Tempering

A process of preparing chocolate that involves delicately heating, cooling and heating melted chocolate so that it will solidify with a stable cocoa butter crystal form. This process is used to prepare chocolate for coating and dipping.

Proper tempering, followed by good cooling, is required for good surface gloss, a pleasant mouthfeel and to prevent 'fat' bloom. A well - tempered chocolate will break cleanly, and be free of graininess.

The classic tempering method is to melt chocolate until it is lump free. Then a third of the chocolate is poured onto a marble slab, spread and worked back and forth with a metal spatula until it becomes thick and reaches a temperature of about 80°F. This chocolate is then added back to the remaining two-thirds of the melted chocolate and stirred. The process is repeated until the entire mixture reaches 88-92°F for semi-sweet chocolate, 84-87°F for milk or white chocolate. Care must be taken not to over temper chocolate, which brings it back to its original state - grainy and susceptible to fat bloom.