How to Temper Chocolate in the Microwave

If you've ever made truffles or a chocolate-dipped dessert, there's a good chance you've come across the term "tempered chocolate". But how do you temper chocolate, and why is it necessary? It all comes down to the science behind melting chocolate.

What is Tempered Chocolate?

Chocolate is made of cocoa butter, with can crystallize into one of 6 different formations when heated and cooled. Cocoa butter molecules that have stacked into form V crystals (also known as beta crystals) give chocolate its glossy finish and signature snap when you bite into it. 

Tempering chocolate is the process of heating and cooling it in such a way as to encourage the creation of these form V crystals. When chocolate has been melted but not tempered, it tends to stay fairly soft at room temperature and dry with a dull, sometimes streaky appearance. 

Jump to:

• What is Tempered Chocolate?
• The Difference Between Melting Chocolate and Tempering Chocolate
• What You'll Need
• How to Temper Chocolate in the Microwave
• Troubleshooting
• Alternative Tempering Method
• Storing Tempered Chocolate
• Temperatures for Tempering Chocolate 
• FAQs
• Recipes That Use Tempered Chocolate
• 💬 Comments and Reviews

The Difference Between Melting Chocolate and Tempering Chocolate

Tempering chocolate involves melting chocolate, but takes it a step further. When you heat chocolate beyond a certain temperature, the existing crystalline structure is destroyed. Bringing the chocolate back in temper requires cooling it down enough for the cocoa butter crystals to reform, all while keeping the chocolate in a melted state. We'll do this using a process called the seeding method. 

The trick behind this method is that already tempered chocolate can act as a "seed" for creating those form V crystals. By adding a small amount of tempered chocolate to the melted chocolate as it cools, you can actually promote the correct crystal structure.

What You'll Need

First things first; you'll need the right kind of chocolate. Any good quality chocolate bar should do, assuming it's been stored properly and hasn't bloomed (which is when you start to see lighter-colored streaks across the surface).  I tend to use Trader Joe's Pound Plus Dark Chocolate. If you want to use milk or white chocolate, you can, but keep in mind that they require different temperatures for melting and cooling.

Couverture chocolate could be considered the best chocolate for tempering since it contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter. Stay away from chocolate candy melts - which are made with vegetable oils and aren't real chocolate - and chocolate chips, which contain additional ingredients to help them hold their shape when exposed to heat.

In my experience, the microwave method is the easy way to temper chocolate. It's less messy than other methods and tends to have a pretty high success rate. In addition to a microwave, you'll need a serrated knife (for chopping the chocolate into small pieces), a microwave-safe bowl, a rubber spatula, and a good thermometer. A basic candy thermometer will work, although I like to use an all-purpose digital thermometer for simplicity's sake.

To keep the chocolate at working temperature, you can set the bowl on top of a heating pad set on low heat while you work with it. This can be helpful if you're using the chocolate for dipping. If the chocolate drops below working temperature, reheat it in the microwave in very small increments until it reaches 88ºF- 90ºF once again.

Troubleshooting

If you've followed the steps above and your chocolate still doesn't appear to be in temper, don't give up! Keep stirring it until the chocolate cools to 84ºF; at this point, enough form V crystals should have formed. 

You can then carefully reheat the chocolate back up to working temperature (88ºF-90ºF), making sure it doesn't exceed 90ºF. 

Alternative Tempering Method

If you're starting with chocolate that's already in temper, another option is to melt it very carefully so as to avoid taking it out of temper in the first place. In order to do this, you must avoid letting the chocolate go over 90ºF, which means you'll need to heat it in very short increments, stirring and checking the temperature consistently.

If you can manage to melt it smoothly while keeping the temperature under 91ºF, your chocolate should still be in temper. 

Storing Tempered Chocolate

If you temper more chocolate than you need for a recipe, you can easily save the extra for later by pouring it into a mold or spreading it out in a thin layer across a sheet of parchment paper. Once the chocolate has set, place it in an airtight, zip-top bag and store it in a cool, dry place. You can use it again for any recipe that calls for pure chocolate!

Print