Tempered vs Non-Tempered Chocolate - Which Chocolate is Preferable?

You can differentiate chocolate based on their ways of processing – tempered and non-tempered chocolate, or usually referred to untempered chocolate. Do you know the difference between the two and which one is more preferable to use in cakes and pastries?

If you are a bakery or cake shop owner, you should know the difference between tempered and non-tempered chocolate in order to get a balanced taste in each dish. Then, tulip Chocolate will share with you the differences between tempered and non-tempered chocolate. You can also find additional details on tempering your chocolate.

The Difference between Tempered and Non-Tempered Chocolate

To know what tempered chocolate looks like, you can refer to chocolate truffles, which is easily found whenever you walk to a candy store or dessert house. Tempered chocolate usually has a solid, firm shape with a shiny appearance.

On the other hand, non-tempered chocolate is soft and has a dull finish.

That’s why for chocolate truffles, we should use tempered chocolate in order to get a more appealing visual, as well as for better taste.

Based on the process, we have two types of chocolate widely used in baking cake and pastries – compound chocolate and couverture chocolate. Couverture chocolate is the one that needs to go through the tempering process, while compound chocolate does not.

People often refer to couverture chocolate as ‘real chocolate’ since it contains less cocoa butter and higher cocoa powder. This chocolate requires tempering before use to prevent chocolate bloom.

On the other hand, compound chocolate is simpler to use because you can melt this type of chocolate easily. Since compound chocolate contains high cocoa butter and cocoa powder, it doesn’t require any tempering process.

What is Chocolate Bloom?

As we have mentioned before, you need to temper couverture chocolate before using it to avoid chocolate bloom. Does the term ‘chocolate bloom’ ring a bell?

Chocolate bloom happens when fat in the chocolate (cocoa butter) separates from the rest of the ingredients and rises into the surface. If you ever find chocolate with some white dusty coating on the surface, that is chocolate bloom.

Is chocolate blooming a bad thing? Yes, it is still safe to consume, however, chocolate bloom will give a dry texture and might taste a bit off.

Chocolate bloom can happen because of the drastic temperature change. It can occur when you melt it at a high temperature or store it in the fridge at a low temperature.

How to Temper Chocolate?

Tempering process indeed takes time, but it’s not too complicated. All you need to do is make sure the temperature stays beyond 90^oF/32^oC. That’s why, for this tempering process, you should prepare a thermometer to keep the right temperature. 

Another option is to use the double boiler technique and melt the chocolate gradually to temper the chocolate. You can lower the heat and continue stirring it occasionally whenever the temperature goes up.

Keep in mind that you have to use the tempered chocolate quickly once it has been tempered. If you let it cool for a couple of minutes, you need to go through the tempering process again to maintain the quality of the chocolate and avoid the chocolate bloom.

To hone your tempering process skill and get the perfect result, we recommend to use Tulip 62 Dark Couverture Chocolate. Contact Tulip Chocolate representatives to get helped with your order.