As someone who works in the culinary field, you must know the tips for melting chocolate properly. Chocolate itself is indeed one of the raw materials in many food preparations, such as for dessert or dessert.
Melting pieces of chocolate into a liquid with the right consistency is something that chefs or bakers often do when baking or making food. The melted chocolate can then be used to make ganache , fillings for cakes, or can even be poured over ice cream.
Melting chocolate yourself can be done in at least two ways, namely by using an au bain-marie or using a microwave. Are you curious about the tips for melting chocolate using these two methods? Let's see the full explanation below!
Melting Chocolate Using the Au Bain-marie Method
An au bain-marie is an apparatus used in science, the manufacturing industry, and cooking to gently heat ingredients or to keep ingredients warm for a specified period of time. Au bain-marie is also commonly used to melt ingredients such as chocolate.
Also read: What is Compound Chocolate?
Steps to Melt Chocolate Using the Au Bain-marie Method
The way to use the au bain marie technique to melt chocolate is to place the pieces of chocolate in a baking dish or bowl, then place the baking sheet or bowl on top of the pan and fill it with hot water. So, to properly melt chocolate using the au bain-marie technique, you can follow the steps below:
- Cut the chocolate into very small pieces to speed up the melting process
- Put the chocolate pieces into a bowl or heat-resistant container
- Place the bowl over the pot filled with hot, not boiling water
- While over the pan, stir the chocolate to speed up the melting or melting process
- Once the chocolate has melted, lift the bowl and wipe the bottom to prevent water from getting into the chocolate mixture
Ta-da! The chocolate has melted to perfection using the au bain-marie technique. It's easy, right?
Additional Tips for the Au Bain-marie Method
In order for the chocolate to melt perfectly, there are some chocolate melting tips that you need to pay attention to when using the au bain-marie method. Let's see below!
1. Cut the Chocolate Into Small First
If you want to melt a chocolate bar, make sure you cut the chocolate into small pieces first. Why? Larger pieces of chocolate will be more difficult and take longer to melt. Conversely, chocolate that has been cut into small pieces will melt faster when heated. The chocolate will melt perfectly and not clot.
2. Use a Larger Container Than a Pot of Water
Next, make sure the container with the chocolate is bigger than the pot of hot water. Water that is already boiling will immediately produce steam, if the size of the container containing the chocolate is too small, there is potential for moisture or even splashes of water to get into the melted chocolate.
This phenomenon is often referred to as seizing . This one mistake can have bad consequences because it results in seized chocolate that has a rough and lumpy texture. Seized chocolate is hard to apply and hard to fix, so make sure to put the chocolate in a bigger container!
How to Melt Chocolate Using a Microwave
As well as using the au bain-marie technique, you can also melt chocolate just fine in the microwave. This way, you can still get perfectly melted chocolate results. The following are tips for melting chocolate using a microwave that you can follow:
- Cut the chocolate into very small pieces to speed up the melting process
- Store the chocolate pieces in a container that can hold the melted chocolate mixture like a bowl
- Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds
- After that, check and remove the chocolate from the microwave
- After checking, then stir the chocolate
- Place the chocolate back into the microwave and let it brew for 30 seconds
- After that, check and remove the chocolate mixture from the microwave and stir the mixture until it melts perfectly
Also read: Various Chocolate Bar Creations for Sale in Your Shop
Tips for Melting Chocolate Using the Microwave
1. Frequently Stir the Chocolate
Melting chocolate in the microwave does require extra patience. You'll need to stir the chocolate every time you take it out of the microwave. The goal is for the chocolate to melt completely. Also, stirring the chocolate can prevent the chocolate from burning.
2. Use Temperature Settings that are Not Too High
Microwaves usually have several temperature settings that can be used. To melt the chocolate, use a medium setting. Avoid using high settings as this can burn the chocolate. Instead of melting the chocolate faster, this mistake can ruin the texture and taste of the chocolate!
Also avoid putting chocolate in the microwave for too long. Too long heating intervals can also burn the chocolate in places.
It's better to use a lower temperature at short intervals (no more than 30 seconds) to melt the chocolate.
Also read: What is Chocolate Tempering?
If you follow the tips above, the chocolate mixture that you make should melt perfectly.
To see a video on how to melt chocolate perfectly, you can visit the following YouTube video: 5 Good and Correct Ways to Melt Chocolate A la Bain-Marie & Microwave
Apart from that, you can also browse Tulip Chocolate's YouTube channel for more videos on chocolate processing. From how to make chocolate dishes to tips on how to make chocolate, everything is on the YouTube channel.
If you're looking for chocolate ingredients for your food business, you can find it at KioskCokelat . Starting from Chocolate Couverture to Chocolate Filling, everything is complete there. We hope that the chocolate melting tips we share will help you!