Chocolate tempering is extremely important in confectionery!

When making chocolate confectionery such as pralines, chocolate decorations, homemade chocolate bars and simple toppings, it is very important to temper the chocolate correctly. It is a process that ensures that the chocolate lasts and has a nice shine afterwards. Here are some of the basics of tempering chocolate, and we asked pastry chef Karim Merdjadi for advice.

Chocolate must first be melted properly

You need to be very careful when melting chocolate, as it tends to turn blue at high temperatures and white and milk chocolate often melt into lumps. Most of the time it is melted in a pan over steaming water (the pan should not be in contact with the water and should be larger than the water pan), but some confectioners also use the microwave. In this case, it is important to heat the chocolate in short intervals of 15 to 30 seconds, stirring well with a plastic spatula or spoon after each interval. This is to prevent it from burning during heating.

Tip: If the chocolate comes into contact with water or steam while melting, it will curdle. It forms a kind of lump that does not soften. You can help by slowly adding cocoa butter, vegetable fat or oil to the curdled chocolate by tablespoonfuls and stirring until you have a smooth chocolate mixture again.

Tempering is key to the final look and taste of the chocolate

Tempering is particularly important when making slightly more complex chocolate confectionery such as pralines, chocolate decorations, chocolate bars, cups, balls, etc. We asked renowned Slovenian pastry chef and MasterChef Slovenia judge Karim Merdjadi about the correct way to temper chocolate. "Tempering chocolate is basically a technical process in confectionery, where we get the chocolate to a point where we can work with it. If we don''t do it properly, we can end up with, for example, a chocolate ball that hardens nicely in the fridge, but when we take it out of the fridge it melts," Karim explained the importance of tempering correctly.

"Basically, it''s like heating the chocolate first, then cooling it and finally heating it again to a certain temperature. In the case of dark chocolate, we first heat it to between 45 and 48 degrees, then cool it to somewhere around 28 degrees and finally raise it back up to 31 degrees. Once this is done, you have chocolate that is ready to go. This means that whatever we do to it, it will keep its firm structure," says Karim, who adds that tempering chocolate is "sacred" in the chocolate industry.

There are several ways to temper

There are several ways to temper chocolate, Karim says. In larger factories, the process is done by machines, while those who don''t use the process as often temper it by hand. For example, in the old days, chocolate was cooled by pouring it onto a marble base and using a palette knife to stir it back and forth, but nowadays, most people use a slightly different process. The latter is also much quicker and suitable for those who temper chocolate in the home kitchen.

"Divide the total amount of chocolate into three parts. Take two thirds and melt and heat to 48 degrees. The chocolate is then stirred and cooled to about 40 degrees, then the reserved third of chocolate is added. Once the melted chocolate has cooled to about 28 degrees, we heat it to 31 degrees and it''s ready to go," says Karim. Once properly tempered, the chocolate can be used to create a variety of chocolate treats that will delight with their beautiful shine, break and shimmering colour, or used to coat cakes and biscuits."

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