Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (2024)

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Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (19)Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (20)

Techniques for Tempering Chocolate

Our experts share advice for melting chocolate for baking and candy-making perfection.

Chocolate Tempering

Proper “tempering”—heating and cooling chocolate to stabilize it for making candies and confections—gives chocolate a smooth and glossy finish, keeps it from easily melting on your fingers, and allows it to set up beautifully for dipped and chocolate-covered treats.


How to Temper Chocolate

Watch your temperature! Use a candy thermometer to avoid heating chocolate above 130°F. Chocolate is very sensitive to heat and will scorch or seize easily.

Be sure that your work surface, pans, and tools are absolutely dry before melting chocolate. Even a drop of water or other liquid can cause chocolate to “seize up”

Read on for our expert advice on the best methods for tempering chocolate.

Tempering Chocolate Method 1

Grate or chop the desired amount ofchocolate. Place two-thirds of the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler. Heat over hot but not boiling water, stirring constantly, until chocolate reaches 110°–115°F.

Place the top pan of the double boiler on a towel. Cool chocolate to 95°–100°F. Add the remaining chocolate to the top pan, stirring until melted. The chocolate is now ready to be used for molding candies, coating, or dipping.

Tempering Chocolate Method 2

Starting with a pound of broken chocolate, melt two-thirds of the chocolate over indirect heat, such as in the top pan of a double boiler. Melt just until the chocolate is liquid and smooth (at 110°–115°F).

When it is smooth, add the remaining one-third of broken chocolate and heat again until the entire chocolate becomes smooth.Pour the chocolate onto a marble or other cool, smooth, non-porous surface. Using a spatula, scrape and stir the chocolate across the surface to smooth and cool it. When the chocolate cools to 80°–82°F, return it to the top pan of the double boiler. Place over hot, not boiling, water. Heat and stir constantly, until it reaches 87°–91°F. Remove the top pan of the double boiler. The chocolate is now ready to be used for molding candies, coating, or dipping.

Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (21)Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (22)

Techniques for Melting Chocolate

PRO TIPS TURN OUT PROFESSIONAL-QUALITY CREATIONS IN NO TIME.

Chocolate Melting

Melting chocolate doesn't have to be a challenge. With the proper technique, it can be a smooth operation, and you'll have a velvety pool of luxurious Ghirardelli chocolate in no time. Our experts share advice for the best ways to melt chocolate.

How to Melt Chocolate

  • Break or cut chocolate into small (½ inch) pieces for even melting. Stir gently and frequently while melting.
  • Melt chocolate over low or medium-low heat or use a double boiler. Chocolate burns easily, so it's best to melt chocolate slowly.
  • Be sure that your work surface, pans, and tools are absolutely dry before melting chocolate. Even a drop of water or other liquid can cause chocolate to seize up.

Read on for the best ways to melt chocolate.

Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (23)Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (24)

Double Boiler

  • Breakchocolateinto small pieces, and place in top pan of double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. A glass or metal mixing bowl on top of a saucepan half-full of water works as a stand-in if you don’t have a double boiler on hand.
  • Allow chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Direct Heat

  • When you’re adding chocolate to a batter or melting with butter, the direct heat method works well, but it’s not the best choice for molding or dipping chocolate.
  • Place chopped or broken chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat and stir constantly to avoid scorching. Remove from heat when only small lumps of chocolate remain, and stir until completely melted.

Microwave

  • Place chocolate in microwave oven in a heatproof glass bowl or container and heat at medium power (50 perfect) for 30-second intervals. Remove and stir each time before returning to microwave and repeating. Each microwave is unique and affects the chocolate differently so please monitor closely. When only small lumps remain, remove and continue to stir until complete melting.

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Tempering Chocolate Tips & Melting Chocolate Techniques | Ghirardelli (2024)

FAQs

What are the tips and tricks for tempering chocolate? ›

Tempering Chocolate Method 1

Heat over hot but not boiling water, stirring constantly, until chocolate reaches 110°–115°F. Place the top pan of the double boiler on a towel. Cool chocolate to 95°–100°F. Add the remaining chocolate to the top pan, stirring until melted.

