Give me a quick lesson on tempering chocolate puhlease!

[blueribboncakes]

I just won 10 lbs of Peter chocolate at a cake deco club banquet. Now what do I do?

[W.DeBord]

The chocolate they handed you is tempered. You don't have to do anything to it to store it. Just keep it in a cool place wrapped up well. Just chop some of the block when you need to use some chocolate in cookies, cakes etc...


Are you trying to make something and you need to learn how to temper?

[Isa]

Here are instructions on how to temper chocolate:
http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=15789

[thebighat]

I just checked that link out. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[blueribboncakes]

Thanks friends. I will probably use it to wrap cakes,and or dip strawberries and the like... thanks a bunch

[Svadhisthana]

Shirely Corriher, "Cookwise" has a section on chocolate.

[Svadhisthana]

Additional information on chocolate www.mrchocolate.com

[bakingpw]

JUST FOR THE RECORD...All chocolate that comes in a block form has been tempered to be in that form BUT you still have to melt it down, which gets it out of temper. So, you must re-temper to use for garnishes, etc.. Also, Peter's is hard to get into and keep in temper.

[roon]

I'm a little confused. I've never heard of tempering (never needed it before!) and I'm still a little lost.

When is it necessary? Just for when you want to coat something with melted chocolate (and let it harden afterwards) or with anytime you want to melt chocolate?

I want to make a chocolate sauce (one that won't harden like a glaze). Is tempering necessary for this?

[momoreg]

No, you don't need to temper chocolate for sauces, mousses, cakes, or other desserts.

Tempering chocolate is for molded chocolates and showpieces. It basically keeps the cocoa butter from separating (blooming) to the surface of the chocolate, by keeping all the molecules in place. If you were to make molded chocolates without tempering, they'd likely stick to the mold, break easily, and eventually develop a whitish sheen on the surface. Not very pretty.

[Anneke]

Momoreg,
are they not also more sensitive to heat when not tempered? (ie: they melt upon contact)

[panini]

blueribboncakes,
Like Wendy said, it is more than likely semi sweet coating. Its already tempered and it probably won't need to be tempered.
It a big hershey bar- cook with it. BTW no knock on Hershey's, I think the hershey bar is one of the best examples of tempered chocolate. Well, kind a chocolate.

[momoreg]

More heat sensitive? I don't believe so...even tempered chocolate melts at body temp. It's the cocoa butter that has a low melting point, and even if the molecules are differently distributed, they still melt at the same temp.

[Eeyore]

Im confused....If you are going to melt chocolate and reshape it in any way and it is going to show you have to temper it.

If you are baking with it or mixing it with other ingredients you dont have to temper it....not because it is already tempered but because it doesnt need to be in temper.

anyway, Tell me Im wrong.

[momoreg]

Eeyore, that's correct. did someone say otherwise?