Page 598 - YC Cooking School

the bulk of the chocolate to a temperature of between 45–50°C. Use a digital probe
thermometer to test the temperature and check to make sure that all the chocolate is

completely melted. Then add the 167g chopped, unmelted chocolate and stir until all the
chocolate has melted and the chocolate has thickened slightly. Take the temperature again.
This time, you’re looking for a temperature between the range of 30–32°C. The chocolate is
now tempered (or pre-crystalised) and can be used for chocolate moulds, decorations and
coatings. The stirring and the addition of the unmelted chocolate helped to cool and ‘seed’
or ‘vaccinate’ the larger 500g chocolate mass into a stable chocolate liquid.

Chocolate can also be tempered using the tabling method. This method is a little trickier and
best suited to working with larger quantities of chocolate.

The characteristics of perfectly tempered chocolate
Chocolate that has been tempered correctly will have a brilliant shine, a nice smooth texture
and will break with a clean snap. It will also release easily from a mould and start to set at
normal room temperature. Untempered chocolate takes a long time to set at room
temperature, if at all. It has a dull look, a crumbly texture and melts easily when touched. In
some cases ‘bloom’ or white lines and spots will develop on the surface of the chocolate.
This is caused by the cocoa butter content separating out from the cocoa solids and
resetting on the surface.

Use tempered chocolate without delay
It’s best to use all the tempered chocolate within 20 minutes. Remember that chocolate
tempered correctly will naturally want to thicken and set. If you find, while working, that the
chocolate starts to cool and harden, pop it back on the double boiler to warm up by a
degree or two before continuing to use it. Remember to always stir the bowl of melted
chocolate between applications.

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