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What's the best way to melt chocolate?

post #1 of 17
9/21/11 at 7:59am
Thread Starter 
I have tried glass cups, plastic melters, ceramic, and it all seems like its burning my chocolate. I make sure not to over heat or put the chocolate candy melts in too long (in microwave), and it still seizes up on me. I add shortening but its still really thick.

When I first started melting chocolate anything seemed to work fine, but now it just seems nothing works! Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated!
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post #2 of 17
9/21/11 at 8:10am
Chocolate must be melted in a double boiler over very low heat. I use a large roasting pan, across two stove burners, put a large bowl in it (anything but metal), pour water in the roasting pan to an inch or so from the top, or an inch or so below the top rim of the bowl, put chocolate in bowl and wait. Takes awhile, you can't rush it or it will burn. Don't get any water in the chocolate, will seize and be useless. White chocolate is harder to melt.
Jennifer
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post #3 of 17
9/21/11 at 8:10am
What candy melts are you using? Wilton are notorious for being thick when melted.

The best way to melt chocolate is slowly. You can either use a double boiler or in the microwave, just make sure you do it slowly ie low heat, water just simmering or short bursts (20 seconds) in the microwave. Make sure you stir it often as well to get an even distribution of heat.
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post #4 of 17
9/21/11 at 8:29am
Even after it's melted, I always find that it's still thick - any suggestions? any specific chocolate that works better than others??
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post #5 of 17
9/21/11 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
I almost always use the candy melts or almond bark. Never Wilton (you pay more for less chocolate).

Also, I bought the candy colorings from wilton and that made my chocolate sieze too! I thought they were supposed to be used instead of gel coloring, but it gave me the same result.

I put them in the microwave for 30 second intervals at 50% power.
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post #6 of 17
9/21/11 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
I almost always use the candy melts or almond bark. Never Wilton (you pay more for less chocolate).

Also, I bought the candy colorings from wilton and that made my chocolate sieze too! I thought they were supposed to be used instead of gel coloring, but it gave me the same result.

I put them in the microwave for 30 second intervals at 50% power.
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post #7 of 17
9/21/11 at 9:04am
Always melt chocolate at 50% power and in very short intervals as mentioned above. I usually melt chocolate in glass bowls because I think that helps hold heat which means if my chocolate is almost melted...stirring it in a hot container helps melt the rest without heat.

When I did cake pops I had to add a ton of shortening to thin the candy melts for dipping. Probably 4 tablespoons to 2 cups of chocolate. That said I agree, Wilton melts aren't great. There is better candy coating out there like Merkins and Guittard.
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post #8 of 17
9/21/11 at 3:57pm
When I took chocolate classes, we used the microwave at 50% power at 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval.

We were advised to use microwave safe PLASTIC containers, as glass ones get extreme hot spots that can cause problems with scorching.

I use "good" chocolate and cheap candy melts, depending on what I'm doing and I always melt them this way.

If they are very thick, I add paramount crystals (found in cake deco stores and online) to thin them. This allows the chocolate to set up with a nice shine and snap. If you add shortening or veg. oil, the chocolate will set up dull & soft.

HTH
Rae
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I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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post #9 of 17
9/21/11 at 4:38pm
I use a pot of simmering water and a shallow metal bowl over it thats bigger then the pot I let the bowl heat up a little then pour the melts in stir it and melt it that way but yes I have the same problem sometimes also it seems the colored chocolate is a little thicker then the dark or milk chocolate for some reason and I add very little bits of Paramount Crystals to it and it seams to help and I might add I agree I do not use WILTONS candy melts either I really don't like the taste, the texture, they don't melt right in anyway
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post #10 of 17
9/30/11 at 8:35pm
Just like Jennifer said "Chocolate must be melted in a double boiler over very low heat." thats the way to go..... icon_smile.gif
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post #11 of 17
10/1/11 at 8:36am
I use a non temepering chocolate..boil a bit of water in a pot big enough to fit my pyrex bowl halfway in,add about half a cup of chocolate chips,take the pot off the heat and stir till it's runny then put back on at medium heat and add the other half of a cup of chocolate and stir till runny..if weather is cool i leave pot on at it's lowest and if it's hot i take the pot off all together. if i find the bowl getting too hot i take that off the hot water it helps to stir it a lot if you find it thickening a bit. hope this helps.
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post #12 of 17
10/7/11 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jennifer1970

Chocolate must be melted in a double boiler over very low heat. I use a large roasting pan, across two stove burners, put a large bowl in it (anything but metal), pour water in the roasting pan to an inch or so from the top, or an inch or so below the top rim of the bowl, put chocolate in bowl and wait. Takes awhile, you can't rush it or it will burn. Don't get any water in the chocolate, will seize and be useless. White chocolate is harder to melt.



Sorry, but this is incorrect. I rarely ever use a double boiler when I melt chocolate. Using the microwave at 50% power for short bursts works fine. I usually go for about a minute depending on how much I'm melting, then go from there in shorter increments, not usually more than 30 seconds at a time.
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post #13 of 17
10/7/11 at 6:33pm
I use a double boiler for larger amounts of chocolate as it keeps it melted. I use a melter for medium amounts and the microwave for small amounts.

I just stopped using the Merkens super white because they seized time and time again and I could not get them back to consistency. I don't know if it's a storage problem at the store, old melts, or what as they used to work just fine. All I know is that I first gave up on using white of any brand and then I realized it was the Merkens brand that was doing it.
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post #14 of 17
10/7/11 at 11:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dchockeyguy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jennifer1970

Chocolate must be melted in a double boiler over very low heat. I use a large roasting pan, across two stove burners, put a large bowl in it (anything but metal), pour water in the roasting pan to an inch or so from the top, or an inch or so below the top rim of the bowl, put chocolate in bowl and wait. Takes awhile, you can't rush it or it will burn. Don't get any water in the chocolate, will seize and be useless. White chocolate is harder to melt.



Sorry, but this is incorrect. I rarely ever use a double boiler when I melt chocolate. Using the microwave at 50% power for short bursts works fine. I usually go for about a minute depending on how much I'm melting, then go from there in shorter increments, not usually more than 30 seconds at a time.



I agree that the previous statement was incorrect. If melting on a double boiler the best bowl to use is a metal one. You see it all the time on chocolate challenges such as food network and most recently top chef just desserts. They use a metal bowl and a hand blender to get the chocolate tempered.
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post #15 of 17
10/8/11 at 1:51am
I like using a metal bowl and the double boiler method but I found that it took some practice to figure out when the chocolate is getting too hot so you can remove it from heat before it thickens. Depending on what you're doing with the chocolate you may need to keep it at a consistent temperature so you can take your time. For making cake pops I've used a small crock pot or those "mini dippers", just stir frequently and if it starts to thicken I've added vegetable oil... Never had it come out looking dull.
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