Tempering Chocolate for a Professional Finish
Raw chocolate cools into a dull, streaky mess that softens the moment you touch it. Tempering forces the cocoa butter into its most stable crystalline form, ensuring your finished work stays firm and glossy.
Control the environment
Chocolate is sensitive to moisture and sudden temperature changes. Ensure your workspace is cool and every bowl is bone-dry; a single drop of water will cause your chocolate to seize into a grainy paste.
- Digital instant-read thermometer
- Large stainless steel bowl
- Wide saucepan
- Offset spatula
- Marble slab or granite countertop
What goes in.
- 1 lbHigh-quality couverture chocolate (chips or finely chopped bars)
Working on stone
Spreading molten chocolate across a cool stone surface allows you to drop the temperature rapidly and evenly while manually agitating the crystals, which is far more effective than just waiting for it to cool in a bowl.
The method.
Melt the chocolate
Place two-thirds of your chocolate in a dry bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir until the temperature reaches 115°F (46°C) for dark chocolate, or 110°F (43°C) for milk chocolate.
The cooling phase
Pour two-thirds of the melted chocolate onto your cool marble slab. Using the offset spatula and a bench scraper, spread and fold the chocolate repeatedly across the stone. Keep it moving until it thickens and drops to about 82°F (28°C).
Reincorporate
Scrape the cooled chocolate back into the bowl with the remaining warm chocolate. Stir gently. The residual heat from the warm portion will bring the overall temperature back up to 88-90°F (31-32°C) for dark, or 84-86°F (29-30°C) for milk.
Test for temper
Dip the tip of a knife into the chocolate and set it aside for three minutes. If it sets with a streak-free, glossy finish and snaps when you bend it, it is tempered.
Other turns to take.
Seeding Method
If you lack a marble slab, stir finely chopped room-temperature chocolate into your bowl of melted chocolate until the temperature drops to the target range.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Keep a hairdryer nearby to gently warm your bowl if the chocolate drops below the working temperature while you are still dipping.
If the chocolate becomes too thick or develops streaks, you have likely dropped the temperature too far; simply warm it slightly and stir vigorously.
Never use chocolate chips meant for cookies, as they contain additives that prevent proper crystal formation.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my chocolate turn gray?
The chocolate has 'bloomed,' which happens when the cocoa butter separates. This occurs because the chocolate was not tempered correctly or was stored in a space that was too warm.
How do I know if my kitchen is too humid?
If it feels sticky or muggy in your kitchen, do not attempt to temper chocolate. The humidity will interfere with the cooling process.
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