Working With Chocolate 101
Working with chocolate is intimidating for most, but it doesn’t have to be. In some ways, chocolate can be very forgiving (re-melting it and starting over). You’ll come across all sorts of information online regarding the best way to temper chocolate and such, with many sources saying one thing and another source saying another.
The truth is, there is no one-way to work with chocolate, but there are some foundational guidelines. What works for one may not work for someone else. I have worked as a chocolatier since 2009, and I prefer to offer more practical approaches to chocolate, eschewing gimmicks and unprofessional approaches.
In the past few years, I have also changed my approach, and have moved away from the trending ways of working with chocolate (colour spraying and such), and so the information here may reflect this.
Welcome!
FAQs & Myths About Working With Chocolate
+ Do I temper my ganache?
No, ganaches are not tempered. Ganaches are generally a mixture of chocolate and cream, chocolate and puree, or essentially a fat (chocolate) and a liquid (cream, puree, juice, etc.). A ganache is not treated in the same way molten chocolate is. That is, you do not need to temper chocolate ganache. However, there is a proper protocol to making a ganache. That is, heating up the mixture, mixing and creating an emulsion while warm, and then cooling it to 29-30 Celcius before filling/piping.
You also do not need to use tempered chocolate to make a ganache. In fact, untempered chocolate or bloomed chocolate, is perfectly fine to use in a ganache. The heating of the mixture breaks any crystals in the tempered chocolate, so it won't matter if the chocolate used in the ganache was tempered or not.