Chocolate & Candy 31°C

Chocolate Tempering Temperature Guide

Shiny, snappy chocolate comes down to three temperatures. Get the melt, cool and working temperatures for dark, milk, white or ruby chocolate, and step-by-step instructions for seeding, tabling, the microwave or cocoa butter powder.

How to use it

  1. Choose your chocolate and tempering method.
  2. Enter how much chocolate you're tempering to get the seed or cocoa butter amount.
  3. Follow the steps, test a strip, and keep the chocolate at its working temperature while you dip or mold.

How it works

Cocoa butter can crystallize six ways, and only one (Form V) gives gloss and snap. Melting erases all crystals, cooling lets Form V and some unstable crystals form, and warming slightly melts the unstable ones, leaving a stable seed for the whole batch.

Seeding adds already-tempered chocolate (a quarter of the total) as ready-made crystals; cocoa butter powder adds 1% pure Form V crystals.

Assumptions and limits

  • Temperatures are standard tempering curves; follow your chocolate maker's curve if it's printed on the package.
  • Work in a cool room, about 65 to 70°F (18 to 21°C).

Tips

  • Use a reliable instant-read or infrared thermometer.
  • Never let water or steam touch the chocolate; a drop makes it seize.
  • Keep tempered chocolate warm on a heating pad set to low while you work.

Recipes to try it with

Questions

What temperature do you temper dark chocolate?

Melt to 113–122°F (45–50°C), cool to 81–82°F (27–28°C) and work at 88–90°F (31–32°C).

What temperature for milk chocolate?

Melt to 104–113°F (40–45°C), cool to 79–81°F (26–27°C) and work at 84–86°F (29–30°C).

How do I know chocolate is tempered?

Dip a knife tip: it should set glossy and streak-free in 3 to 5 minutes at cool room temperature and snap cleanly.

Do chocolate chips need tempering?

For dipping and molding, yes. Chips contain stabilizers and temper less reliably than bars or couverture.