Melting Chocolate: A Guide

How to melt chocolate in microwave

1. This may sound very simple but even as chefs, this has tripped us up more than once.
2. Of course, the classic method is to use a double boiler, also known as a bain-marie, and this seamlessly melts the chocolate. It involves setting a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (only about 2cm of water in the bottom) to gently melt the chocolate.
3. This can however be more time-consuming and not everyone’s kitchens is equipped with heatproof bowls and whatever else (student kitchens come to mind!)
4. The important things are to make sure no water gets into the chocolate, especially if it’s milk chocolate, as this can really cause it to seize up and to go gently, again to avoid it seizing.
5. If you want to melt in a microwave, this can be really simple and foolproof but requires a bit of patience.

Traditionalists Love A Bain-marie

1. Find a saucepan that fits a heatproof bowl on top of it with a good amount of space. You do not want the water that will fill the saucepan to touch the bowl.
2. Fill the saucepan with around 2cm of water and place on medium heat. Set the heatproof bowl on top and break in the chocolate. Gently allow the water to come to temperature. If it starts bubbling, turn it down. You want barely simmering.
3. Keep stirring every so often, as it melts. Once 90% melted, remove from the heat and stir continuously. This will melt out any remaining lumps. Place back on the heat for short bursts if it doesn't melt out any lumps.