NOTE: The simmering water not boiling must never touch the bottom of the pan or bowl. Melt chocolate slowly over low heat. Chocolate is very delicate and can become lumpy or grainy if overheated. Do not let dark chocolate get above degrees F. Stir chocolate slowly and gently occasionally until melted.
Begin stirring the chocolate with a rubber spatula when the outside edges start to liquefy. Stirring prematurely will actually slow down the melting process. Stir frequently to distribute the heat evenly. Remove the pan or bowl from the double boiler as soon as the chocolate is nearly melted. Continue gently stirring until it is smooth and shiny.
Before pouring the melted chocolate into another container, be sure to wipe the exterior of the pan dry to prevent water drips. Either break up, grate, or chop the chocolate into small even pieces. Preheat oven to a low setting — no higher than degrees F. After preheating, turn oven off. Place chocolate pieces in an oven-proof bowl, place in oven, and let stand until melted. Heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, uncovered, to prevent moisture from collecting.
Place chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on medium power until the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it, as the chocolate may not look as if it has completely melted, because it retains its shape. The chocolate should be only slightly warmer than your bottom lip.
The residual heat of the chocolate will melt it. Do not rely on appearance alone when microwaving chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to stir the melting chocolate. NOTE: Do not leave in microwave until all the chocolate is melted. Chocolate can be safely melted with a small amount of liquid, such as milk, cream, butter, or alcohol if they are placed in the pan or bowl together the same time.
Chocolate should never be melted with very small amounts of liquid. This prevents the dry particles cocoa and sugar in the chocolate from binding together and becoming lumpy:. Cold liquids should never be added to melted chocolate, as they can cause the chocolate to seize. Instead, ensure that your liquids are warm but not boiling when you add them to chocolate.
Either break up, grate, or chop the chocolate into small even pieces and put it in a small plastic bag. Once the chocolate is melted, cut off the corner of the bag and you can drizzle it on cakes, etc. If you splatter water on melting chocolate or overheat the chocolate, it can be disastrous, causing the chocolate to seize or turn grainy.
Note that some recipes call for melting chocolate along with liquid. This is OK, as long as the liquid is added at the beginning. If that happens, here is what you can try:.
Add a taste-free vegetable oil canola, not olive , shortening, warm milk or cream, or warm melted butter by the teaspoon to the melted chocolate in a saucepan. NOTE: The liquids added to the chocolate must not be cold — best if warmed to the same temperature as the chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate returns to a smooth state.
Use 1 tablespoon of liquid for every 6 ounces of chocolate; stir until smooth. Chocolate recovered from seizing should only be incorporated with other ingredients to make sauces, frostings, or batters. It is not suitable for using alone, such as for coating candy or creating decorative curls it will not have the same shine or delicate texture.
When tempering chocolate and seizing occurs, once vegetable oil is added it can no longer be tempered. Burnt chocolate is another matter. You may unsubscribe at any time. Newsletter Shop Help Center. Home Cooking. Log In Sign Up. Anyone have a fool-proof way to do this? Want to stay up to date with this post? Log In or Sign Up to comment. Entertaining The Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving by Kristin Donnelly The best way to cook a stress-free dinner is to think ahead, which is why we've created this comprehensive It looks like it is ice in there, but I did not read anything about ice.
Maybe I missed something. Anyways, saving chocolate is a very noble cause for me, so well done here. I just brought a seized lump of chocolate back to life by adding glycerin and heating it slowly in a microwave.
The ratio of chocolate to glycerin was about by volume, and I just eyeballed it. I used a small glass ramekin and took it out every ten seconds to stir with a spatula. After the 5th or 6th ten-second round in the microwave, the chocolate was workable. Not where I can find it anyway. What did I do? My chocolate is really thick and has a slight gloss to it but it is gritty all the way through it. If you could respond to me somehow that would be cool and if you know anything about this melting chocolate stuff I could possibly have you call me or message me on messenger!
Is there anybody on this site that answers any one or is it just a place to write a bunch of stuff? Sorry to hear that your chocolate seized, Jeanie. Unrefined or virgin coconut oil with have more of a flavor to it, so this is not the best option to use. If semi-sweet chocolate is what you are going for and you are hoping to make cookies, it may be best to purchase chocolate chips to start if you are able to.
And we have lots of wonderful cookie recipes that you might like to try. Good luck! Thanks for the interesting tip Barry! It happened in an instant. A day before I used vanilla extract alcohol. That one was OK, but not the paste. One case is when chocolate comes into contact with even a small amount of water, which is called "seizing.
There are ways to avoid this from happening, but if you run into problems with overheated or seized chocolate, all is not lost. The chocolate can sometimes be salvaged, or put to other uses in the kitchen. Chocolate is a mixture of fat from cocoa butter and dry particles cocoa and sugar. When chocolate is melted, these ingredients break up evenly, creating a smooth consistency.
However, when the melted chocolate comes into contact with water—even the smallest amount—the dry particles become moist and begin to stick together, quickly forming a gritty, rough paste.
This occurs because when the water joins with the sugar in the chocolate, a syrup is formed, which attracts the cocoa particles and makes for a grainy texture. The most important thing you can do to prevent chocolate from seizing is to eliminate any chance of the chocolate coming into contact with water. Always make sure the bowls and utensils you are using are perfectly dry and avoid using wooden spoons or boards , as they might retain moisture and impart this moisture to your chocolate.
If you are using a double boiler to melt your chocolate, keep the water hot but not boiling, or turn off the heat before the bowl of chocolate is placed on top. Boiling water might splash above the rim of the saucepan and cause droplets to fall into the chocolate. In addition, boiling water gives off a great deal of steam, and steam can cause the chocolate to seize.
Be sure to wipe the bottom of the bowl the chocolate is melting in to remove water and condensation. Finally, never cover warm chocolate with a lid, as the heat of the chocolate might form condensation on the inside of the bowl, which will cause the chocolate to seize. This may seem counterintuitive, but the way to fix chocolate that has seized is to add more liquid to it.
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