cook · dessert · american

How to Temper Chocolate

Name: How to Temper Chocolate
Cuisine: american

Properly tempered chocolate shrinks cleanly from molds, breaks with a sharp snap, and stays glossy for weeks. Skip this step and your chocolate will bloom with white streaks and never quite set right.

Total time: 45 min
Hands-on: 30 min
Serves: enough for 1 lb chocolate
Difficulty: Intermediate

Before you start

Temperature precision matters more than technique

A degree or two off ruins the crystal structure. Work in a cool, dry room — humidity and heat are chocolate's enemies.

digital thermometer
double boiler or heatproof bowl
rubber spatula
clean kitchen towel

Ingredients

1 lb good quality chocolate, chopped fine
as needed water for double boiler

The seeding method

Reserve a quarter of your chocolate as seed

Keep 4 oz of chopped chocolate aside. This unmelted chocolate contains the stable crystals you want to encourage in the melted batch.

Step by step

Melt three-quarters of the chocolate. Place 12 oz chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir gently until it reaches 115°F for dark chocolate, 110°F for milk or white. Remove from heat.
Add the seed chocolate. Stir in the reserved 4 oz of chopped chocolate. Keep stirring steadily as the temperature drops. The unmelted pieces will cool the mixture and provide good crystal structure.
Cool to working temperature. Continue stirring until the chocolate reaches 84°F. Most of the seed pieces should be melted by now. The chocolate will look thick and glossy, not streaky.
Reheat gently. Return the bowl to the double boiler for just a few seconds at a time, stirring constantly. Bring dark chocolate to 88°F, milk or white chocolate to 86°F. Remove from heat immediately.
Test the temper. Dip a knife tip into the chocolate and set it aside for 2 minutes. Properly tempered chocolate will set with a glossy finish and snap cleanly when you break it.

Tips & troubleshooting

Use a digital thermometer that reads to the degree — analog thermometers are too imprecise for tempering
Wipe all equipment bone dry before starting — even a drop of water will seize the chocolate
Work in an air-conditioned room when possible — temperatures above 75°F make tempering nearly impossible
Tempered chocolate holds its temper for about 45 minutes while you work with it

Variations

Microwave method. Heat in 15-second bursts at 50% power, stirring between each burst. Same temperature targets, more control needed.
Marble slab method. Pour two-thirds of melted chocolate onto a clean marble surface, work with palette knife until cool, then mix back with warm chocolate.
White chocolate adjustment. White chocolate burns easily — keep maximum temperature at 110°F and working temperature at 86°F.

Questions

What happens if my chocolate goes out of temper while I'm working?: You'll see it start to look streaky or dull. Start the tempering process over from the beginning — there's no quick fix once the crystals break down.
Can I temper chocolate chips?: Most chocolate chips contain stabilizers that prevent proper tempering. Use bar chocolate or chocolate specifically labeled for melting and tempering.
Why does my tempered chocolate have white streaks after a few days?: That's bloom — either the chocolate wasn't fully in temper when you used it, or it's been stored somewhere with temperature fluctuations. Still safe to eat, just not pretty.