Page 597 - YC Cooking School

chocolate. Water and chocolate are not friends and you’ll notice the chocolate thicken or
seize up if this happens. To salvage it, your best option is to turn the melted chocolate into a

ganache or chocolate sauce by adding cream – not a bad consolation prize we think.

Chocolate starts to melt and soften at 34–35°C so for both methods, a very gentle heat is all
that’s required.

Know what you’re melting the chocolate for
If you’re melting chocolate to make decorations, chocolate moulds or to coat truffles, you’ll
need to temper it before using it (more on this later). In most other instances (like using
melted chocolate in a cake batter or to make chocolate mousse), it’s fine to melt the
chocolate without checking temperatures.

Choose the right chocolate
All varieties of LINDT chocolate will melt successfully but chocolate with a high cocoa butter
content like the LINDT EXCELLENCE or LINDT Couverture range is ideal. It will produce the
best results and will be easy to melt to a consistency which is pourable rather than paste-

like.

Chop up the chocolate before you melt it
This will help the chocolate to melt quickly and evenly, giving you a beautiful smooth finish.

Check the consistency
The ideal consistency for chocolate once melted should be free-flowing, smooth and lump-
free. Perfectly melted chocolate is slightly thicker but similar in fluidity to paint.

What to avoid when melting chocolate
Water in all its forms should be kept well away from your chocolate in both its solid and
liquid state. Liquors and liquid flavourings should only be added to chocolate that already
has cream or butter mixed into it. On a very wet or humid day, take care to stir the
chocolate as little as possible as moisture trapped in the air can be incorporated into the
chocolate by over-stirring.

What does tempering mean?
To temper chocolate means to convert it from a solid to a liquid form using a technique that
ensures stability, so that when it’s remodelled into a different shape it hardens with all the
characteristics of perfect chocolate, just like you bought it. Chocolate loses temper or
becomes unstable at 32°C but melts at 34–35°C, so before you can use it, you have to re-

temper it or get it to the correct temperature, where it is once again stable.

The seeding method of tempering
This is the most practical and reliable method to temper chocolate. It’s ideal for home cooks
who want to temper a small amount of chocolate at a time. This method works on a ratio of

3:1 or 500g of melted chocolate to 167g of unmelted, perfectly tempered chocolate. Melt
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