Tips for Tempering Chocolate

August 1, 2023

Chocolate is a wonderful treat that we all love, with its smooth texture and mouthwatering taste. But do you know there's a secret to making it look and taste even better? It's called "tempering chocolate," and it's like magic for your sweet creations.

Tempering Chocolate

Tempering chocolate is a special way of handling chocolate to make it super smooth and shiny. It's like giving your chocolate a makeover! The process involves carefully heating and cooling the chocolate to make sure it stays stable and keeps its delicious texture.

Why is it Important?

Ever seen chocolate that looks dull and feels grainy? That's because it wasn't tempered properly. This is also known as chocolate bloom. This happens when the cocoa butter crystals separate and make the chocolate look uneven and streaky. Plus, untempered chocolate melts easily, making a big mess.

Tempering chocolate is super important because it makes the chocolate look and taste awesome. When chocolate is properly tempered, it becomes stable and can be used for making all sorts of yummy treats, like truffles, molded chocolates, and dipped fruits and nuts. So, it's not just about looks, but also about getting that perfect texture and keeping it fresh for longer.

Different Ways to Temper Chocolate

There are various ways in tempering chocolate. You can use your microwave or mix in pieces of unmelted chocolate with the melted one. It might take a bit of practice, but trust me, it's worth it!

There is the traditional method called tabling (seeding), where you melt about two-thirds of the chocolate until it reaches a specific temperature. Then, you cool it down by adding small pieces (seeds) of unmelted chocolate. These seeds help create the right kind of crystals in the chocolate, making it properly tempered.

You can also do this in the microwave! This is a simpler version of the tabling method. You use a microwave to melt the chocolate in short bursts. Once most of it is melted, you stir in unmelted chocolate to help with the tempering process.

In big chocolate-making places, they use tempering machines where they melt, cool, and temper the chocolate automatically, making lots of perfectly tempered chocolate. The machines carefully control the temperature to get it just right.

There is also a special cocoa butter product called Mycryo and you just stir in the recommended amount of seed crystals at the right temperature. Some professionals prefer this way because it's easier and more consistent.