{"id":3880,"date":"2022-02-26T21:23:05","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T02:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bakingnook.com\/?p=3880"},"modified":"2022-05-06T09:00:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T13:00:06","slug":"best-ways-to-temper-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bakingnook.com\/best-ways-to-temper-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Best Ways To Temper Chocolate: A Full Step-By-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
This post contains affiliate links.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I think it’s safe to say that one of the most precious treasures of the culinary world is chocolate. It comes in all shapes, flavors, and sizes. However, one of the confusing things about chocolate is knowing how and when to temper it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a general rule, tempering chocolate is important to achieve a glossy and smooth finish. Cocoa butter starts to crystallize when tempering, causing a change in texture from cakey and soft to a crisp one. This is done by heating up the chocolate and making sure to constantly stir.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning how to properly temper chocolate has made all of my delicious creations look so professional! I have found a few different ways to temper chocolate, read on to see which works best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a whole, tempering chocolate makes it smooth and glossy while also preventing it from developing a waxy texture that happens when the fat in cocoa separates out. When you bite into tempered chocolate, there\u2019s a snap to it, and the chocolate is slightly crisp. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many effective ways to temper chocolate. Here is a list of the most effective ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To temper chocolate this way, start by either finely chopping your chocolate or grating it with a cheese grater. Add the chocolate to the double boiler\u2019s top pan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-thirds of your chocolate is sufficient. Then, heat that chocolate over hot water (the water should not be boiling).<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should constantly stir your chocolate until it reaches a temperature of at least 110\u00b0F (43\u00b0C) and no more than 115\u00b0F (46\u00b0C).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your chocolate reaches that temperature range, then you should place the top pan onto a towel and cool the chocolate until it reaches at least 100\u00b0F (37\u00b0C) and no lower than 95\u00b0F (35\u00b0C).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the chocolate is cooled, then feed in your remaining one-thirds of chocolate. Your chocolate is now tempered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n *By the way,<\/strong> the Double Boiler<\/strong> works great when you\u2019re trying to melt something like chocolate while heating up other ingredients. I recently wrote an article that gives a breakdown of the 3 Best Double Boilers<\/a><\/strong> that people use in each stage of their baking journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After reviewing these double boilers, the Best Overall Double Boiler<\/strong> was the\u00a0Stainless Series 2-Quart Covered Double Boiler<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0which worked great for the dessert needs in my kitchen.\u00a0You can check out this Double Boiler on Amazon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tempering chocolate in a microwave is my favorite method to use since it\u2019s so easy to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All you need to do to temper your chocolate in the microwave is first place two-thirds of your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and then microwave it on high for 30 seconds before stirring it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, you need to microwave it again for another 20 seconds and stir. If more time is needed to melt the chocolate, then you should heat it for an additional 10 seconds and stir, and continue microwaving it in 10-second intervals if more time is needed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You should continue to melt your chocolate in the microwave until small lumps of unmelted chocolate appear.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once only small lumps of unmelted chocolate remain, then you should continue to stir the chocolate yourself without putting it back into the microwave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure to stir well after each interval<\/strong> as the heat remaining in the chocolate should be able to meet a decent amount of it without you needing to use the microwave too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once all of your first batch of chocolate is melted, then you should add in your remaining one-thirds of chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This method, also known as the Tablier method, is one of the more classic techniques used by professionals that you can do in the comfort of your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is preferred to do this method on a marble countertop because it helps retain heat better<\/strong> but you can use any smooth surface. I actually bought my own marble pastry board just for this reason because I don’t have marble countertops!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I need to use a marble surface for tempering chocolate or rolling out pastry dough, I use the Fox Run 3829 Marble Pastry Board.<\/a><\/strong> This marble board has never let me down and is perfect for anyone who doesn’t have a smooth flat marble countertop.<\/strong> You can check out this Marble Board on Amazon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n To begin, chop your chocolate to make it easier to melt. Melt over a double boiler until it is nice and uniform in texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now here’s the interesting part; pour about 1\/3 of your melted chocolate directly on your counter or marble pastry board<\/em>. Using a pastry scraper or rubber spatula, smooth out the chocolate and scrape it around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using a candy thermometer, once your chocolate is around 83\u00b0<\/strong>F add it back to your bowl of melted chocolate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to see if you have successfully tempered the chocolate is by checking its sheen, or glossiness. Add some chocolate onto parchment paper and put it in the fridge for a minute or two<\/em>.<\/strong> If it’s nice and glossy, you have tempered chocolate like a pro!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seeding method, or the inoculation method, is one of the simpler methods of tempering chocolate. When I’m short on time or patience, I always choose this method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, set up your double boiler for melting the chocolate. Roughly chop the chocolate as you usually would for melting chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s the important part: Only add about 2\/3 of your chocolate to the double boiler.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the chocolate is fully melted, slowly add the rest of your chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, the main focus is the temperature of your chocolate. As you add the chunks of chocolate, the temperature will slowly decrease.<\/strong> Keep mixing until you reached the appropriate temperature (see table below for temperatures).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you have reached the appropriate resting temperature, we need to slightly reheat the chocolate to get it to working temperature. All you need to do is re-boil your water for the double boiler and pay attention to the temperature.<\/strong> Once you’ve reached the right temperature, it’s ready for use!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a table for the initial and reheating temperatures for different types of chocolate:<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow To Temper Chocolate? (Step-By-Step)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Double-Boiler Method<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Microwave Method<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Marble-Slab Method<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Seeding Method<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n