Theory 121/Chocolate tempering/Rate lens
Tempering Follows Cooling Rate
The claim
Correct temper is set by the rate of cooling through the crystallisation range rather than by the final temperature.
01Mechanism
Cocoa butter must form the stable crystal form; the cooling rate determines which polymorph nucleates first.
02Prediction
Temper should track cooling rate.
03Refutation
Temper tracking final temperature would remove the rate.