How to melt chocolate. Tips to make it perfect

Ideas to melt chocolate .

If you like homemade pastries and have tried any of the dessert recipes that we have on the blog, surely some recipe with chocolate has fallen without mercy.

In many of them the technique of how to melt chocolate appears, the truth is that it seems complicated but it is not and this post confirms that at home you can melt chocolate and that it is perfect for you.

I will explain two different ways so that the chocolate is perfect for you. As in almost all recipes, technique is everything, but quality ingredients are essential for the end result to be successful.

Choosing the right type of chocolate and controlling the heat source is essential to melt it without loading the chocolate and then it tastes burnt. I will not go into depth with the texture and degree necessary to achieve 

Chocolate is one of the most commonly used in baking ingredients, usually as part of the mass of a chocolate cake or as a filling in some donuts , a fried canes   or a chocolate coulant . It can also be the coverage of a Sacher cake or as a fundamental in any cream or chocolate ganache .

Most of the time it is necessary to melt it first, but with all the tricks and secrets of this post you will do it without any problem, you just have to avoid sticking a finger and eating it as is. 

Which chocolate to choose to melt?

There are several types of chocolates and not all of them can be used in the same way.

Therefore, when cooking them, or treating them in a thermal way, it is very important to pay attention to their composition and ensure that they have an adequate percentage of cocoa butter.

The main characteristic of chocolates suitable for melting is their high content in cocoa butter.

If you cannot find special chocolate to melt in some cases, it is better not to experiment, which will surely end up in the garbage can.

Do not think of using a cup chocolate because it has a lot of flour and will thicken, most likely it will burn, it is perfect, for that, to take in a good bowl with some crispy churros .

And almost all milk chocolate consumption chocolates are usually very good but have little cocoa butter, so they go great in the snack sandwich, but nothing more.

The most common types of chocolate on the market and that are used for cooking are the following:

• Chocolate in coverage . Contains a minimum of 30% cocoa butter and 55%, if it is black coverage.
• Top dark chocolate . It has 43% cocoa and around 26% cocoa butter.
• Bitter chocolate . Its flavor is due to the fact that it contains at least 60% cocoa.
• Chocolate fondant . It has 40% cocoa butter and 40% cocoa paste.

One or the other will be used depending on the color you want to obtain and the nuances of sweetness or bitterness you want to achieve.

Not all chocolates melt the same, for example white chocolate that you can melt if you follow the following steps.

It is a type of chocolate that is very sensitive to temperature and if it cools or heats up too quickly, so you will have to do it more carefully.

How to melt the chocolate without burning it?

There are two simple and effective ways to melt chocolate: in a water bath , the most traditional and in the microwave , the fastest.

What you should never do is heat it directly to the fire, you are going to load it.

Chocolate has a content of butter (fats) that will melt too quickly, it will stick to the bottom of the saucepan and eventually burn.

Bain-marie. Never directly into the fire.

1. First we are going to chop or chop the chocolate, the smaller the better, because it will melt sooner.
2. Be careful with the knife, that some chocolates are very hard and it is easy for the knife blade to slip, set the cutting board well, it should be plastic and put it in a bowl that is suitable for heating. I usually use one of Ikea glass, perfect to put later in the saucepan.
3. We put a saucepan to heat with water, more or less in half. Remember that we are going to put a bowl with weight and it can get to overflow.
4. As soon as it is hot, add the bowl with the chocolate and when it begins to melt, remove with a silicone spatula. Grab the bowl with a glove or a kitchen cloth, otherwise you will burn.
5. After about 5 minutes the chocolate will be completely melted. If you need to keep it melted for a long time, leave the bowl on the saucepan but turn off the heat.
6. Operation melting chocolate passed, you already have it to make your desserts.

The other option is the microwave

The microwave is a fantastic ally for melting chocolate, since we do it in a simple way, almost without staining and very quickly, but it has the disadvantage that if we melt the chocolate in winter (or cold) the melted chocolate begins to lose fluidity quickly and it becomes difficult to work.

1. It is just as simple. First we are going to chop or chop the chocolate, the smaller the better, because it will melt sooner.
2. Be careful with the knife, that some chocolates are very hard and it is easy for the knife blade to slip, set the cutting board well, it had better be plastic and put it in a microwave safe bowl, I have one of Lekue perfect for my recipes in the bus.
3. We heat at medium power (600W) for 1 minute and then at maximum intervals of 30 seconds.
4. At each pause, the chocolate is removed and microwave again.
5. When you see that it is almost done, but still needs a little more heat, the intervals should be reduced to 10 seconds to prevent it from denaturing and burning.

You already have the perfect chocolate for a lot of recipes, I hope that today’s tip has served you and you lose the fear of melting chocolate at home.