Definitions for "CONCHING"
Keywords:  knead, cocoa, chocolate, gritty, plow
The milling and kneading of cocoa mass in its first stage of processing.
The process where the chocolate is repeatedly rolled and mixed in large vats called conches. The chocolate is kept at a stable temperature. The process removes moisture, unpleasant odours, acidity and enables complete emulsion of the cocoa butter into the cocoa paste. The result is a velvety smooth chocolate with no grittiness.
The conching machines knead the chocolate paste during controlled temperatures. This process develops flavors and changes the texture. It’s the last and most important refining process, which allows the separate flavors of the individual ingredients to combine. Conches [the paddles of the early machines resembled conch shells] are equipped with heavy rollers that plow back and forth through the chocolate paste, anywhere from a few hours to several days. Contemporary technologies can grind the chocolate particles extremely fine, which can reduce conching times. Swiss and Belgian chocolates, are conched as much as 96 hours. Some chocolates are not conched at all, or for only 4 to 12 hours. For more information, see “Making Chocolate From Magic Beans.