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Chocolate melting disaster!

carmen_grower_2007

17 years ago

I made cookies and wanted to dip them half-way in melted chocolate. I used Ghirardelli chocolate (not cheap!) and completely destroyed it. I used a make-shift double boiler and it started turning sort of crumbly. Then I just cooked the heck out of it and made burnt hard candy!

Help?

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Comments (6)

vacuumfreak
17 years ago
Oh man have I done that a time or two. The time that I tried to dip cookies was an absolute disaster. Have you tried to use the nuker? I would think that you could watch it better in a double broiler, but I've had pretty good success doing 30 second blasts in the horno de microondas and stirring with a wooding spoon after each one.

I think some people add parrafin (sp) wax to chocolate that they want to dip things in. I've never done it, so not sure how it works.

But, you certainly aren't alone! Don't even get me started on fudge... maybe we could start a new trend and sell choclate tooth breakers as a novelty item.
lindac
17 years ago
If you get any moisture at all into melting chocolate or get it too hot it will "seize"...and as far as I know there is no fix....best to toss it and start again!
Linda C
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readinglady
17 years ago
Double boilers are wonderful but I don't use mine for melting chocolate. I've just found there's too much risk of steam getting into the chocolate and seizing it up. Maybe my double boiler skills aren't up to par, but I've had far better luck putting the chocolate in a pyrex bowl and then in a low oven. It depends on the microwave but in my case the oven is more consistent.

Carol
centralcacyclist
17 years ago
Sounds like it got water in it and it seized. I use a makeshift double boiler arrangement, too. You do have to careful about the steam so do not cover it. Also be careful that the water sits low enough around the top container so that it doesn't bubble up and into the chocolate. I keep the heat at a simmer to prevent this. So far I haven't had any trouble.

If your chocolate was old, this can be a problem, too. Did it have any bloom?
maureen_me
17 years ago
If you hadn't scorched it, which it sounds as though you did, you could've probably salvaged it with about a tablespoon of vegetable shortening or oil per 8 ounces of chocolate. I don't think it'd be any good for dipping at that point--it wouldn't harden up--but you could still use it for other purposes.

Live and learn. My double boiler doesn't fit as tightly as it should, so I get steam leaks. That's why I always use the microwave for melting now.
kandm
17 years ago
If it has seized you can't use it for dipping, but if you mix a little crisco in it you can salvage it for brownies. Try 1 tbsp crisco for every 6 oz chocolate. Don't use butter for this since that contains water.

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