Creeping up on Valentine’s Day weekend, I’d like to give a little love to chocolate. Melting chocolate can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be.
photo from last year’s Valentine’s post – Heart-Shaped Blackberry Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Blackberry Filling and Fondant Flowers
Basics
Don’t add water when trying to melt chocolate, it can cause it to turn stiff and grainy.
Chop chocolate in to smaller pieces to expedite the melting process.
The less time the chocolate spends over heat, the better. Take your chocolate off the heat early and stir continuously until it’s fully melted.
Stir your chocolate while it’s over heat as well; never leave the room while melting chocolate, or you may return to a clumpy, grainy, scorched mess.
Microwaving
If microwaving chocolate to melt, microwave in a microwave-safe bowl for as little as 5-10 seconds at a time. Remove the bowl carefully, stir and repeat process. Remember to stop microwaving when it’s almost fully melted, and just stir continuously until it’s ready rather than overheat.
Make-shift Double Boiler
Using direct heat on a stove? Why not instead try creating a double boiler effect. Place 2 inches of water in a small pot, bring it to boil and set a slightly larger pot on top of the pot with water. Add the chocolate to this top pot and stir constantly, removing it from the heat source when possible.
In an Emergency
Only as an emergency measure, if the chocolate starts to look a little lumpy and questionable, add a small amount of solid shortening (1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening for each 6 ounces of chocolate you are melting).
Happy Chocolate Day!
brought to you with help from Hershey’s.
photo from our post, A Labor of Love: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Triple Layer Cake, In Memory of Jeff
Tags: kitchen tips
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I’m a fan of the traditional double boiler method. I just take a pot and place a metal bowl over it. It’s a little less stable, I suppose, but does the job.