The Art of the Tempering Process

The art of tempering: your complete guide

Explore tabling techniques and discover why a tempering machine is your best friend.

There are various ways to heat chocolate, from the traditional bain-marie method to a microwave. For this blog, however, we choose the most precise and efficient method at home: the chocolate tempering machine.

• tempering machine
• scrapers

• chocolate of your choice

1. Prepare a clean, dry workspace and have all the necessary tools to hand.
2. Put the chocolate in the tempering machine and heat to about 45°C.
3. Adjust the machine to the desired final temperature (see notes).
4. Transfer 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a marble worktop.
5. Tabling: use the scrapers to spread and constantly stir the chocolate until its temperature drops to about 5°C below the desired final temperature. This stabilises the cocoa butter’s crystal structure, producing a glossy finish and a pleasant snap when the chocolate breaks.
6. Mix the tabled chocolate back into the warm chocolate in the tempering machine.
7. Stir thoroughly and return it to the machine to reach the desired final temperature. Heat or cool as needed to obtain the correct temperature.
8. Keep stirring the tempered chocolate regularly.

Tempering machine temperature at the start

+-45°C

Worktop temperature before combining

• Dark chocolate: 27°C
• Milk chocolate: 25°C
• White chocolate: 23°C
• Ruby chocolate: 24°C

Final tempering machine temperature

• Dark chocolate: 31-32°C
• Milk chocolate: 29-30°C
• White chocolate: 27-28°C
• Ruby chocolate: 28-29°C

Source and inspiration – Rudi Van Eenooge – CVO Gent – Eenvoudige Chocolade course

Dessert

Belgian

chocolate