Chocolate Primer 102: Be Temperamental!

About author / Rebecca Michaels

Queen of the desserts and pastry chef extraordinaire; graduate French Culinary Institute; Golden Scoop Award winner; Flying Monkey Bakery founder

Last week we discussed the different types of chocolate, their properties and what they're used for. This time, I thought we'd go over the several methods of tempering chocolate.

As previously mentioned, tempering refers to the process of heating chocolate to a certain temperature and then cooling it so that the fat crystals in the sugar reconfigure properly. This gives you a shiny, snappy chocolate that should 'set up,' or harden quickly and not melt at the touch of your fingers.

There are several methods for tempering chocolate, but before we begin, I must stress that chocolate is highly 'temperamental' to temperature conditions and should always be stored and worked with at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Either too cold or too hot, and you will end up with streaky gray chocolate, known in the industry as "bloom." So, never store your chocolate in the fridge; it won't change the taste, but it won't look as pretty. And chocolate is also very sensitive to smells, and will pick up any strong scents near it. Always store it in an airtight container, preferably in a dark cool spot.

There are three traditional styles of tempering: the classic method, the ice bath method, seeding, and a fourth more modern version and my personal favorite: the microwave method.

The classic method involves heating the chocolate in a double boiler to a temperature somewhere between 102 and 114 degrees (white and milk require lower temperatures than dark chocolate, but the actual degree really requires a little experimentation). Take 1/3 of the chocolate, pour it on a marble slab and turn it over semi-Benihana style with a chocolate scraper (or a spackling tool), back and forth until it has cooled to a gloppy consistency (about 80 degrees). Dump it back into the bowl and stir the mixture together. When the chocolate reaches 88.9, it is tempered and ready to use.

With the ice bath method, heat your chocolate up to the appropriate temperature and then place it over a bowl of ice water until it cools to below 90 degrees. Do be careful if you try this method, though, because if you get a drop of water in your chocolate, it will seize and be useless as far as tempering goes (you can still use it for ganache or baking).

In seeding, after you've melted your chocolate, add some fresh, already tempered chocolate to the melted chocolate. The crystals from the fresh chocolate will spread in the heated chocolate and will simultaneously cool it. You can combine the seeding technique with the other tempering techniques to double ensure that you'll have a good temper.

The final method is quite simple: instead of using a double boiler, simply melt your chocolate in the microwave slowly. Start by melting it on half power for a minute. Stir and then do the same in 30-second intervals until the chocolate has reached the desired temperature. Feel free to seed your microwaved chocolate too. This is the least fussy, and quickest method for tempering chocolate.

There is such a thing as a tempering machine, but even the home versions will run you in the range of $450 and up. They really are great because all you have to do is throw your chocolate in the bowl and press a couple of buttons and walk away. But because of their prohibitive expense, they are obviously only useful for people who do a lot of this sort of work.

So, that is chocolate in a nutshell. I'll be happy to continue this series if I hear clamoring from the peanut gallery. Feel free to email me with questions because this is a complicated topic. I've barely scratched its rich, creamy surface.

Happy Tempering!