
Brad,
Very helpful document. You mention that one should not let the tempered (dark) chocolate go above 95F. How low can it go while one is working with it?
In connection with another post about over-tempered chocolate you wrote about melting additional chocolate then bringing it down to the working temperature to add to the bowl of chocolate that is thickening too much, and I asked a question: I was using Valrhona white chocolate and (as usual) it began to thicken as I filled molds. So I added some of the chocolate I had melted (untempered) and then cooled to 84-86 F., and it successfully thinned out the chocolate in the bowl. But it lasted only a short time, and when I added more untempered chocolate, it did no good. In my work this problem occurs mostly with white chocolate, and I am not sure what more I can do. Any ideas?
Working with chocolate in small batches (by hand) is like shooting at a moving target; you always have to be making minor adjustments in order to keep the viscosity consistent.
Here are a couple of hints that may help:
1. White chocolate takes longer for the beta crystals to propogate appropriately, as there are more "non-cocoa" particles in it. You need to have more patience.
2. When you see your chocolate start to get thicker than you would ideally like, hit it for a moment or two with a blow dryer, and stir like crazy.
3. Don't wait until the chocolate is unbearably thick (over tempered). Make constant adjustments as you go, but keep in mind that you need to stir it very well.
I'd type more, but I'm on hour 16 of today's version of Christmas insanity and I desperately need food. Hope that helps.
Brad
...PS.... When you think you've stirred enough, Well... You haven't. 
Even in my very-limited-production chocolatiering, I have an idea of what the Christmas insanity is like for someone who is actually in the business, so I appreciate that you took the time to respond. I will give your suggestions a try. Thanks very much.
Jim
