How To Temper Chocolate
Servings: 1
Calories: 580kcal
Cost: $15
The basics or confectionery
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Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 Hair dryer
- 1 Digital thermometer
- 1 Tray
- 2 Frezer bags
Ingredients
- 2 kg Couverture grade chocolate discs dark/milk/white
Instructions
The Right Chocolate For Tempering
- Chocolate couverture is the one you want to use for tempering. Its superior quality ensures professional results in appearance, taste, and texture. The higher cocoa butter content makes it more fluid when melted, which is crucial for achieving thin, even coatings. If you're aiming for perfection in your chocolate creations, couverture is the gold standard!. Always temper a fair amount of chocolate – it's way easier to handle and it stays tempered longer. After the chocolate is tempered, keep the bain-marie on low heat ready to quickly rewarm your chocolate during coating bonbons. The use of a hair dryer is useful to warm up the surface of the chocolate, tools and bowl edges. One of my favorite chocolate brand is Domori chocolate and Sur Del Lago 74% from Agrimontana.
- Dark Couverture: Rich and intense, with a higher cocoa percentage (usually 60–80%).
- Milk Couverture: Creamy and sweet, with a mix of cocoa solids, milk solids, and sugar.
- White Couverture: Made from cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar, offering a creamy and buttery flavor.
Tempering Dark Chocolate
- Heat chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (bain-marie). Stir every so often to ensure even melting. Heat the chocolate to 50–55°C (122–131°F). Remove the bowl from the heat and cool to 27–28°C (80–82°F). This encourages the formation of stable cocoa butter crystals. Gently warm the chocolate over the bain-marie, stirring constantly, until it reaches 31–32°C (88–90°F). Be careful not to overheat, as it will break the temper. Dip a small piece of parchment paper or a knife into the chocolate and let it sit in the fridge. Properly tempered chocolate will set quickly, have a glossy finish, and snap when broken. Keep the chocolate at the working temperature (31–32°C) while using. If it starts to cool, gently reheat it over the bain-marie and use the hair dryer.
Tempering Milk Chocolate
- Melt milk chocolate to 104–113°F (40–45°C). Do not overheat. Remove the bowl from heat and cool the chocolate to 79ºF/26ºC. Gently reheat the milk chocolate to a working temperature of 86–88°F (30–31°C).
Tempering White Chocolate
- Melt the white chocolate to 100–104°F (37–40°C). Do not overheat, as white chocolate scorches easily. Remove the bowl from heat and cool the chocolate to 79–81°F (26–27°C). Gently reheat the white chocolate to its working temperature of 82–84°F (28–29°C). Do not exceed the cooling phase temperature.
Methods Used To Temper Chocolate
- There are a few known methods to cool and temper chocolate effectively, ensuring it achieves a glossy finish, a smooth texture, and a crisp snap. The seeding, tabling and refrigeration method.
Seeding Method
- Melt two-third of the chocolate to the temperature given above and according to the type of chocolate. Cool it down by adding the remaining finely chopped chocolate or pistoles. Rewarm to the required working temperature.How It Works: The tempered chocolate "seeds" stable crystals into the melted chocolate, promoting the proper crystalline structure.Advantages: Simple and clean; no special surface needed. Ideal for home bakers or small-scale tempered quantity.
Tabling Method
- Melt chocolate and pour about two-thirds of it onto a marble or granite slab. Use a scraper and palette knife to spread, cool, and work the chocolate until it begins to thicken. Add it back to the remaining warm chocolate. Rewarm to the required working temperature.How It Works: The physical agitation on the cool surface encourages the formation of stable beta crystals. Advantages: Provides great control over the tempering process. Preferred by professionals for its precision and speed. Tip: Requires practice to master the spreading and gathering technique.
Refrigeration Method
- While not typically used for tempering, refrigeration can help set chocolate quickly after it is tempered. Melt chocolate over a bain-marie. Refrigerate the melted chocolate for 10-20 minutes. Stir it every so often and when it begins to set the edges, rewarm to the required working temperature. Advantages: Convenient for cooling small batches ≈ 1.5kg/3lb.
Important Note On Reusing Tempered Chocolate
- Spread leftover chocolate onto a tray lined with parchment, acetate sheet, or an opened freezer bag. Let cool completely, and break the chocolate slab into pieces – save for latter use. Any chocolate that has already been tempered can technically be reused. However, the texture and behavior may change slightly due to repeated heating and cooling cycles. Consider repurposing it into chocolate mousses, glazes, or other pastry and dessert applications.
Nutrition
Serving: 100g | Calories: 580kcal
2 thoughts on “How To Temper Chocolate”
on the seeding method can you provide what is the ‘working temperature’ and what ranges should this method try to stay within?
Hi Michael,
Recipe updated! 🌝