How to Melt and Temper Chocolate Correctly
by Holly Thomson
Melting chocolate is an essential technique used in a variety of recipes, so it’s important to understand some of the skills required. There are two different ways to melt chocolate:
- Over boiling water in a bain marie
- In a microwave
However, once melted, the cocoa butter crystals in chocolate become unstable. So if you simply melt chocolate without tempering it, you will have dull, soft, or streaky chocolate that crumbles rather than snaps.
By tempering, you can form stable chocolate structure, ensuring a smooth, glossy result.
How To Melt Chocolate
If using the bain marie method, set up a heat-proof bowl above a saucepan of boiling water. The bowl must not touch the water below. Watch as the couverture softens and begins to melt. Gently stir to encourage even melting. The benefits if the bain marie method is you can carefully assess temperature change with a probe.
Or, use a microwave. The benefits are that this is far quicker, but be very careful - it's incredibly easy to burn chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in a microwave-proof bowl on a very low heat for 10-20 seconds at a time, take it out and stir and then place it back in the microwave for 10 seconds until it’s fully melted.
Tempering Chocolate
What is the basic process of tempering?
- Melt the chocolate (as above) and heat it to a certain temperature
- Cool the melted chocolate (either by spreading it over a marble surface, over an ice bowl, or by adding more cold chocolate chips)
- Gently bring the chocolate back up to a higher temperature
Why Do We Temper Chocolate?
Tempering chocolate involves rearranging the cocoa butter crystals in order to give it a smooth, glossy finish. When you melt chocolate the easy way, you will often be left with a dull colour and texture due to the way the cocoa butter separates. Conversely, with tempered chocolate, the consistency is improved leaving you with a glossy finish and an enjoyable snap to the chocolate.
Tempering improves the visual finish of chocolate, and gives it a sharp snap once broken and improves the mouth feel. Cocoa butter can crystallise in 6 different ways in chocolate but only one formation, beta crystals, produce the desired shiny chocolate effect.
The process of tempering also prevents the cocoa butter from rising to the surface and 'blooming'. Bloom is a dull whitish covering which appears on the surface of chocolate if it hasn't been tempered. All chocolate will bloom over time but the process of tempering chocolate delays the bloom and hence preserves the chocolate’s shine and snap for longer.
What are the temperatures for tempering chocolate?
Tempering chocolate is all about precision temperatures. The chocolate needs to be melted carefully, then quickly cooled, then finally warmed again. You might have seen people moving melted chocolate across a large marble surface – and this is to cool the mix rapidly. See the table below for precise temperatures.
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Step-by-step guide on how to temper chocolate
- Place your broken couverture chocolate in a bain marie over a bubbling heat, until it has melted and reached 55°C (for dark chocolate), or 45°C- 50°C (for milk or white chocolate).
- Set aside a third of your melted mix and keep it somewhere warm.
- Now it must be cooled to 27°C. You can do this by pouring it over a marble slab and turning it over, or by putting your bowl over an ice bath. You can also add more unmelted couverture to the mix as this will reduce the temperature as its melts into the mix. Use your thermometer to track the temperature as it drops.
- Finally, reheat your mix to 31°C by pouring in the remaining third of the mix which has been kept warm. Now your chocolate is ready to pour into moulds or for dipping.
- To test that the chocolate is tempered dip a strip of baking paper into the chocolate and set aside. Once set the chocolate should be shiny.
Top Products For Tempering Chocolate
The Thermapen One incorporates a large digital display with a precise read-out of temperature over the range of -49.9 to 299.9 °C with a 0.1 °C resolution and an accuracy of ±0.3 °C. The resolution can be switched to 1°C, if required, via a switch in the battery compartment.
Create your own aesthetic that tastes amazing... Whether you're an experienced chocolatier creating something worthy of a Parisian shop window, or melting a chocolate extravaganza together with kids, the end result will certainly taste fabulous!
Made from 18/10 stainless steel, the bowl is hygienic and hard-wearing. Plus, it’s light enough to move around your counter with ease. Perfect for melting couverture over a bain marie.
Feeling inspired? Take a look at our collection of cooking chocolate products, or have a go at making these delicious chocolate and passion fruit popping candy tarts.
