Learning Objective: Understand how to temper using the seeding method

Temper by seed (chunk or injection method)

In this tempering technique, we need to ensure that pre-crystallization occurs by adding a small percent of solid tempered chocolate to a pan of melted chocolate—a process called "seeding." As long as the chocolate bits are continually being mixed into the melted chocolate, pre-crystallization occurs because cocoa butter fatty acids will solidify onto any seed crystal that is present, producing the desired stable V form.

In this process you can use either pistoles or grated bits of TEMPERED chocolate as your "seed"—untempered chocolate will not work as seed since it doesn't contain Form V crystals.

The speed at which the fat begins to crystallize depends on the temperature and also on the rate at which it is mixed and the fat crystals collide. Keeping the chocolate in constant motion produces the pre-crystallization desired without the chocolate solidifying.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Chocolate is expensive, so try your best to work cleanly. Save all the chocolate "residue" on your counter, utensils and bowls. As long as it is clean, without bits of other ingredients or moisture, you can use it again for tempering or ganache.

Here is a brief video overview of the seeding method to help you understand the technique. Please make sure to read ALL the text instructions in the rest of the lecture. That will ensure that you totally understand the technique and its before you start practicing.

The seeding process

Note: The ideal temperature of the workshop should be approximately 68°F (20°C).

Step 1: To melt all fatty acid crystals, heat to 104 - 115°F (40 - 46°C). 

In this example we are using metric measurements only to make the ratio easier to understand. Weigh out the amount of chocolate you want to temper. In our example we are using 1 kilo chocolate to be tempered. If your chocolate is not in wafer or pistole form, chop into hunks. Place in a bowl.

Then prepare your "seed" chocolate and set aside:

• Determine what amount of chocolate would be 20% of the mass of chocolate you are planning on tempering. In our example that would be 1000 gm (1 kilo) x 20% = 200 gm.
• Weigh out that 200 gm amount to use as seed. If not in wafer or pistole form, grate into small bits. Set aside.

Melt the 1 kilo of chopped chocolate hunks or pistoles using either the Microwave or Double Boiler (Bain-Marie). For details, refer to the LectureWorking with Chocolate earlier in the program curriculum Table of Contents.

Temperature check: Using a thermometer, check that the temperature of the 1 kilo melted chocolate is now between 104 - 115°F (40 - 46°C). Milk and white chocolates should only be heated to the lowest range.

Let's talk about thermometers

We've found that the best thermometer for the tempering process is a probe thermometer. It allows you to easily and accurately take the temperature of your chocolate mass on the marble slab as well as in a bowl. These thermometers are a box design with digital readout attached to a wire and probe. These cost anywhere from $20+ to $200+, the difference being accuracy and better manufacture for a longer life. There are many out there — just do a search for "cooking thermometer+probe."

Don't want the mess of a probe thermometer? There is another solution, but it isn't as accurate as the probe. My experience at Valrhona introduced me to the use of infrared thermometers in tempering and making ganache. The thermometer Chef Givre used was a gun model, like the one pictured below. While it only takes the surface temperature of the chocolate or ganache mass, if you make sure to stir the mass thoroughly before taking the temperature, you'll have a pretty accurate read of the temperature of the mass. This method doesn't work if you leave too much time between the stirring and the time you take the temperature, but if you are careful to stir, then shoot immediately, it works fine. No mess or having to clean the thermometer to read the temperature that you get with the stick-type thermometer. As these are not cheap (I've seen prices from $69US and much higher), I didn't include them as part of the supplies for the program. If your budget allows, you will definitely want this very helpful piece of equipment. There are many, many different kinds on the market so I suggest you do an Internet search on "infrared thermometers." For example, Raytek has a variety of different models, as does Bon Jour Products.

Gun-type Infrared Thermometer

If you're using a thermometer you've had around the house for a while, you might want to do an accuracy test. See instructions at the end of this lecture.

