How To Temper Chocolate Yourself

Our Unique chocolate gifts are all made from tempered chocolate... what is tempering..this will give you a better knowledge of how to get the desired result you are after!

You've probably heard of tempering chocolate, and kind of have an idea of what it means.  Well our whole range of unique chocolate gifts be it a chocolate pizza or one of our little chocolate cup cakes is all produced from tempered chocolate.  To identify it, it will snap when you break it in two, will not melt in your fingers in a normal ambient temperature, and will be nice and shiny or have a nice sheen to it.  If not tempered correctly it can be dull in appearence, tacky when touched and can have a bit of a cakey texture to it when eaten,

Milk white and dark chocolate all temper at different temperatures,   The best way to create tempered chocolate for using in home made chocolate making, making truffles or similar is to melt chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  The water shouldn't touch the bowl and shouldn't boil, the heat from the steam will warm the bowl and melt the broken chocolate gently.  Here are some clearer instructions, this is an extract from epicurious.com as they explain it really well.

Method

1.  Finely chop 680 grams of chocolate. Smaller amounts make it difficult to control the temperature changes.
2.  Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a glass or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Place a chocolate thermometer or digital thermometer in the chocolate and stir frequently with a rubber spatula.
3.  Do not let the temperature of the chocolate exceed 120°F for dark chocolate or 105°F for milk or white chocolate. When the chocolate has fully melted, remove the bowl from heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl to get rid of any condensation.
4.  Stir in the remaining third of the chocolate a little at a time. Let it melt before adding more.
5.  Let the chocolate cool to about 82°F. It it is warmer, keep stirring and let it cool some more. If it is cooler, begin reheating in the next step.
6.  Once the chocolate is 82°F, place it back over simmering water. For dark chocolate, reheat to 88°F to 91°F. For milk and white chocolate, reheat to 85°F to 87°F. Remove the bowl from heat once you have reached the right temperature.
7. Spread a small spoonful of chocolate on a piece of greaseproof paper. If it looks dull or streaky, re-temper the chocolate, starting with step 2. If it dries quickly with a glossy finish and no streaks, the chocolate is in temper.

We like to think we offer a unique chocolate gift range with our pizzas, and now smaller items including our very popular chocolate cupcakes, and understanding a bit more about what you are eating is exciting and interesting.  Have a go at tempering chocolate yourself and have fun maybe experimenting with our blog recipe using summer fruits, and dipping them in..any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch, you can get hold of me, Helen, at info@gourmetchocolatepizza.co.uk