Old melting chocolate problem?
I have some melting chocolate that is over a year old and wonder if there is anything I can do to get it to melt to a smooth dipping consistency. It is melting, but very stiff and not really good for dipping.
Best Answer
You might try melting it into some water.
When melting chocolate, a little bit of water will cause it to seize (break and become grainy), but if you use more water to start with it will melt smoothly - about a tablespoon per six ounces should work to start, add more till you've reached your desired consistency. It has to do with the chocolate being soluble in either fat or in water, but having trouble in the middle when they were competing for sugar and cocoa solids. If you do this, you are basically making a chocolate sauce - even if the proportions mean it is a fairly thick one. Of course, after you have made it you can doctor it to your tastes, thin it till it is dippable, add flavors or additives, as you prefer.
Alternatively, you might melt it into something richer for your sauce - milk, or cream, or butter.
These alternatives will make your chocolate sauce progressively richer, depending on which one you pick, and may alter the flavors more than plain water (which may or may not be desirable to you). They do also have water in them (in decreasing proportion), but in an emulsion with fats which means they are less likely to cause the chocolate to seize. You might start with the same proportions, one tablespoon to six ounces, and keep adding until it has reached your desired consistency.
Of course, you can use other liquids (like alcohol) or fats (like oils) to thin the chocolate and make the sauce, but they will be increasingly less like the chocolate you started with the more flavors you add, and more like a fancy chocolate sauce. Which can be nice, but may not be what you're asking for.
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Quick Answer about "Old melting chocolate problem?"
Fixing Seized Chocolate Adding the right amount of water (or other liquid) will dissolve the sugar and cocoa in the clumps and make it a fluid consistency again. Using 1 teaspoon of boiling water at a time, add to the seized chocolate and stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth.How do you fix old melting chocolate?
When chocolate is melted, its ingredients\u2014mainly cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter\u2014disperse evenly, creating a fluid mass. But if even a tiny amount of moisture is introduced, the liquid and the sugar will form a syrup to which the cocoa particles will cling, thereby creating grainy clumps.Why has my melted chocolate gone weird?
When chocolate melts, it is ideally a smooth, satiny, homogenous mixture. However, if it comes into contact with even a small amount of water, it will \u201cseize,\u201d or turn into a grainy, clumpy mess in the bowl. If chocolate is overheated, it will be quite thick and lumpy.Super Quick Video Tips: How to Fix Seized Chocolate
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