Step 2: Add seed crystals and retain the temper

In this process you must use TEMPERED chocolate as your "seed "— untempered chocolate will not work as seed since it doesn't contain Form V crystals.

Remove the bowl of chocolate from either the microwave or the bain-marie and stir to cool it slightly. Add your seeding chocolate to the melted chocolate.

Stir in the seeding chocolate bits continuously until the desired temperature is reached and they have dissolved completely. Your chocolate should now be tempered.

About "Residence Time" - this term is used in the industry to denote the additional time you need to continue to stir the chocolate mass once it has reached the desired temperature in order to ensure you have V-form crystals incorporated all through the mass of chocolate. Remember chocolate is a very dense substance and it takes time for those V-form crystals to propagate throughout the mass. The why is explained this way by our QA Online Tutor, Kerry Beal, "To grow crystals you need time (because crystals grow on crystals) you need to be at the right temperature to encourage the growth of the crystals and you need to agitate to bring crystals in contact with areas that have no crystals so that crystals can grow on crystals." The bottom line is to continue agitating the chocolate mass for 2 - 5 minutes (more time for a larger volume of chocolate - less time for a smaller volume of chocolate) to make sure you have a good "crop" of V-form crystals throughout.

Temperature check: Using a thermometer, check that the temperature of the dark chocolate is now between 88 - 90°F (31 - 32°C). Milk and white chocolate should only be 84 - 86°F (29 - 30°C). Make sure you heat the chocolate slightly if it has gone below the recommended temperatures.

Ecole Chocolat Note: Heidi our online business tutor gives this advice: "When we tempered chocolate in our shop, I was often amazed at the difference in the quality of the  temper after that chocolate is cooled to 29°C and then the final bit of heat is added to bring it back up to 32°C which was our working temperature given our cool climate. The three-degree difference can be striking and a crucial step in achieving the best results." Which is why you need a thermometer accurate at minute temperature changes. Make sure to experiment with temperatures until you find what works best for each chocolate you use and the environment of your workspace.

Make sure to stir the tempered chocolate and check the temperature while you're using it for enrobing or molding. Stirring is very important as chocolate is a poor conductor of heat, so you need to keep those crystals moving to maintain temperature and keep them from solidifying!

To retain that working temperature, see the options below. Remember, it only takes a little bit of heat to raise the temperature of the mass a degree or two.

• Put the tempered mass in the microwave for a few moments if it starts to cool — just make sure that you don't raise the temperature above 90°F (32°C).
• Replace the cool water in the bain-marie with water at a temperature of approximately 89°F (31°C) to hold the temperature of the chocolate while you're working.
• Heat the surface of the chocolate while stirring using a heat gun or hair dryer (used for only that purpose and be very, very careful that you don't burn the surface of the chocolate mass).
• Wrap a heating pad around the bowl (experiment with the temperature to make sure you know exactly how much heat your pad produces)

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you've finished tempering your chocolate, never use it for molding or enrobing purposes unless you've done a temper test. This is done by taking a small smear of your tempered chocolate, either on a piece of parchment/acetate or a utensil such as a spoon, knife or spatula. Let the chocolate harden. If perfectly tempered, that solidifying should happen within minutes in a 68°F (20°C) workshop. Check that the hardening is present at the same rate throughout the smear. That will give you a good indication that the crystallization you created while tempering is uniform. Look for gloss and snap.

Jacques Torres gives his view of "seeding" using an emulsion blender: Tempering & storing chocolate. I've never used this method, but it should work, as long as you are very careful to not introduce air bubbles into the mass through the blade-head of the blender. I wouldn't raise the head of the blender above the surface of the mass while emulsifying in order to keep air from getting a ride on the blades and into the chocolate. Air bubbles during molding or enrobing are not a good thing.

"Once I have finished my work, I let the bowl of tempered chocolate harden for storage. Why does it harden with bloom when the chocolate was tempered?"

