Is it possible to temper chocolate at home?
I've read that tempering chocolate is the only way to get glossy, 'snappable' results. I've also read that it can be a complicated process involving precise temperatures. Is it possible to temper chocolate at home without lots of special equipment?
Best Answer
Absolutely. I do it all the time, with great results.
The easiest way at home is to 'seed' the chocolate. Get it up to the proper temperature as best you can - 115 °F/46 °C for dark, 110 °F/43 °C for others. A thermometer obviously makes this easier. If you don't have one, it will be just melted.
Doing this in the microwave is more difficult than a double boiler because it's difficult to tell when it happens exactly and you overshoot more easily. Stir on a double boiler till the right temperature, take the chocolate off the heat and stir in additional, finely chopped, high quality unmelted chocolate (not chocolate chips).
Now stir it in as the mixture cools, it should all melt and 'seed' the crystals into the chocolate. You'll want to test before you declare victory. At this point, if it's wrong, just reheat, and reapply with more unmelted chocolate. To test, simply dip a spoon in and let it cool in the fridge for a moment. The thin coating on the spoon should be shiny and snapable.
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Quick Answer about "Is it possible to temper chocolate at home?"
Heat it for 5 to 10 seconds at a time, stirring and checking the temperature before reheating. For dark chocolate, reheat to 88°F to 91°F. For milk and white chocolate, reheat to 87°F to 88°F. If you keep your chocolate within these temperature ranges, it will stay in temper and be liquid enough to use.Can homemade chocolate be tempered?
Tempering chocolate is perfect for making chocolate candies, truffles, dipped confections, or chocolate cake decorations. If you just use melted chocolate to dip, you won't get a coating that stays snappy. It'll be dull and soft and will need to be refrigerated just to avoid melting.What is the easiest way to temper chocolate?
How It's MadeHow do you manually temper chocolate?
Break or cut chocolate into small (\xbd inch) pieces for even melting. Stir gently and frequently while melting. Melt chocolate over low or medium-low heat or use a double boiler. Chocolate burns easily, so it's best to melt chocolate slowly.Can any chocolate be tempered?
You can temper and coat with most any chocolate, including semisweet, milk, or white; they just need slightly different handling, mostly regarding temperatures.How to Temper Chocolate Three Easy Ways!
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Answer 2
I did it first time purely by chance. Second time was not so successful though. I plan to get an infra red thermometer.
It is fairly daunting, but not too complex to do, but I think it is well worth it to make chocolate Han Solos frozen in Carbonite.
There are enough videos on the web for this, this is one I've used.
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