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Tempering determines the final gloss, hardness, and contraction of the chocolate.
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When you melt chocolate, the molecules of fat separate.
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To put them back together, you temper it.
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There are a variety of ways to do it.
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One of the easiest ways is to place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until the chocolate is melted.
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Be very careful not to overheat it.
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The chocolate will not look as if it has melted because it retains its shape.
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It should be only slightly warmer than your bottom lip.
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You may still see lumps in it, but don't worry; the residual heat of the chocolate will melt them.
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You can also use an immersion blender to break up the lumps and start the recrystallization process.
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Usually, the chocolate begins to set (recrystallize) along the side of the bowl.
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As it begins to crystallize, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate and they will begin the recrystallization process.
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I like to use a glass bowl because it retains the heat and keeps the chocolate tempered for a long time.
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Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding.
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In this method, tempering is achieved by adding small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate.
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The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate but is usually one fourth of the total amount.
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I usually use an immersion blender to mix the two together.
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The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering.
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Chocolate is melted over a hot water bath to a temperature between 88F and 90F (31C and 32C).
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(White and milk chocolate are melted to a temperature approximately 2F less, depending on the amount of milk fat they contain.)
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Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured on a cold table or marble surface.
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The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until the temperature of the chocolate is approximately 81F (27C).
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At this stage, it is thick and begins to set.
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This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining one third of nontempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass in the bowl has a completely uniform temperature.
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If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is further worked on the cold table until the correct temperature is reached.
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This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
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A simple method to check tempering is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife.
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If the chocolate has been tempered correctly, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within 5 minutes.
