So we wondered: What’s the best way to melt chocolate? Here are the results of our tests. Determining the best way to melt chocolate The offset spatula on the top was dipped into chocolate that was melted and cooled; it’s dull and not properly tempered. The spatula on the bottom was dipped into tempered chocolate, so it remains shiny even once cool. Once melted, should you temper your chocolate? When melted chocolate cools and rehardens, it can “bloom” — in other words, take on a dusty, white, mottled appearance and a matte, rather than shiny, look. This happens because cocoa butter crystals can migrate to the surface, becoming visible. Bloomed chocolate is still perfectly edible! It’s just not quite as visually impressive. For such a simple step, melting chocolate can cause a lot of distress. If it gets too hot, it’ll burn. If it doesn’t get hot enough, it’ll be lumpy. If it gets wet, it’ll turn gritty and sludgy.

Her love of office-based meetings means that the days of discovering the melting point of Cadbury's Flakes are long gone, but when she isn't dreaming of scheduling in meetings, she likes to think about social media, and how best to avoid it whilst still retaining the title of 'digital' editor. She also likes learning about emerging technology, Influencers and how to become a Financially Responsible Adult. Yes, you can melt chocolate directly in a saucepan on the stovetop. Melting chocolate directly in a skillet or saucepanWhich relates to my second criterion: How many dishes do I have to wash? Because if there’s a method that takes a minute longer but results in fewer dishes, I’m going to choose that one every time. After testing five different methods against each other, here are my results. Side-by-side testing of chocolate melting methods Apparently sorcery did not create this beast, science did. Luis Villazon from Science Focus, take it away… 'Although Flake is made from milk chocolate, the manufacturing process gives it a different arrangement of fat and cocoa solids, so the melting fat isn’t able to lubricate the cocoa particles to the point where they can flow. For the water bath method, a heatproof bowl of chocolate is set in a skillet of simmering water. Melting chocolate in a water bath Holly Rains is the digital editor of Marie Claire UK. She has over 10 years journalism experience, working as an editor and writer, specialising in digital media, content strategy and dog breeds. Prior to Marie Claire, she has held senior staff positions at ELLE UK, Grazia and Company magazine.

Number of dishes to wash: 1.5 (since the saucepan is only full of water, you just have to empty the water and dry it) The final factors relate to each other: effectiveness and scorching potential. The key to melting chocolate is to get it completely and evenly melted without it scorching and burning from too much heat exposure. Apparently, even when you put it over a pan of boiling water, it resolutely refuses to melt. And that is because these Cadbury's bad boys are structured very differently than your average Dairy Milk. If you’re melting chocolate for any upcoming baking projects, choose a high-quality brand for the best results. We have a wide range of styles and flavors from top producers like Guittard, Valrhona, and more. I evaluated each technique based on several factors. First, how much time does it take? To be most efficient, I want to get my chocolate melted in the least time possible.Number of dishes to wash: 1.5 (since the pan is only full of water, you just have to empty the water and dry it)