Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Survey: How Do You Melt Your Chocolate?

Survey: How Do You Melt Your Chocolate?

Melting chocolate is a common baker's task; we need to melt chocolate for glazes, icings, and coating things like our peanut butter Buckeyes. How do you melt chocolate in your kitchen?

Take our survey then click on to see a couple tips and a favorite product for easily melting chocolate.

The most foolproof way to melt chocolate is to use a double boiler, but since we often don't bother with one, we are big fans of this Butter Warmer. It's small enough to easily melt little amounts of chocolate.

Also see how chocolate cookbook author Lisa Yockelson recommends melting chocolate.

Just remember: don't let a drop of water or other water-based liquid near your chocolate. Just a drop or two of water will ruin the whole batch. It'll seize up terribly. The addition of a small amount of cream or butter will ensure easy melting though.

Comments (10)

In a stainless steel bowl over a pan of boiling water. Does that count as a double boiler?

posted by robyn on January 24th 2008 at 8:10am
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robyn--that's what I use, too. Julia Child recommends it in her recipe for Queen of Sheba cake. Before you start the rest of the recipe, put the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, and immediately take it off the heat. By the time you're ready for the chocolate, it will be melted.

posted by Joan A. on January 24th 2008 at 8:40am
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It depends on the amount--if it's just a little, I use the microwave. If I'm melting half a pound or more, I use a double boiler.

posted by OneWallKitchen on January 24th 2008 at 8:50am
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Yeah, I rock the homemade double boiler, too. Large saucepan under smaller saucepan.

posted by gretchenkjer on January 24th 2008 at 9:00am
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another vote for the bowl-on-pot "double boiler".

posted by angorian on January 24th 2008 at 10:33am
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Yep, bowl on pot method for me too: glass pyrex bowl over pot (or pan) of simmering water.

posted by bipolarbear on January 24th 2008 at 11:12am
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Homemade double-boiler-user here too!

posted by centauri on January 24th 2008 at 11:41am
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Wow, same as robyn and everyone else. And I thought I was being all Macguyver!

posted by moema on January 24th 2008 at 3:48pm
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Can someone tell me where to get the double boiler pictured above? I love the design of it...

I, too, use a bowl over a water filled pan, but I love the look of the double boiler in the post...

thanks!

posted by BethAnneM on January 25th 2008 at 4:48am
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For some reason, I can't answer any of the surveys, but I use a double boiler.

posted by catlike on January 25th 2008 at 7:54am
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