How to Properly Melt Chocolate to Dip Your Treats
Introduction by Mon Sun Chan, The Chocolate Date Diva
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Treats like chocolate covered strawberries are a chocolate lover’s delight! These can be conveniently bought from your local bakery, patisserie, chocolatier or even online such as Berries.com. But it is always fun to make your own to savor them yourself or feed these to your Chocolate Date as a surprise treat during a romantic rendezvous.
The easiest and most pleasurable part is dipping your favorite treat into the melted chocolate. Seeing the melted chocolate coat your treat as you lift it up with the anticipation of enjoying it later. For beginners and first timers, the hardest part is melting the chocolate properly to avoid burning, crumbling or thickening.
One of the common mistakes people make is adding water when it becomes thick and pasty. Like oil and water, chocolate and water do not mix. At that stage, only oil or shortening can help thin the mixture.
To make the whole process fun and easy, check out the following resources. Pick the one that works and start dipping away! Have fun!
We love to hear how your progress went. Post your comments below or on our The Chocolate Date Facebook page. If you have pictures, be sure to post them as well.
Chocolate Date’s Recommendations:
Resource 1. Article – How to Melt Chocolate: http://www.wikihow.com/Melt-Chocolate
Resource 2. YouTube video: How to Melt Chocolate – Taste of Home Magazine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0lJkpffFDM
Resource 3. Article: Chocolate Coated Treats – How to Coat Foods in Chocolate
Chocolate and cookies, biscotti, fruits, or candy. Raspberry or orange jells are some more of the many normal customer favorites. Try the smooth pungent flavor of a soft peppermint stick or the smooth, rich buttery flavor of a homemade vanilla caramel when enrobed in chocolate is pure delight to many who like to savor this chewy delight. The list of delicacies, which combined with chocolate, is based only on each and everyone’s personal preferences.
Milk, dark or white chocolate – which is your personal favorite? For a designer treat though, without the designer price tag, you can even use 2 or 3 chocolate varieties on each coated piece, whether it is candy or cookies or anything else. Dip 1/2 of your pretzel twist in milk chocolate, dip the other 1/2 in dark chocolate and drizzle white chocolate over the top for a unique look to make a chocoholics dream come true.
How To Coat Foods In Chocolate
There really is no good reason to buy your chocolate coated treats. Making them yourself is fast, easy, convenient and so much cheaper on the wallet.
Actually, there is many ways today available on the market to facilitate the process of making chocolate coated treats. Pick any one, acquire the necessary supplies and “wow” the party guests, whether it be one or one hundred.
A chocolate tempering machine is a piece of equipment which is used more by the professional chef, the restaurant or a party planner. Any person who makes fine quality chocolates, often for re-sale, uses this piece of equipment to turn out a decorator piece of chocolate. This piece of equipment can roast, melt and stabilize the temperature setting to achieve perfection for optimal use and pleasure for the expert chocolatier.
A chocolate melter resembles the tempering machine without a few of the frills necessary to an experienced chocolatier. The chocolate melter may sometimes ask for the chocolate to be partially melted first and then poured into the melting pot. A slow, smooth even heat is then maintained to keep your chocolate at the ideal temperature for using or serving.
A fondue pot or chocolate fountain are both popular party centerpieces. Again it is advisable to melt your chocolate first and then add it to the already pre-heated machine.
A double boiler, part of an old-fashioned kitchen set of pots and pans can still be used today. Many people though are unfamiliar with this 2 piece pan set.It can be tricky to melt chocolate in a double boiler unit. Most people have problems with the steam rising around the rim of the top pan. All of this steam is water droplets rising. Much of what rises, eventually does fall right back into the pan of melting chocolate.
Chocolate is an oil-based product. Think back to your school’s chemistry days, and you will remember oil and water do not mix. Therefore when the water (steam) droplets fall back into your top pan of the double boiler, the chocolate will “seize”. This is a descriptive term stating your chocolate has become mud-like and very hard to stir. Eventually, with too much steam, your melting pan will become hard – thus the chocolate has “seized.”
Microwaving chocolate, especially confectionery chocolate, is the easiest way to prepare chocolate treats for the family. Alternatively, if you are preparing your treats in advance of the event, using the microwave can become as easy as fixing tonight’s dinner.With just a few easy utensils, a bowl (preferably plastic) and some melting wafers (the easiest way to purchase confectionery chocolate), you can have your chocolate at an ideal temperature for dipping within 5 to 10 minutes.
So coating your foods in chocolate can be done in multiple ways, just by deciding which you feel is the best for your purposes. A beginner is usually most comfortable with the microwave method. As your skills advance and you become more familiar with the process, often some people will enjoy working their way up the chain to using other methods for some quick and easy family treats.
How To Melt Chocolate The Quick And Easy Way
To make an assortment of family snacking treats, melting your own chocolate at home for a quick treat tonight is really very simple from your microwave. With a small thin-walled plastic bowl, a table knife to be used for stirring, and your melting chocolate, you can be having some homemade treats within the next 15 to 30 minutes.
Some quick how to directions are:
Place your chocolate (bars, wafers or block) in the small bowl until it is approximately 3/4 full. Place this in the microwave. Cook on high power (100%) for 60 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir well with the table knife, taking care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well to loosen and move all of the chocolate. Return the bowl to the microwave, heat at medium power (50%) for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl again and stir well.
Repeat this procedure, 30 seconds heating on 1/2 power and remove to stir approximately 5-6 more times. Each time you remove the bowl, you will notice the chocolate is getting a little softer and easier to stir. Continue heating until the outside walls of the bowl are warm to the touch of your hands. By following this recurring procedure, your chocolate melts consistently without ever scorching.
In case you would prefer a thinner chocolate for dipping (thin chocolate is great for easier “run-off”), add 1 T. white Crisco shortening or a tsp of vegetable oil to thin. Stir it in well and heat one more time so it blends well.So with a few minutes of practice, you can become your own chocolatier by making an assortment of your family’s favorites with just a few short minutes of notice.
About the Author: Kathi Robinson
Looking for some suggestions what you can do in making your own candy and snack store favorites, then check at http://www.allergyfreeandsugarfreesnacks.com/candy-and-snacks-store.html
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Chocolate-Coated-Treats---How-to-Coat-Foods-in-Chocolate&id=6061088] Chocolate Coated Treats – How to Coat Foods in Chocolate
