Before entering fully into the clarification of the meaning of the term temper, we must highlight its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it is a word derived from Latin. Exactly we can say that it is the result of adding three elements of that language:
-The prefix “ad-”, which can be translated as “towards”.
-The noun “tempus”, which is equivalent to “time”.
-The suffix “-ar”, which is used to shape verbs.
The verb temper refers to attenuate, contain, calm or mitigate something. The concept can also mention the fact of adapting one thing to another.
For example: “The new government will have to work hard to temper the spirits of the different sectors of the economy that are experiencing difficulties on the international scene”, “The coach will surely seek to temper the impact of the captain’s sayings”, “We should temper expectations of the children so that they are not disappointed when they arrive ”.
According to Digopaul, the idea of tempering is often used with respect to the moderation of an opinion, an activity, etc. Suppose a footballer for Inter Milan affirms: “Never in my life will I play for another team. ” However, just a few months later, he declares: “If an attractive offer comes to the team and me, I am ready to leave. ” Faced with this reality, many journalists point out that the athlete decided to temper his position and was open to change.
On the other hand, it is known as tempering (or tempering) the chocolate to a process that is carried out with this food to be able to manipulate it without losing its shine or undergoing quality changes in its finish. Tempering chocolate involves heating it and then cooling it to certain temperatures so that its structure becomes more stable.
The classic method to temper the chocolate consists of melting the food in a water bath and then taking two-thirds of its total to cool it on a marble surface. For this, the cook must use a spatula and stir the chocolate. Once it has cooled down and reached the appropriate temperature, this chocolate must return to the original container to be mixed with the rest and thus reach the temperature of tempering.
Within the scope of gastronomy, not only is the term tempering used to refer to this process in relation to chocolate, but also for other actions with various products. Thus, for example, it is common that mention is made of tempering the meat. This is a step that is essential when it comes to being able to prepare that food in a perfect and juicy way.
It basically consists of removing the meat from the refrigerator an hour before it is going to be cooked. In this way, it is considered that the fact that it is at room temperature will make it more juicy as well as that it does not shrink when fried nor does it splash water when placed in the pan.
Of course, it should not be forgotten that it is also very common to talk about tempering the eggs when preparing a dessert, for example. This process basically consists of pouring the beaten eggs into a bowl and adding a little milk or hot cream to those to prevent them from curdling.