What are the 3 steps in melting or tempering chocolate? ›

Steps:
  1. Roughly chop the chocolate into bite size pieces. ...
  2. Fill a pot with 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm) water and place on the stove. ...
  3. Let the chocolate warm over the hot water, uncovered, until it is about two-thirds melted. ...
  4. Once chocolate is about two-thirds melted, gently stir it to prevent burning.

What are the different methods of tempering chocolate? ›

In his book The Encyclopedia of Chocolate, this top chef explains all the different techniques for tempering chocolate. He gives us three methods: tempering in a bain-marie (the most well-known and simplest technique), seeding and, finally, tabling, which is a little more complicated.

What are the rules for tempering chocolate? ›

Set the temperature to 105° F for milk and dark chocolate. b. Set the temperature to 100° F for white chocolate. All chunks of chocolate in the back side of the bowl must be in good temper – an exact quantity is not essential, but chunks of chocolate must remain until the cold set point is met (usually 86° F).

What will ruin chocolate while tempering it? ›

Chocolate hates water. Even a single drop of water falling into a bowl of melted chocolate can destroy it. As soon as that drop falls in, the crystal structure of the the entire bowl of chocolate will break very rapidly and you'll end up with a grainy, broken mess that cannot be recovered.

Can you melt chocolate without breaking temper? ›

The idea here is that you use the microwave to gently melt the chocolate without taking it out of temper. Using 15- to 30-second bursts of high microwave heat, you should be able melt the chocolate to exactly 90°F.

Is melting chocolate the same as tempering? ›

When chocolate is melted, the molecules separate. When you temper the chocolate, you bond those molecules back together so your chocolate will harden with a glossy, crisp finish.

What is the best chocolate to use for tempering chocolate? ›

The best chocolate for tempering is one with a high percentage of cocoa butter, which you won't find in chip form. This is called chocolate couverture. Don't let the name intimidate you — it simply refers to the amount of cocoa butter found in chocolate.

What chocolate is best for tempering? ›

What is the best chocolate for tempering? We would recommend using high quality bars of chocolate or couverture chocolate. The latter melts quicker due to a higher cocoa mass, and is normally available as large buttons. If using bars, finely chop the chocolate with a serrated knife as this will melt more evenly.

When should you not temper chocolate? ›

For Baking

If you are using your chocolate to chop up and melt into a brownie recipe, use it as chocolate chips/chunks in a cookie, fold melted chocolate it into a cake recipe, then you do not need it to be tempered. The chocolate will heat up anyway and cook, or be melted down.

How long should you temper chocolate for? ›

Stir in the seeding chocolate bits continuously until the desired temperature (see below) is reached and the bits have dissolved completely. This could take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of your environment. Your chocolate should now be tempered.

What happens if you overheat chocolate when tempering? ›

Excessive heat can cause the chocolate's cocoa particles to cluster, resulting in a lumpy texture. You can prevent this clustering by not exposing your chocolate to direct heat, such as when you place it in a hot pan or microwave it for too long.

What are the 3 important factors involved in tempering chocolate? ›

The objective in tempering is to arrange the physical “packing” of stable cocoa butter crystals in the right number and size. The three critical variables that affect the type, size, and number of cocoa butter crystals being formed during chocolate tempering are: temperature, time, and agitation.

What are the most crucial factors of tempering chocolate? ›

Chocolate tempering is an unstable process that makes chocolate ready for processing. It is especially susceptible to changes in temperature, humidity/moisture and agitation. These factors later influence issues such as blocking in enrobing, prolonged cooling, difficult unmoulding, and eventually low-quality products.

Why is it so hard to temper chocolate? ›

This is due to the latent heat of crystallization. As chocolate is crystallizing it gives off heat (an exothermic reaction) and can get warm enough to throw itself out of temper. This issue with latent heat is also why it is important to cool pieces when they are rapidly crystallizing.

Why is my melted chocolate not hardening? ›

However, if your chocolate hasn't set, there are a few reasons why this could be. It could be that your room temperature is too high. If the temperature is over 68 F, this can cause problems. The ideal setting temperature is between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

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