- While tempering chocolate, it is essential that you follow the correct procedure; otherwise it may burn or separate. Many people think that tempering is the same thing as melting it. However, even though tempering calls for melting the chocolate, the two procedures are not the same. Thus, before we get into the actual procedure for, here is a look at what tempering means.What Is Chocolate TemperingTempering is a method of liquefying chocolate through a process that entails melting of chocolate, cooling it, and then again melting it so as to stabilize the cocoa butter present in the chocolate and allow it to harden properly, thus bringing about the correct solidification when cooled.What this essentially means is that unlike melting where the chocolate is simply brought to a liquid state through gradual heating; tempering involves cooling and then reheating to the precise temperatures, so that the it hardens properly, achieves a glossy shine, and does not bloom (formation of cocoa butter layer on the cooled chocolate, resulting in a white powdery look like what you see in chocolate delight pudding dessert).
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Step-by-Step Guide to Tempering Chocolate1. Cut the chocolate into about 1/4th inch pieces and place in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, you can improvise by using a saucepan to hold the water in and put a metal bowl on top wherein the chocolate goes. Make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the metal bowl as it boils.2. Heat the water and melt the chocolate till it reaches a temperature of 113 to 118 degrees F. Stir the chocolate regularly so that the cocoa butter does not separate from the chocolate. Use a chocolate thermometer or a candy thermometer to avoid over heating or burning of the chocolate. It is important to use a thermometer to check the temperature as the chocolate can burn if overheated even by a few degrees.3. Once the chocolate has melted, cool it until it reaches temperatures of about 82-84 degrees F for white and milk chocolate, and 85-86 degrees F for dark chocolate.4. Put the chocolate back on the double boiler and heat once again until temperatures of 87-88 degrees F for white or milk chocolate and 88-90 degrees F for dark and bitter chocolate.The tempering procedure is now complete. You can check if it has been tempered properly by applying a layer of chocolate on butter paper. After about 5 minutes, the chocolate should peel off easily from the paper. If it does, then the chocolate has been tempered properly.By following these steps precisely, you can rest assured that your chocolate will be tempered in the right way.
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