Tempering Chocolate in a Double Boiler
Do not attempt to temper chocolate on a humid day unless you are in an air-conditioned room. It’s best to keep the temperature of the room down to between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
To do this you will need: At least 2 pounds of the chocolate you want to temper, chopped into small pieces; a heating pad; a clean bath towel or two or three clean kitchen towels; a bowl that is fairly narrow (so all of the heat doesn’t escape from the bowl too quickly), but deep enough so it can hold the chocolate easily, and will sit on the rim of the saucepan; a saucepan filled with an inch of water that allows the bowl to sit on the rim of the pan without touching the water and without letting any steam into the bowl; a rubber spatula; a wire whisk; a candy thermometer, an instant read thermometer, or a digital thermometer; parchment paper on which to place your coated items.
NEVER ALLOW EVEN A DROP OF WATER TO GET INTO THE CHOCOLATE during the tempering process, or the chocolate will seize into a hard, ruined mass. Make sure the steam from the water doesn’t reach the chocolate, and use only absolutely dry bowls and utensils.
Here are the tempering instructions: Turn the heating pad on low and cover it with a double thickness of towel(s). Fill the pan with an inch or more of water. Place the bowl on the rim of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water in the pan. Set aside about one-fourth of the chopped chocolate. Put the remaining chopped chocolate into the bowl. (The smaller you have chopped the chocolate, the faster the melting procedure will take place.) Bring the water in the pan to a boil and immediately reduce the heat so the water just simmers; the chocolate will start to melt. Insert the thermometer. Stir the chocolate often with the spatula, until the temperature reaches between 115 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and place it on a counter or other work surface for about 10 minutes.
Add about half of the reserved chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate and stir gentlywith the spatula until the temperature reaches between 88 and 90 degrees, being careful not to beat any air into the chocolate. As it melts, continue to add small amounts of chopped chocolate, until you have reached the correct temperature. (You may not need to add all of the chocolate.) If the correct temperature has not been reached and all of the reserved chocolate has been used, chop more chocolate and add it as needed to reach the desired temperature. Once the temperature has been reached, use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate slowly until it is completely smooth.
Move the bowl to the warm, towel-topped heating pad, bringing the towel up and around the sides of the bowl as insulation. You are now ready to use the tempered chocolate. Keep a close eye on the thermometer; take the bowl off the heating pad if it goes up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir the chocolate occasionally to keep the chocolate at the correct temperature. If the temperature falls below 88 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the heating pad up to the next setting until the chocolate again reaches between 88 and 90 degrees, then return the setting to low.
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