Lesson 1 of 5 · Chocolate Essentials

Tempering chocolate

  • Free video
  • Intermediate
  • Chocolate & Confections
  • 12 min
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Video by Sugar Geek Show on YouTube: “How to Temper Chocolate Three Easy Ways!” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 1 of 5

Temper chocolate by seeding or in the microwave so it sets glossy with a clean snap, and test it before you use it.

  • Tempering creates stable cocoa butter crystals
  • Dark chocolate should not go above 90°F once tempered
  • Always test on parchment before dipping

Ingredients for this lesson

Madagascar Vanilla Extract, 2 oz BottleVanillaGoods$13.00
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Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Grade B, 5 BeansVanillaGoods$12.00
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

Why temper

Cocoa butter can set into several crystal forms. Tempering gives you the stable form that makes chocolate shiny, snappy and slow to melt in your hand. Untempered chocolate sets dull, streaky and soft.

The seeding method

  • Chop chocolate; melt about two-thirds of it gently
  • Stir in the remaining third, already tempered, to cool it down
  • Stir until it reaches working temperature: no higher than about 90°F (32°C) for dark, 84°F (30°C) for milk, 88°F (31°C) for white
  • Test a smear on parchment: it should set glossy within about 5 minutes at cool room temperature

Watch for

Use real chocolate with cocoa butter, not candy melts. Keep every drop of water away; even a little makes chocolate seize.

Next: Ganache ratios →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find chocolate recipes

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