Tempering Chocolate

If you are using chocolate that is first melted and then resolidified, as for molding shapes, dipping candies or as a decoration, you must temper it so that it remains firm and shiny.

If you unwrap a bar of chocolate, you will notice its high gloss, clear design and “snapping” quality when you break it. That is tempered chocolate. Melt it, however, and allow it to resolidify, and it will be dull, perhaps grayish in appearance, without its clean “snap.” Melting the chocolate caused it to lose its “temper.”