Ferrandi Paris’s expert team of chocolatiers shares three simple techniques to temper chocolate to perfection
Water bath method
Active time: 25 minutes
Equipment
- Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- Dark, milk, or white couverture chocolate
Directions
1Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (bain- marie). Stir until melted, 122°F (50°C) for dark chocolate, and 113°F (45°C) for milk and white.
2When the chocolate has melted, stand the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water. Stir to lower the temperature of the chocolate.
3Cool dark chocolate to 82°F–84°F (28°C–29°C), milk to 81°F–82°F (27°C–28°C), and white to 79°F–81°F (26°C–27°C). Put the bowl back over the pan and raise the temperature to 88°F–90°F (31°C–32°C) for dark, 84°F–86°F (29°C–30°C) for milk, and 82°F–84°F (28°C–29°C) for white.
Table method
Active time: 25 minutes
Equipment
- Instant-read thermometer
- Marble slab
- Offset spatula
- Scraper
Ingredients
- Dark, milk, or white couverture chocolate
Directions
1Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (bain-marie). Stir until melted, 122°F (50°C) for dark chocolate and 113°F (45°C) for milk and white chocolate. Once melted, pour two-thirds onto a clean, dry marble slab to cool.
2Using the offset spatula and scraper, work the chocolate from the outside toward the center.
3Spread out the chocolate again and repeat the process to cool it down.
4When the temperature reaches 82°F–84°F (28°C–29°C) for dark chocolate, 81°F–82°F (27°C–28°C) for milk, and 79°F–81°F (26°C–27°C) for white, it needs to be raised again.
5Gradually stir the melted chocolate back into the bowl containing the remaining warm chocolate until the temperature reaches 88°F–90°F (31°C–32°C) for dark, 84°F–86°F (29°C–30°C) for milk, and 82°F–84°F (28°C–29°C) for white.
Seeding method
Active time: 20 minutes
Equipment
- Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- Dark, milk, or white couverture chocolate, roughly chopped
Directions
1Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (bain-marie). Using a heatproof spatula, stir until evenly melted and the temperature reaches 122°F (50°C) for dark chocolate and 113°F (45°C) for milk and white.
2Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Finely chop the remaining chocolate and add it to the melted chocolate.
3Stir with a spatula until smooth and well blended. Cool dark chocolate to 82°F (28°C), milk to 81°F–82°F (27°C–28°C), and white to 79°F (26°C).
4Place the bowl back over the saucepan of barely simmering water and leave until the temperature reaches 88°F–90°F (31°C–32°C) for dark chocolate, 84°F–86°F (29°C–30°C) for milk, and 82°F–84°F (28°C–29°C) for white.
Extracted from Chocolate: Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts (Flammarion, 2019) by FERRANDI Paris. Photography © Rina Nurra2019.
