Melting chocolate is a simple task, but there is a very specific technique to ensure it is glossy and smooth, not grainy. Darker chocolate (70%+ cocoa) is easier to melt, but the method is the same for all types of chocolate.
You will need a heatproof bowl and a saucepan small enough that the bowl can sit on top of it. The higher the bowl can sit on the pan the better!
First break the chocolate into pieces. A neat tip is to smash it on the counter while it is still in the packet – especially if it is the type in a cardboard sleeve. Bash it several times against the table or worktop, then tip it into a small heatproof bowl. Break the pieces up further – the smaller and more uniform the chunks, the quicker and more evenly the chocolate will melt.
Boil some water, then put a small amount into a saucepan. Set over a very low heat. You now need to place the bowl on top of the saucepan. The ideal is that the bowl sits above, but does not touch, the water but we find this is hard to achieve! We’ve found over many years of melting chocolate this it is OK if the the bowl does touch the water, so long as the amount of water is small, and the temperature is kept very low.
You need water that is warm to hot, but not at a rolling boil. Chocolate will actually melt at body temperature (think about what happens when you hold it in your hands for too long!) so don’t let the water get too hot – it will scald the chocolate and prevent it from melting properly if you do.
Using warm, not boiling, water is the first top tip for melting chocolate. But the second – and most important – is to not stir the chocolate! Leave it alone – you will be tempted to help the melt along by stirring, but do not do this. The chocolate will melt slowly, but it will melt. You can, however, swirl the bowl to help the central pieces melt into the body of the chocolate. See below for how the melting evolves.
Jake sticks his nose in
The reason you don’t stir the chocolate is that it will cool and turn grainy and dull if you do. Be patient, and swirl the bowl instead.
Your chocolate is now melted, glossy and ready to use!
