Product Reviewed
CDN (Component Design Northwest) Chocolate Tempering Thermometer
I was incredibly excited to review this thermometer, because seriously, who doesn’t like having a good reason to play with chocolate?
I have many food sensitivities, and so do my clients. However, chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds, chocolate-covered clementine slices, and lots of other chocolate-covered nuts and seeds are an allergen-friendly way to make a quick, easy and elegant dessert. I was certainly curious if this could help me improve my kitchen magic.
First, I dipped the clementine slides in tempered and un-tempered chocolate. The hazelnuts got the same treatment, and I sprinkled some coarse sea salt on them, too. In the photo below of the clementine slices, the tempered slices are on top. The tempering gives a smoother and less streaky consistency.
For the hazelnuts in the photo below, the difference was much more visible. The tempered chocolate (on the bottom) is smooth and glossy, while the un-tempered chocolate (above) has unattractive white splotches and streaks. Also, the non-tempered chocolate would melt on my hands when I picked up a piece to eat, while the tempered chocolate didn’t.
I won’t lie; both tempered and un-tempered treats were tasty — but we eat with our eyes too. Tempered chocolate treats are much more attractive, and less messy.
The thermometer insert gives a lot of fascinating info on the science behind why different temperatures cause differing quality of appearance, and I appreciated that background info as well.
Tempering with a thermometer does take extra time and effort. For a foodie like me, or someone who knows the secret of how simple and easy it is to do chocolate dipped goodies, it’s well worth that time, especially when I’m giving away dipped fruit as a gift. I definitely will be using this thermometer again, and know that it’ll come in handy.
