melting chocolate- HELP!!

shayna82

Wed, Aug 16 2006, 11:04 pm

oKAY, what am I doing wrong.

I dont have a double boiler but put a pot with baking chocolate on top of a pot of hot water. My chocolate never gets liquidy, only mushy- what am I doing wrong?

I added water to see if it would get better, but I dont think ive heard to add water before.

any suggestions?

time is running out, I have an upsherin to make What

Frumom

Wed, Aug 16 2006, 11:06 pm

Try using chocolate chips, I did that a while ago.

Annie

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 12:35 am

are you using any margarine with the chocolate. I've always found that putting a glass/pyrex bowl on top of a pot works the best. That or by chocobake (liquid chocolate stuff which I started using b/c I hated melting chocolate).

Mishie

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 12:37 am

Try adding some Margarine/Butter to the Chocolate.

What ever you do - Don't add even a drop of water, it will Break Up the chocolate!!!

Sometimes putting the chocolate in a bowl, and into the Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, and stirring after each time, works well!

Let us know if these work!
G'luck! 8)

Buddy

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 9:11 am

I don't have a double boiler either, I put one burner on top of the other and then let it melt over a very low flame.

The microwave is another good option (I double wrap it - my microwave is fleishig), but you gotta be very careful b/c an extra few seconds and its burnt!

You might want to try a different brand of chocolate - I remember that my friend and I were baking something, we did everything right, but there was a problem with the chocolate...

shalhevet

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 9:13 am

If the top dish isn't an exact fit steam rises from the pan and goes into the top dish and turns back into water, and Mishie already told you what happens then. Confused

cindy324

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 9:32 am

I agree with Annie, I also use a pyrex bowl on top of a saucepan , it melts always just fine.

shoy18

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 9:40 am

I use a metal bowl that fits exactly into one of my pots, but even without it it always melted nicely, DONT ADD WATER it wont help

MommyLuv

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 10:53 am

Never add water!!

very low flame, constant monitoring, and use a double boiler or what others said, a glass measuring cup. and you should buy real baking or bittersweet chocolate- its much easier to melt than choco chips and you get better results.
have fun licking the bowl Smile

gryp

Thu, Aug 17 2006, 9:27 pm

water ruins chocolate.
I dont even use a double boiler or double pot. just stick the baking bar right in the pot on a low fire and it melts beautifully.
baking chocolate tastes much better than choc chips- I buy the semisweet kind that says its good for baking and eating.

shanie5

Wed, Sep 13 2006, 7:55 pm

I know the upsherin is over, but I'll tell u what works for me anyway.

I boil the water in the pot first, turn off the flame, then place the bowl of chocolate on top [with cover] and let it melt. If there is alot of chocolate, I sometimes do it twice b4 its all melted. I have found that if the flame is on, and water touches the bottom of the pot [doesnt matter if its a bowl on top of pot or double boiler-I use both] then the chocolate gets yucky and impossible to work with.

elless

Sat, Sep 16 2006, 9:35 pm

the best thing for melting chocolate is not adding any margarine add shortening and itll melt great great for dipping strawberries it also sticks very well

su7kids

Sun, Sep 17 2006, 2:30 am

microwave????

drrivky

Sun, Sep 17 2006, 3:28 am

I found the easiest way to melt chocolate is by putting chocolate in the oven while you preheat the oven. make sure not to burn it. it really works - it's not messy and you dont have to constantly stir.

Quote:

How To Melt/Temper Chocolate
Care must be taken when melting chocolate or you can easily end up with a grainy mess. The lighter the chocolate, the higher the chances of this happening. The most important thing to remember is that chocolate melts better and faster at lower temperatures. Never let your chocolate get above 115° F.

The best method is using a double boiler (one pot that holds the chocolate that fits over another which contains about an inch of simmering water). If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a heat proof bowl which is large enough to be suspended over a pot without its bottom touching the simmering water. Simmer the water over low heat and stir the chocolate often. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted and stir until smooth.

Be extremely careful not to get any water (not even a drop) into the chocolate. Water will turn the chocolate into a grainy, lumpy mess. If this happens, you can add a little vegetable oil in order to make it smooth again, but this will affect the flavor.

What if your recipe calls for melting chocolate along with water or some other type of liquid? That's fine, as long as the liquid is mixed with the chocolate from the beginning of the melting process, it won't get grainy on you, (but adding even a drop in mid-melting will cause this problem).

Alternatively, you can melt chocolate in a dry oven. Place grated chocolate in a metal bowl and place it in an oven set at 110° F (if your oven doesn't go that low, use the lowest temperature and keep the door ajar). Your chocolate will melt in about an hour.