Tempering Chocolate

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Can you temper chocolate with Ztove? The answer is yes! And it’s really simple.

Correctly tempered chocolate is shiny, has the right snap and doesn’t melt as quickly in your hands. If you are casting chocolate in moulds, it´s important to use tempered chocolate to ensure that the chocolate releases from the mould.

There are several methods for tempering chocolate, in this case we have chosen to use the seeding method. This means that we melt ⅔ of the chocolate and then add unmelted chocolate. When tempering chocolate, the goal is to promote the formation of the desired type of crystals in the chocolate. By adding unmelted chocolate, which already has the right crystal structure, it promotes the formation of the desired crystals in the melted chocolate, while at the same time lowering the temperature of the chocolate.

Dark, light and white chocolate are all slightly different in composition, so they also need to be brought up to different temperatures. Therefore, this recipe is divided in three sections, depending on which chocolate you are tempering. The procedure, apart from the temperatures, is the same for all three chocolate types.

Ingredients

Tempered Chocolate

Dark chocolate 70%

Milk chocolate

White chocolate

Steps

1
Tip - preparation
Start by setting the default temperature of your pot. Set it to 32ºC if you are tempering dark chocolate. Set it to 31ºC if you are tempering milk chocolate. Set it to 28ºC if you are tempering white chocolate. Once the chocolate is tempered, you may need to reheat it slightly if it gets too cold. If you set the default temperature of the pot to the temperature best suited for the type of chocolate you are using, you won't risk the chocolate getting too hot, when you put the pot back on the stove. It's not necessary to do, but it's handy. And you can always change the default temperature back again.
2
Tempering of dark chocolate
Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a pot and melt it at 50°C, stirring gently. When all the chocolate pieces are almost completely melted, remove the pan from the heat. Place it on a cold part of the cooking top or another surface that can help cool the bottom of the pot. It's not necessary, but it will speed things up a bit. Gradually add the last 1/3 of the chocolate, stirring gently. Just sprinkle it in every 1-2 minutes. You need to keep stirring and moving the pot at 30 second intervals, or Ztove will remove it from the display and you'll no longer see the pot's temperature (we're working on a fix for that). Once the last of the chocolate has melted, keep stirring gently but frequently until it reaches 31-32ºC when tempering dark chocolate. The mixing is just as important as the cooling. It helps to form the right type of crystals in the chocolate, which is what keeps the chocolate from melting too easily and gives it the right snap. Now the chocolate is ready to use. If the chocolate gets too cold while you are using it, so that it thickens, you can heat it up again to 31-32 ºC.
3
Tempering of milk chocolate
Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a pot and melt at 45°C, stirring gently. When all the chocolate pieces are almost completely melted, remove the pot from the heat. Place it on a cold part of the cook top or another surface that will cool the bottom of the pan. It's not necessary, but it will speed things up a bit. Gradually add the last 1/3 of the chocolate, stirring gently. Just sprinkle it in every 1-2 minutes. You need to keep stirring and moving the pot at 30 second intervals, or Ztove will remove it from the display and you'll no longer see the pot's temperature (we're working on a fix for that). Once the last of the chocolate has melted, keep stirring gently but frequently until it reaches 30-31ºC when tempering milk chocolate. The mixing is just as important as the cooling. It helps to form the right type of crystals in the chocolate, which is what keeps the chocolate from melting to quickly in your hands and gives it the right snap. Now the chocolate is ready to use. If the chocolate gets too cold while you're using it, so it thickens, you can reheat it to 30-31ºC.
4
Tempering of white chocolate
Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a pot and melt at 45°C, stirring gently. When all the chocolate pieces are almost completely melted, remove the pot from the heat. Place it on a cold part of the cook top or another surface that can cool the bottom of the pot. It's not necessary, but it will speed things up a bit. Gradually add the last 1/3 of the chocolate, stirring gently. Just sprinkle it in every 1-2 minutes. You need to keep stirring and moving the pot at 30 second intervals, or Ztove will remove it from the display and you'll no longer see the pot's temperature (we're working on a fix for that). Once the last of the chocolate has melted, keep stirring gently but continuously until it reaches 27-28ºC when tempering white chocolate. The mixing is just as important as the cooling. It helps to form the right type of crystals in the chocolate, which is what keeps the chocolate from melting too quickly in your hand and gives it the right snap. Now the chocolate is ready to use. If the chocolate gets too cold while you are using it, so it thickens, you can reheat it to 27-28 ºC.

Notes

There is not specified a precise amount of chocolate in the recipe, just temper the amount you need. It's essential that everything is completely dry. The slightest bit of water on the utensils will cause white spots on the chocolate. You will need chocolate that has already been tempered such as chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Almost all chocolate you can buy is already tempered.

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