How To: Melt Chocolate (in a double boiler)

Knowing how to properly melt chocolate for dipping or for other desserts is a really important skill. Especially for a young man trying to impress a girl. Here are some tips on how to melt chocolate in a double boiler.

A double boiler is when you have two sauce pans of different sizes; the large one is filled halfway up with water that is boiled, and the small one is filled with whatever you are melting (chocolate, cheese, etc). Once the water is heated you place the smaller pan inside the larger one, being careful that it floats in the water without the danger of any water getting into it; the contents of it melts from the residual heat of the boiled water.

The two most common problems with melting chocolate are (1) it seizing up and (2) overheating. Chocolate seizes up when it comes into contact with water. Ensuring that everything the chocolate touches (the cutting board, the knife, the pan, the spatula, etc.) is dry will keep if from seizing. Make sure to use a plastic or metal spatula; not wood as wood retains water. Also, make sure that none of the double-boiler water splashes into the chocolate while it is melting.

The next common problem is overheating the chocolate. This causes it to become lumpy and thick. By turning off the heat once the water has boiled and before adding the chocolate will prevent the possibility of overheating. You can tell that your chocolate is overheated when it goes from being shiny and smooth to dull and lumpy.

You can melt liquids (milk, cream, coconut oil, butter, etc) together with the chocolate. You should use 1 tablespoon of liquid for every 2oz of chocolate.

Makes: 1 cup

Preparation time: 2m
Cooking time: 2m
Total time: 7m

Ingredients:

Equipment: 2 different sized saucepans

Instructions:

  1. Chop up the chocolate into roughly equal pieces so that it melts evenly. Place the chocolate into the smaller saucepan. If you are using any liquids, add them to the smaller saucepan with the chocolate now.
  2. Fill the larger saucepan halfway up with water, and heat over high until it boils.
  3. Turn off the heat and set the smaller saucepan into the larger saucepan. Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted.
  4. Dip things into the chocolate or use it in a recipe like my INLINE-LINK-START title="Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies" href="http://www.wafflehearts.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-coconut-brownies" target="_blank">Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies INLINE-LINK-END.