portion on a room-temperature surface, a plate
or piece of foil. Properly tempered chocolate
solidifies in a few minutes to a clean, silky-
surfaced mass; the side in contact with the
cool surface is shiny. Chocolate out of temper
takes many minutes to harden, and has an
irregular powdery or grainy appearance.
Working with Tempered Chocolate Once
chocolate has been tempered, it must be
handled so that it stays in temper. It should be
kept warm, in the tempering range of 88–
90ºF/31–32ºC. When shaped, it should be
poured into molds or coated onto fillings that
are neither so cold that they cause the cocoa
butter to solidify quickly and unstably, nor so
warm that they melt the stable crystal seeds in
the chocolate. Confectioners recommend a
temperature around 77ºF/25ºC. Similarly, the
room temperature should be moderate, neither
chilly nor hot.
It turns out that tempered chocolate