Tempering Chocolate Tips

Here are some easy tips for making tempered chocolate:

Step 1
Grate or finely chop your chocolate. Place 2/3 of the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Stir constantly as the chocolate melts over hot but not boiling water

Be sure water does not touch the bottom of the upper pan. Bring the melted chocolate to exactly 115 degrees Fahrenheit on your candy thermometer.

Step 2
Remove double boiler from the hot water and place on a dry towel or a cooling rack. Stir in the rest of the chocolate. Stir constantly until it is completely melted.

Step 3
Pour the melted chocolate on a cooling surface, like a pastry marble or even a cookie sheet. Scrape and stir with a metal spatula or pastry scraper until the chocolate cools down to about 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Reheat back up to 87-91 degrees for semisweet chocolate and 83-88 degrees for white chocolate.

Step 4
Use the tempered chocolate for your chosen recipe. You need to keep your chocolate at its proper temperature throughout the candy making process.

Here's a couple of tips to hold your chocolate's temper:
* Place the tempered chocolate over a pan of warm water about 2 degrees hotter than your chocolate.
* Place your pan of chocolate on a heating pad on low temperature.
* Stir the chocolate occasionally while you are working with it, to keep the chocolate on the sides from cooling and going out of temper.