This happens because of the large mass of chocolate. The heat from the center can't dissipate, as you aren't agitating it anymore. So it retains the heat and cools slowly. In that process some of the cocoa butter molecules release and rise to the surface. Don't worry if this happens, as you are going to have to heat the mass again to either temper it or use it in a recipe, which will mix the cocoa butter back into the mass.

When you remelt untempered chocolate to temper it again, you need to melt all the unstable crystals that were formed and solidified. Heat the mass of untempered chocolate to 115°F (46° C) for dark chocolate and to 110° F (44° C) for milk or white chocolate.

Note that a slight hint of bloom can also happen if you're molding very thick bars, suckers or 3D shapes and don't cool them quickly. The molded side will be fine, shiny and tempered, but the exposed part of the chocolate may have very light rings or speckles, which may or may not be a problem for you. You can overcome this problem by experimenting with using layers of chocolate to fill the mold instead of just one pour.

Ecole Chocolat Note: Seeding is the technique used in most small tempering machines. Depending on the size of your tempering machine, usually large hunks (the size of your fist) are used as the seed because the machine continuously rotates the mixture bringing the melted chocolate into contact with the seed hunks. If you are adding warmed chocolate to the mass as you use up the tempered chocolate, you need to replace the seed chunks as they melt into the mass to keep the chocolate in temper. If you are only using the mass for a short time, you can remove the chunks from the machine so you don't over-temper the mass. The manufacturer should include detailed instructions on tempering procedures with their machine.

Thank you to Weber Grill for detailed information

Testing your thermometer

Boiling water test

The most common way to test a thermometer is to place it in boiling water. An accurate thermometer will read about 212°F in boiling water at sea level, under normal atmospheric conditions.

To test your thermometer, bring a pot of water to a vigorous boil. Hold the thermometer stem or probe in the water, making sure not to touch the sides or bottom of the pot, and take your reading.

Remember that there are several factors that affect the boiling point of water:

As atmospheric pressure decreases, the boiling point decreases. Atmospheric pressure will vary, depending on your altitude and local weather conditions.

Hard water boils at a temperature 1 - 2°F higher than soft water, due to dissolved mineral salts.

Using a tall, narrow pot will result in a boiling point about 1°F higher than a short, wide pot.

If you live at a high altitude, you'll need to take that into account when testing your thermometer. The table below lists the approximate boiling point for a number of different altitudes. As a general rule, the boiling point decreases approximately 1.8°F for every 1,000-foot (304-meter) increase in altitude. Note that the actual boiling point may be higher or lower, depending on atmospheric pressure in your area on any given day.

10000 194.7 / 90.39 

Another way to determine boiling point is to use a Boiling Point Calculator. By entering your current barometric pressure and your elevation, you can get a good estimate of your boiling point.

Ice bath test

If your thermometer measures temperatures of 32°F or below, you can test it using an ice bath. Fill a Styrofoam cup with crushed ice, then add cold water. Insert the thermometer stem or probe into the ice bath and stir continuously. An accurate thermometer will read 32°F.

One advantage of using this method is that you don't have to take atmospheric pressure into account. An accurate thermometer will read 32°F in an ice bath at any altitude or atmospheric pressure.

What to do if your thermometer is inaccurate

When testing a thermometer for accuracy, all you're trying to do is make sure that your unit is not grossly out of whack. If your testing shows that your thermometer is off by only one or two degrees, just take those few degrees into account when reading your thermometer.

It should be noted that even high-quality, industrial-grade thermometers from manufacturers like Trend are only accurate to +/-1% of their scale. This means that at a "normal" 212°F boiling point, these thermometers may read up to 2°F above or below the actual temperature and still be within manufacturing specifications.

If your thermometer is off substantially, you may want to consider replacing it with a higher quality model. A very few thermometers can be recalibrated. Make sure to consult the instructions that came with the thermometer before attempting to recalibrate it.