What Does it Mean to Temper Chocolate?
Tempering chocolate is the precise process of heating and cooling chocolate. Basically, it’s melting the chocolate and then cooling the chocolate so that it hardens to the perfect texture. This texture should be smooth, shiny, and hard enough to “snap” when broken apart. Tempered chocolate will hold its shape at room temperature and is important for dipping and making chocolate candies. Chocolate can be sensitive to temperature changes causing it to go out of temper. Once out of temper, the chocolate becomes dull, grainy, and soft. You have likely seen chocolate that has gray or white streaks on it. This is called “chocolate bloom” and indicates that the chocolate is out of temper. While the chocolate is perfectly edible, it’s not the same as tempered chocolate.
How to Temper Chocolate
There are three different ways to temper chocolate! Choose which method you would like to use.
How to Make a Double Boiler
Knowing how to make a double boiler is helpful because it’s an important part of all 3 methods. You can buy a double boiler pot, but this is an easy version using a pot and bowl you most likely already have!
How Do I Know If I Tempered My Chocolate Correctly?
Here are some simple ways to know if you tempered your chocolate correctly.
Use High-Quality Chocolate: The best chocolate for tempering is high-quality chocolate with higher cocoa butter content. Some good brands to look for are Couverture, Callebaut, and Guittard. Avoid Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips are made with less cocoa butter to prevent them from melting easily. If you attempt to temper chocolate using chocolate chips, you will most likely end up with streaks in it due to the lower cocoa butter content. Avoid Candy Melts, Coating Chocolate, and Almond Bark: These kinds of chocolate have added stabilizers to help them set up and look shiny, but are ineffective for tempering. Because they don’t require tempering they are a great option when you want a quick, simple way to melt chocolate for dipping or drizzling.
Use a Metal or Glass Bowl: Plastic and ceramic bowls will not work for tempering chocolate. Metal bowls cool the chocolate faster, which requires you to work more quickly to keep the chocolate from heating or cooling too fast. Glass bowls will retain the heat longer and extend the cooling process. The chocolate will also stay in temper for longer. Bowl Size: The bowl should be large enough to cover the top of the pot and sit on top of it, but not too large that it doesn’t sit well on top of it. Water Tip: Use about 1 inch of water when using the double boiler method. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water in the pot! Low Heat: Heat the water over very, very low heat. You want it steaming, but not simmering. The lower the heat, the more control you have over how quickly your chocolate will rise in temperature. Keep it Moving: Keep the chocolate moving! Agitating the bowl and constant stirring will help keep the chocolate more even in temperature. Patience: Patience is key when tempering chocolate. It can take several tries before it’s correctly tempered. Each step can take time to go through all the temperature changes, especially the cooling process. Babysit your chocolate closely, stir it frequently, and be patient. Seeding Tips: If you are using the seeding method, it’s important to note that the chocolate used to seed must be already in temper! You should use commercially bought chocolate that is still in temper, or if you are confident in your tempering skills you may use chocolate you have previously tempered and let fully cool and harden. Microwave Tips: If you use the microwave to melt your chocolate, set the microwave to 50% power and heat in 20-30 second increments, stirring thoroughly and temping between each increment so you don’t scorch the chocolate.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
15 mins
Chocolate Fondue
10 mins
Chocolate Covered Oreos
30 mins
Easy Chocolate Ganache
6 mins
