How to Melt Chocolate Flawlessly
Use this trick for all your holiday baking – your chocolate will melt flawlessly every time. A few tricks is all you need!
Dish Count :: 1 Sauce Pan, 1 Bowl, 1 Rubber Spatula
Melting chocolate doesn’t seem like it should be struggle, and after burning sooooo*gasp*ooooooo, many batches of chocolate in my day, I am so over it. It’s a sacrilege! Chocolate should never be burnt, and now it never will be again.
This is how you achieve holiday bliss.
One of the things I learned over the years is that I can never melt chocolate properly in a microwave. Microwaves vary so drastically by wattage, age, brand and so many other factors that I always find that keeping it simple is best.
I eliminate the confusion by using one simple method. I use a double boiler.
With the double boiler all you control is the simmering water and you can actually stir the chocolate yourself as opposed to microwaving it and hoping it doesn’t melt too much and seize as you peer through cloudy macaroni and cheese smeared glass.
First
Prep a small sauce pan with about an inch of water in the bottom and source yourself a metal, heatproof bowl. One of the most crucial things in using a double boiler is that bowl doesn’t touch the water. Bring the water to a simmer – a little bubble simmer. Not a big bubble simmer. Low and slow, friends!
Second
Chop you chocolate into rough pieces and add into the bowl. And make sure to have a rubber spatula on hand immediately.
Third
Continually fold the chocolate in the bowl, making sure to get all the bits that might get tucked into the corners of your bowl. Now as the chocolate melts, the chunks get smaller and smaller, and here is where you have to watch. Just before the final chunks of chocolate disappear – carefully remove the bowl from the double boiler.
The residual heat that is in the chocolate will help finish the melting process. That way you won’t over heat it and cause it to seize.
And that’s it! Pretty simple, right? Right! Use this for all your holiday chocolatey needs.
Get More Holiday How-To’s!
How to Bake the Perfect Potato
How to Make a Pie Crust – In a Food Processor
How to Roast and Carve a Chicken or Turkey
You’re a pro! Perfect chocolate and a great technique!
I have burnt a many of bowls of chocolate. Love your tips!
Perfect~ what a great tutorial! Pinning…
This is awesome! I love all of your other How-Tos as well! I think that’s fabulous to show people the proper ways to do things because I know that my chocolate melting experiences have been kind of hit or miss lol!
Who hasn’t burnt or over cooked chocolate before. Raises hand shamelessly. What a great tip.
You are simply a genius! I always burn the heck out of chocolate. This post is bookmarked for life!
I second the double-boiler method – foolproof! BTW, I LOVE your How-To’s!!
Double boiler all the way! And I want to put my face under that spoon of yummy drippy chocolate, please and thank you. <3
Double boiler is the only way to go for pure perfection.
Lovely how too! I agree a microwave is not place for purdy chocolate…but I still go there sometimes! GASP!
Yum! All I want to do is lick that bowl clean!
Great picture. I just want to lick that spoon. 🙂
I needed this for all my chocolatey needs 🙂
Beautiful blog by the way, and I love your photos.
Great instructions, friend. I too have seized chocolate and it’s no fun and not cheap. Thanks for this handy, practical post!
I am notorious for microwave-melting – and consequentially micro-melt-burning – I’ve always shied away from using a double boiler – but that GORGEOUS ribbon of perfectly melted chocolate is making me rethink my choices! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Would melting chocolate this way harden the chocolate when it return to normal room temperature? ??
I don’t want that happening, since I’m baking a cake on behalf of 27 of my classmates for the 28th’s birthday (we are throwing a little surprise party) …
Can’t afford anything going wrong
It will harden slightly. If you temper it, it will go back to it’s almost-normal hardness, but melting it this way will leave it slightly more pliable. You should be just fine. If you want it soft, add a half teaspoon of vegetable shortening for a ganache like texture. Or if you do want it to harden, once its melted, add in a few more chocolate chips to reharden it (temper). Good luck!
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