Melting Chocolate | E Publishing

Working with chocolate is not as easy as it looks. How well it melts depends on many factors not the least of which is the makeup of the chocolate itself. If you are looking to create your own chocolate sweet treats at home, here are a few tips on getting started.

Getting Started

So, what are you using chocolate for? Whether it is a cake, fudge, candies or something else delicious, there are chocolates made for the task. In the store, youll find blocks or bricks of chocolate in the spice aisle. You cant just grab a bar of chocolate candy and melt it.

Chocolate can be melted in the microwave oven or over hot water (double boiler). The key is to go slow and steady so you dont have a mess on your hands.

Once youve bought the chocolate bricks, there are specific instructions on the side of the box that tells you what to do. Before melting anything, the chocolate has to be prepared. Trying to melt an entire brick of chocolate is a no-no. Its just like cooking a thick steak at a high temperature. The outside will be charred and unpalatable before the inside is cooked at all.

Chocolate needs to be chopped into small pieces. This way, there is more surface area available to the heat and the chocolate will melt uniformly. Dont add any water. We always want to add water to things to make them creamier or melt better. It works with a lot of foods but not chocolate. The water makes it harder to work with later, essentially ruining it.

Use low heat. It will take a little while but the results are well worth it. To know if your chocolate is melting, stir it. Chocolate will remain looking like a block even when it is fully melted. Tap the pieces to see if they have begun to melt. Stir frequently from that point on until the chocolate melts to the consistency that you like.

Microwave Melting

If you need your chocolate quick, you can use the microwave. Even those people who blow up hot dogs in the microwave can learn to melt chocolate. Start by reducing your cooking power to half or fifty percent. You will still cut up your chocolate into small even pieces.

Ceramic bowls work well in the microwave. The idea is to have a container that will stay cool even while the chocolate is heating up. Plastic containers get too hot and can ruin your chocolate and your fingertips. Microwave one minute for each ounce of chocolate, using one-minute cycles. Chocolate is considered ready when most of it is melted.

You can melt chocolate with liquids like milk. The other ingredient lowers the melting point of the chocolate so it melts faster. But, resist the urge to use higher temperatures as it can ruin the chocolate.

So, the next time you want to make a chocolate fondue or simply make a cake icing, use these tips for the smoothest melted chocolate you can get.

Source: http://e-publishing.org.uk/food-and-drink/melting-chocolate/

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