It is the necessary technique for those who are going to use melted chocolate to mold Easter eggs and bonbons or dip ganaches, honey bread or fruit. Well-done tempering guarantees a shiny and stable shell.
Passo a passo
Temperature, time and movement
These are the three variables that must be controlled throughout the tempering process. In a nutshell, tempering means moving melted chocolate around for a set amount of time until it reaches a specific temperature.
Quenching in a cold water bath – up to 500 g
Transfer the melted chocolate to a clean, dry bowl. Place it over another one containing fresh water (never cold) and move the dough non-stop, from the edges to the center, until it reaches the right temperature. On hot days, it is necessary to change the water in the container a couple of times. Always use a culinary thermometer to control the final temperature.
Tabling (Marble Tempering) – over 500 g
Pour the melted chocolate over a stone without porosity, clean and dry. Move from side to side, with the help of two metallic spatulas, until it reaches the right temperature.
Addition quenching – 500 g to 1 kg
Before melting, chop the chocolate and divide it into three equal parts. Melt two of them and chop the third again, until you get very small pieces. Transfer the melted chocolate to a clean, dry bowl and gradually add the reserved third part, stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely homogeneous and at the correct working temperature.
final tempering temperature
Each chocolate/icing has a specific tempering temperature, which you can check on the product packaging. For the white versions of Melken and Inovare, this temperature is between 27 °C and 28 °C. For Melken Semisweet, between 29 °C and 30 °C. For the entire Unique line and for the other versions of Inovare and Melken, the tempering temperature is between 28 °C and 29 °C.
More fluidity and shine
For an even better result, you can slightly reheat the chocolate after reaching the final tempering temperature. Take it back to the water bath or microwave at medium power (50%) for about 5 seconds, until it reaches 31°C.
temper test
You can test whether the tempering process was successful by covering the back of a spoon with the chocolate at the final working temperature. Take it to the fridge for 3 minutes: if it dries brightly, it’s ready to use. If it has blemishes, is opaque, or melts easily to the touch, melt and temper the chocolate again.
keeping the temperature
On colder days, try maintaining tempering temperature with a warm bain-marie, stirring the chocolate frequently to even out the temperature.
Why do you need to temper chocolate?
The melting process breaks up all the cocoa butter crystals that make up the chocolate bar or drop into its solid state. The tempering process is necessary to induce the formation of new crystals that are regular, that is, that fit perfectly, giving shine and stability when the chocolate returns to its solid state in the form of a bonbon/truffle shell or an Easter egg. .
For starters
At Inovare, cocoa butter was replaced by equivalent fats, which also require the tempering process. It tastes very close to chocolate and is much safer and easier to handle, ideal for those who are still unsure about carrying out the process.