How to Temper Chocolate
Gather your equipment, and preferably one to two pounds of chocolate., Fill one of your bowls with ice water., Place your chopped chocolate in the dry, stainless steel bowl., Heat the chocolate slowly until it reaches a temperature of...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your equipment
Chop your chocolate into small pieces, or use chocolate disks, sold by many manufacturers at gourmet stores or online from professional chocolate suppliers.
The more chocolate you use, the easier the process is to manage.
Try to chop your chocolate as uniform as possible.
Chocolate that's uniformly chopped will melt evenly and lower the risk of scorching.
If you want, you can use a serrated knife to cut the chocolate into even chunks, or you can look for chocolate chips that are evenly molded.
Set aside approximately 1/3 of the chopped chocolate for later use.
It will not be used in the initial double-boiling. -
Step 2: and preferably one to two pounds of chocolate.
Fill it just full enough so that your other bowl — your bowl with chocolate — will rest nicely inside without spilling the water. , Melt it gently over a pot of very gently simmering water by resting the bowl on the top of the pot of water.
The bowl should be bigger than the pot and should not be submerged in the water, but resting on the edge of the pot.
Do not bring the water underneath the chocolate to a boil.
Also, don't rush the melting by turning up the heat on the stove.
Trying to melt the chocolate too soon will cause it to scorch, ruining the taste and the tempering process.
Be careful not to allow any water to get in the chocolate, or it will seize.
This is very important. , Place the bowl of melted chocolate into the bowl with ice water, and begin to stir slowly but constantly.
Once it begins to thicken and reaches a temperature of 95°–100°F, crystallization or "tempering" is occurring, and you can remove it from the cold water. , Incorporate the two forms of chocolate so that the final mixture is smooth. , It should set up hard, firm, and shiny with 2 to 3 minutes, in a 65°-72°F environment.
If it appears spotty or dull, you need to continue stirring, applying heat or cold as necessary to keep it soft and workable, but not too thin.
It should feel cool to the touch; a good test spot for temperature is to place a dot on your lower lip.
If it feels cool, the temperature is probably about right. , When the chocolate sets quickly, uniformly, with good shine and no spots, it is ready to use.
You can fill molds, make bark, dip dried fruits, biscuits, cookies, or anything else with it.
You can flavor it with fat-soluble oils (mint, lemon, orange, etc.) as well. -
Step 3: Fill one of your bowls with ice water.
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Step 4: Place your chopped chocolate in the dry
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Step 5: stainless steel bowl.
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Step 6: Heat the chocolate slowly until it reaches a temperature of 110°–115°F.Once the chocolate is fully melted it should feel warm to the touch.
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Step 7: Add the remaining 1/3 of untempered chocolate to the melted chocolate and stir.
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Step 8: Start test for temper or crystallization at 90°F by dipping a spoon into the chocolate.
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Step 9: Check for tempering.
Detailed Guide
Chop your chocolate into small pieces, or use chocolate disks, sold by many manufacturers at gourmet stores or online from professional chocolate suppliers.
The more chocolate you use, the easier the process is to manage.
Try to chop your chocolate as uniform as possible.
Chocolate that's uniformly chopped will melt evenly and lower the risk of scorching.
If you want, you can use a serrated knife to cut the chocolate into even chunks, or you can look for chocolate chips that are evenly molded.
Set aside approximately 1/3 of the chopped chocolate for later use.
It will not be used in the initial double-boiling.
Fill it just full enough so that your other bowl — your bowl with chocolate — will rest nicely inside without spilling the water. , Melt it gently over a pot of very gently simmering water by resting the bowl on the top of the pot of water.
The bowl should be bigger than the pot and should not be submerged in the water, but resting on the edge of the pot.
Do not bring the water underneath the chocolate to a boil.
Also, don't rush the melting by turning up the heat on the stove.
Trying to melt the chocolate too soon will cause it to scorch, ruining the taste and the tempering process.
Be careful not to allow any water to get in the chocolate, or it will seize.
This is very important. , Place the bowl of melted chocolate into the bowl with ice water, and begin to stir slowly but constantly.
Once it begins to thicken and reaches a temperature of 95°–100°F, crystallization or "tempering" is occurring, and you can remove it from the cold water. , Incorporate the two forms of chocolate so that the final mixture is smooth. , It should set up hard, firm, and shiny with 2 to 3 minutes, in a 65°-72°F environment.
If it appears spotty or dull, you need to continue stirring, applying heat or cold as necessary to keep it soft and workable, but not too thin.
It should feel cool to the touch; a good test spot for temperature is to place a dot on your lower lip.
If it feels cool, the temperature is probably about right. , When the chocolate sets quickly, uniformly, with good shine and no spots, it is ready to use.
You can fill molds, make bark, dip dried fruits, biscuits, cookies, or anything else with it.
You can flavor it with fat-soluble oils (mint, lemon, orange, etc.) as well.
About the Author
Carolyn Ferguson
Committed to making practical skills accessible and understandable for everyone.
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