If the chocolate cools and hardens, retemper it. Foodie Fact: When the cocoa butter is replaced with other, less expensive fats, it can no longer be labeled as white chocolate; it's sold as almond bark or confectioners' coating. Place three-quarters of your chopped chocolate in a glass or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. It's really not as hard as it sounds, and although you can skip this step, it really makes chocolate-covered treats so much more special. Particularly if you’re using pure chocolates, tempering is central to achieving a glossy finish and a clean snap. Tempering is a word that means improving the consistency, durability or hardness of a substance by heating and cooling it. By being kept at a certain temperature as it cools, the structure will be radically different, creating tempered chocolate. This article really struck a nice balance in between all of that though, and gave me the information that I needed. exciting challenge of being a wiseGEEK researcher and writer. I have been wanting to make some tempered white chocolate decorations for a cake that I'm making, but I keep having trouble getting the chocolate to work properly. Tempering can also mean to bring an ingredient close to room temperature to shorten the required cooking time. One of the first things we learned in my baking class in culinary school was how to temper chocolate. Work quickly so that the chocolate does not lump. Information and translations of cooking chocolate in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Ultimately, you want it to turn back into a solid (unless your using it in a fountain or fondue…then you can ignore this stuff!) Now, the chocolate must be rapidly cooled to about 82° F for dark (79° F for milk and white). A tempered egg will look basically like raw egg, but will be perfectly cooked, and useful as a binding agent or thickener. Not really a "true" chocolate because it does not contain chocolate solids. Custards and ice cream bases aren't hard to make — they just need a little handholding to keep the eggs in them from scrambling. So, what on earth does re-establishing cocoa butter crystals mean? Chop three-quarters of the chocolate (300g) on a chopping board using a serrated knife. The process of tempering brings them back together, and when done properly, results in a network of stable crystals. Many times it will have white streaks or spots called "bloom". What is tempered chocolate? This is accomplished by filing a small disposable creamer size cup with chocolate and placing it into the cup well of a TRICOR Temper Meter. Thank you, Wikipedia, for the above valuable information, but let’s take it a bit further and define, step-by-step HOW to temper chocolate. Many substances, including metals, are tempered but the most important one might be chocolate. Remove the steak from the grill to a plate and allow it to rest for two to three minutes. Tempering chocolate restabilizes it so that it will harden as it cools. Follow these easy steps and never be intimidated by chocolate again. Tempered chocolate also prefers to be kept totally dry, and even a small addition of water will cause the chocolate to coagulate and "seize," making it useless for chocolate candies. For the best possible finished product, proper tempering is all about forming the most of the type V crystals. Tempering also accounts for chocolate’s smooth, velvety texture and its ability to stay solid at room temperature. A process where hot liquid is gradually added to eggs or other foods that needs to be incorporated into a hot sauce or soup without curdling. Test the temper by spreading a thin layer of chocolate onto a flat surface and cooling it. 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