Chocolate Tempering Temperature Guide

Understanding the chocolate tempering temperature guide — concept and principle

This guide gives the three temperatures used to temper dark, milk and white couverture chocolate: how hot to melt it, how far to cool it and at what temperature to work with it. Tempering gives chocolate its gloss, snap and easy release from moulds.

How it is calculated

There is no formula: the guide looks up a typical temperature curve for the chosen chocolate.

• Dark: melt to 45–50 °C, cool to 27–28 °C, work at 31–32 °C.
• Milk: melt to 40–45 °C, cool to 26–27 °C, work at 29–30 °C.
• White: melt to 40–45 °C, cool to 25–26 °C, work at 28–29 °C.

Measure the chocolate itself with a probe thermometer.

The principle

Cocoa butter can crystallise in six different forms, usually numbered I to VI. Only form V gives the shine, snap and shrinkage wanted in finished chocolate; it melts at roughly 33–34 °C, close to body temperature. Melting fully erases all existing crystals. Cooling while stirring makes new crystals form, including some unstable ones. Gently rewarming to the working temperature melts the unstable crystals but leaves the form V seeds, which then guide the whole batch to set in the right form. Milk fat interferes with cocoa butter crystals and softens the mix, so milk and white chocolate need lower temperatures than dark.

Worked example

1. Input: dark chocolate.
2. Melt it gently to 45–50 °C so that no crystals remain.
3. Cool it to 27–28 °C while stirring, on a marble slab or by adding chopped tempered chocolate.
4. Rewarm to 31–32 °C and hold it there while dipping or moulding.

How to read the result

The working temperature is a ceiling as well as a target: going above it melts the form V seeds and the chocolate must be tempered again. Test before use by dipping the tip of a knife or a strip of baking paper; well-tempered chocolate sets glossy and firm within a few minutes in a cool room. A streaky, dull or soft result means the temper is lost. If the package prints its own curve, follow it.

Common mistakes

• Overheating dark chocolate above about 55 °C or milk and white chocolate above about 45–50 °C, which can scorch milk solids.
• Letting a drop of water or steam into the bowl, which makes the chocolate seize.
• Measuring with a thermometer that touches the hot bowl instead of the chocolate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the white or grey streaking on chocolate?

Fat bloom, caused by cocoa butter crystallising in unstable forms or moving to the surface. Sugar bloom, a dry white film, comes from moisture dissolving sugar on the surface.

Can I temper chocolate in a microwave?

Yes. Heat in short bursts and stir often, aiming to melt it only just above the working temperature so that some original form V crystals survive.

Do I need to temper chocolate for baking?

No. Chocolate melted into batters, ganache or sauces needs no tempering.

Sources: Stephen T. Beckett, The Science of Chocolate, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2nd ed., 2008 · Wille R.L., Lutton E.S., Polymorphism of cocoa butter, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 43:491–496, 1966