Chocolate manufacturers use equipment to precisely control the temperature of the chocolate (aka tempering chocolate) during processing to cause the fat molecules in the cocoa butter to align neatly and tightly together. It is firm at room temperature and has a crisp snap when you break it. When at home you heat the chocolate to melt it, you undo that process and so it is no longer in temper. Until now 🙂 You can now use your thermomix
The tempering process involves slowly raising and lowering the temperature of melted chocolate while constantly stirring. This process causes the structure of the large cocoa-butter crystals in the chocolate to repeatedly break and then reform.
The reasons for tempering chocolate are:
- To avoid fat (and sugar) bloom, characterised by unappealing white streaks or blotches on the surface.
- To raise the melting temperature of finished chocolate so it doesn’t melt on contact with your fingers.
- To preserve the keeping quality of chocolate by stratifying the fat.
- To cool chocolate quickly. 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
The best way I find to do this is to always use a good quality reputable brand of chocolate.
Place 3/4s of your chocolate into Thermomix bowl and break chocolate up into crumbs for a few seconds on speed 9. This ensures the melting process will occur evenly and quickly. Please note that it is very important that your bowl must be completely dry – even a drop of water can affect chocolate and cause it to seize.
Heat chocolate in bowl 4 mins/50°C/speed 2. The Thermomix is a great asset to have for this process as it is constantly stirring the chocolate whilst heating it to 50°C. Half way through the 4 minutes remove lid of TM bowl and scrape down any chocolate from sides or any that is on top of blades.
Then add the remaining quarter of your chocolate and stir through for 1 min/speed 2 with no temperature selected which will bring the chocolate down to 37°C which makes it then easier to work with. By adding more chocolate it introduces good crystals into the warm chocolate and it cools it down.
It is important to not overheat chocolate as it can burn easily. It is good too, to be mindful that white and milk chocolate due to the additional milk and sugar content will melt more quickly than dark chocolate
Tempering chocolate is beneficial for using chocolate in chocolate molds or wanting to give it a glossy finish.
When it comes to baking, chocolate does not need to be tempered because it is being incorporated into another form. For example; chocolate does not need to be tempered to make chocolate ganache or chocolate frosting, as there are other ingredients added to the chocolate in generous quantities relative to the amount of chocolate.
So here is an example on how I temper 200g chocolate:
Ingredients
- 200g chocolate (good quality)
Instructions
- Place 150g of chocolate into TM bowl and grate 5 sec / speed 9.
- Scrape down and melt 4 mins / 50°C / speed 2.
- Half way through the 4 mins, remove lid of TM bowl and scrape down any chocolate from sides or any that is on top of blades.
- At the end of the 4 minutes, add remaining 50g of chocolate to the melted chocolate and mix 1 min / speed 2 (no temperature selected).
- Pour a glass of milk into TM bowl and mix 5 sec / speed 8.
- Heat milk 5 mins / 80°C / speed 4.
- Enjoy warm chocolate milk. No wasted chocolate!
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Great recipe for tempering chocolate in the thermomix – it worked a treat for me on the first try!! Thanks so much.
Thanks Diana – pleased it worked a treat for you! 🙂
Hi
Can i keep a temperd chocolate in the fridge? How long ? Thanks
Hi there,
do you have any advice on colouring and tempering white chocolate. I’m attempting to make chocolate ‘tennis’ balls, so wanting to have yellow white chocolate… I’ve found out that you must use an oil-based food colour. But at what point do I add the colour in the thermomix?
thanks so much~
Hi Erika, I haven’t done any colouring before but I just asked a friend who does and she said “Ive always added colour after tempering. I cant remember if it’s because thats what i was taught to do or because i usually want a couple diff colours and so divide the tempered choc up in 2 bowls and mix in colours then. I personally like powdered food colours. Ive not used oil based so cant comment other then that should work fine. As long as not water based.”
I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi there , if I want to do a lot of work with my tempered chocolate ( chocolate curls on a marble sla ) what is the best way to keep my chocolate at temper? Do I pour it into a bowl and keep over a pot of warm water or do I have to repeat rage same process in the Thermomix again. ? Also I tempered some white chocolate in Thermomix , used it and poured the leftover into a container. A couple of weeks later I tipped it out and it had bloomed . ( white streaks). What caused this ? Can the environment temp in mous cupboard cause this . And can you reuse ? Thank you !
Hi Carolyne,
Once you have tempered the chocolate in the TM, I would do what you suggest ie: pour into a bowl with some hot water in it and rest a very dry stainless steel bowl on top. Pour your tempered chocolate into the top bowl making sure that NO water comes in contact with the chocolate, or it will seize. A stir of the chocolate every now and again will help keep consistency liquid throughout. With regard to the blooming – it’s no problem. It’s just the separated cocoa butter and once tempered again will be good to go once again. I hope this helps. 🙂