Is chocolate still "tempered" even after it has cooled since bringing it up to working temperature?
The usual process of tempering (dark) chocolate involves bringing it up to 45°, then down to 29° and back up to 31°.
If I leave the tempered chocolate in a piping bag for a while and it cools down, would the chocolate still be in temper and set nicely (assuming it was still fluid)?
Without chocolate tempering machines or melting tanks it's hard to keep chocolate at working temperature.
Best Answer
The point of tempering chocolate is heating it before it "breaks" - thus tempered chocolate has that "snap" to it you always want to keep intact. If you've done your tempering (understand melting) correctly there is nothing to worry about. Work the chocolate as long as you can - meaning as long as its pliability caters to your needs. Once that train has passed you need to re-temper the chocolate (here is where, again you can loose the "snapping" properties). Hope that helps :)
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What happens when chocolate is cooled down?
Tempered chocolate cools fast, within 5 minutes. Tempered chocolate will shrink slightly when cooled, which allows it to slip out of molds easily. To give chocolate a glossy, shiny appearance, and a crisp, clean snap when you break it.At what temperature does chocolate lose its temper?
You can put the tempered chocolate mass in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds at half-power if the temperature starts to drop. Just make sure that you don't raise the temperature above 90\xb0 F (32\xb0 C) or you will lose your temper and have to start over again at Step 1.Why is my chocolate crystallizing?
Sugar Bloom or Crystallization: occurs when the sugar crystals are affected by moisture. This happens when the chocolate is stored in damp conditions, either from humidity in the air or condensation from refrigeration, causing sugar to dissolve and come to the surface, which leaves it rough.Will melted chocolate harden at room temperature?
For chocolate to maintain its firm texture and glossy appearance, it must be melted carefully; if chocolate is heated too quickly or at too high a temperature, it won't harden well at room temperature and it will have a dull, matte appearance.Science of tempering chocolate
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Answer 2
It will be in temper as long as it's fluid. But the problem is that it won't be fluid very long. Tempered chocolate sets quickly, which is part of the point, but it makes it a pain to work with. Once it has cooled down enough to be solid, you have to re-melt and re-temper.
The best way, of course, is with a tempering machine, which keeps the chocolate at the perfect temperature. If you don't want to blow a few hundred bucks on a very specialized device, you can try keeping your piping bag in a cooler with a heating pad (on the lowest setting) between uses. Or keep it in a warm-water bath, keeping an eye on the temperature (88°F, plus or minus a very small number).
You may have better luck with couverture chocolate, which is a bit more forgiving, and gives very sharp results. That's real chocolate, with a higher cocoa butter fraction. Or you could use the cheap decorator chocolatesque wafers, which set beautifully and taste like wax.
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