Some things in the preparation seem so elementary to experienced chefs that they do not pay much attention to them. For example, it is unlikely that the recipe will describe in detail how to melt chocolate at home. However, in inexperienced housewives, he often burns or curls up into lumps. But here, as in any other business, some skills are simply required, and then everything will work out.
But before you learn
how to melt chocolate at home, you need to learn how to choose it correctly. Not all chocolate is suitable for these purposes, but only with a cocoa content of at least 50%. In addition, it should not contain any vegetable fats. This can cause the mass to simply curl during melting. For confectionery purposes, porous chocolate is never used. But you can use milk or white for decoration.
Many believe that this takes a lot of time. But since it is actually possible to melt a bar of chocolate in 5-7 minutes, it simply burns with a long stay on the stove. The fact is that the “right” chocolate retains its shape when heated. And to understand that he is ready, you need to stop him with a spatula. It is also very important to properly prepare chocolate for this procedure. It must be broken or with a knife turned into shavings. The smaller the pieces, the easier and faster it will be possible to melt the chocolate.
Now, knowing all the rules, you can proceed to the procedure itself. Experienced chefs offer several ways to melt chocolate at home. One of them is a water bath. For it, you will need 2 pots of different sizes, so that they can be inserted into each other, and they do not touch the bottom. In the larger one, pour water, and in the second put the broken chocolate into pieces. Collect a water bath and, stirring, melt the chocolate for 5-7 minutes. In this case, it is very important to ensure that water does not get into the upper pan. By the way, if everything is done correctly, after 20 minutes it will completely harden, and it can be melted again.
Another popular way is to use a microwave. Put the broken chocolate into pieces on a plate and put in the microwave for 2 minutes at minimum power. You can’t keep it longer in any case, since the mass can be overheated. But since milk chocolate (or white) can be melted at a lower temperature, this method is not suitable for them. And confectioners use this option only when adding chocolate mass to the dough. For the manufacture of jewelry, only melted chocolate in a water bath is used.
Sometimes there are tips that you can melt the chocolate directly on the stove, however, without sufficient experience, it is better not to do this. For beginner confectioners, this method is only suitable if cooking using cream or butter is required. First you need to heat them to a boil, and then quickly stir the chocolate pieces. Remove pan from heat.
Chocolate icing or ganache will be ready.
Now you know how to melt chocolate at home, and you can decorate any cake with the most complex shapes or make a dessert. And also all these methods are great for cooking fondue.