Master the art of tempering chocolate at home
Have you ever been so impressed with a piece of dessert or candy that you really wanted to replicate it to express what you would like to do with that version? In this guide we will teach you tempering chocolate and how you do it!
Well, for me it really started with the taste of a dark chocolate bark. The crunchiness of the nuts combined with the dark chocolate was so delicious. It felt like something I could be able to make easily with chocolate. But of course, it has a process called tempering which I would learn more with practice and time.
A good question might arise here. What is the need to temper the chocolate or why not just melt it. Well this is to ensure that the finished chocolate has a satin, glossy shine and a good snap.
Patience is the key to tempering chocolate since it involves care and working with certain temperatures. There are basically 2 ways to temper any kind of chocolate that allows using couverture chocolate. The first one is tabling or use of a marble slab, second one is seeding. I would leave the tabling method to professionals as you would need a large working space with a marble slab which most homes won’t usually be equipped with.
I found the seeding method easier to adapt to my kitchen and skills. Once you have mastered this skill there will be so many creative ways to use to create truffles, chocolate bars, fruit dipped in chocolate and other chocolate decorations.
Of course, I have to mention the trial and error that go in a process if one is willing to give it all.
So basically you will need the following to temper chocolate at home:
- A large heat-proof glass bowl
- A rubber spatula
- A kitchen thermometer
Ingredients:
- Dark chocolate couvertures 300gms.
- Any add-on ingredients such as dried fruit or nuts
Method
- Place two thirds of your required amount of chocolate into a mixing bowl.
- Fill a pan with water to create a bain marie (creating a double boiler by placing a bowl over a pot on heat).
- Allow the 2/3 of the chocolate to melt on the mixing bowl. The temperature of the chocolate should be at 55°C. Once fully melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan and place on a towel or cloth.
- Now while mixing vigorously, add the remaining one third of the chocolate. Keep mixing until fully melted and until the chocolate cools to 27-28°C, this is when the chocolate begins to crystalize.
- At this point place the bowl back onto the heat until the temperature reaches 31-32°C, this is the working temperature and the chocolate is now ready to use.
- Dip the end of a knife or spatula into the chocolate and allow to set. If the chocolate is smooth, glossy and brittle when set then you have mastered seeding tempering.
