Tempering Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1¼ lbs dark chocolate, chopped & divided
- 2-3 squares of dark chocolate, as needed for “seed”
Equipment
- meat thermometer
- double boiler
How-to
- Place 1 lb of the chopped chocolate into a stainless steel bowl that will fit over a pot filled with 1" of water without touching the water
- Start the water to simmer
- Melt the chocolate, heating until the temperature reaches 120º (110º for milk chocolate and white chocolate), using a digital meat thermometer
- Remove from heat and add remaining ¼ lb chocolate (called “seed”)
- Stir constantly until the temperature reaches 89º (84º - 87º for milk and white chocolate). If the ¼ lb of chopped chocolate was not sufficient for dropping the temperature, add a couple of the extra dark chocolate squares, and stir until you achieve the correct temperature
- Once at 89º, remove any unmelted seed
- To check the temper, dip a spoon into chocolate and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it hardens and looks smooth and satiny and has no streaks, it is in temper
- Keep at 89º until use, by frequently placing back over simmering water for seconds at a time, then removing
Note: It is best to temper chocolate in a room temperature around 68º – 70º