As a follow-up to a few recent posts about tempering chocolate, I thought it might be useful to discuss some common mistakes you might make when tempering.
The most common mistakes I see are the lack of temperature control, lack of proper stirring, not choosing the right chocolate for the job, improper storage, and letting moisture contact the chocolate.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these situations…
Hot and Cold
Temperature control is really important when melting chocolate as well as tempering chocolate. Chocolate can burn easily, so use a low temperature, take it slow, and stir often. After the chocolate is melted, it is too hot to support good crystallization of the cocoa butter. The chocolate must be cooled to the correct temperature depending on the type of chocolate being used (87˚ – 89˚ for dark and 85˚ – 87˚ for milk). Improper temperatures keep the chocolate from hardening and it will remain wet and sticky instead of dry and glossy.
Working up a sweat
Stir, stir, and stir! Constant stirring of the chocolate will force the crystals to form into the proper size and shape until solid. It will also evenly distribute the temperature through out the whole mixture. Lack of stirring means the chocolate will become discolored and dry with white streaks or dots.
Choosing the right chocolate
Using the wrong type of chocolate for your tempering project is bound to add frustration on top of disastrous results! For example, don’t use chocolate chips for melting and dipping. The viscosity, or “flow” property, of a chocolate chip is too thick to be useful for coating. It would be like trying to cover a strawberry with pudding – not exactly the easiest way to do it. :)
Making it last
Chocolate has a long shelf-life, if stored correctly. Chocolate should be stored in an air-tight container, away from strong odors, air temperature around 65˚ – 68˚ and a relative humidity of no more than 50%.
Water Phobia
Water and chocolate get along like cats and dogs. If any moisture comes in contact with chocolate, you’ll know it right away – it turns into a grainy, sodden mess that it difficult to stir. This mistake even has an impressive name: “seizing.” If your chocolate seizes, throw it away and start over. Seized chocolate will not melt or temper.
Avoid these problems and you’re well on your way to a good tempering experience!
