Definition
In culinary terms, the delicate process of melting chocolate while maintaining its molecular structure so it dries with a glossy finish and satisfying snap instead of turning into sad, streaky goop. This technique requires heating and cooling chocolate through precise temperature ranges, making it the baking equivalent of performing chemistry with something you'd rather just eat. Screw it up and you get chocolate that blooms—not the good kind of bloom.
Example Usage
I spent three hours tempering chocolate for truffles, then my kid touched the bowl and now it's seized into an expensive chocolate rock.
Source: Culinary technique terminology
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