i'm melting chocolate in a pan and its gone lumpy - why???

[sparklesandwine]

i'm trying to melt chocolate for rice crispie cakes. I have a pan full of water and the chocolate in a glass bowl in the pan but the chocolate keeps going lumpy and not melting properly

Ive melted chocolate loads of times before and this has never happened but i'm nearly out of choc and need some help to get it right this time or DD is going to strop

use it lumpy

the kids won't care

Weird.

I always melt it in the microwave. I'm lazy like that.

I would use it lumpy, anyway.

eat it quick, then melt some more!

AM no expert but think it goes lumpy when it gets too hot

microwave i hadn't thought of that!

does it melt well using a microwave? how long etc?

It goes lumpy and horrid if water gets in - you could try adding a little butter.

ditto zubin

be very careful with the microwave melting, lowish setting and check every 10 secs after the first 30 secs????

I just do it slowly, yeah. I use a lowish setting, and just do it in bits.

I'm normally melting for cakes, not for anything too precise, anyway.

Microwave is easier but keep an eye on it (I melted 2 big bars in 1min 20 in ours..but it's 900watts), I check after the first 30 secs then again every 20 or so - if it goes over it turns grainy and yuk.

ah maybe thats why

i'd brought the water to the boil and then moved it to simmer but put the choc in the bowl straight away with out leaving time to let water cool

Well if you will buy cheap, crappo chocolate

millarkie thats exactly how mine has gone, it doesn't taste very nice

lol desi you can go now!

I've just read your profile ... love the picture. You look just like Audrey Hepburn (!)

Four children .... respect!

i know uncanny isn't it

damn have i got 4? - that means i've lost 1

this is called 'seizing' - it happens if you heat the chocolate too vigorously. Once it's seized (gone lumpy) there is little you can do to bring it back unfortunately. And white chocolate is particularly susceptible, milk less so, and plain least of all.

My green and blacks cookbook even gives a temperature guide to how hot you can allow the choc to get before it all goes horribly wrong. But basically the trick is to keep it really gentle and not too hot.

If you use a bowl over a pan of water - don't let the water boil and certainly don't let the bowl actually touch the water.

I'm another fan of the microwave method - put it on nice and low for 20-30 seconds at a time, and give an occasionaly very gentle stir, or even just a bit of a shake!

pidge i didn't get past the green & blacks cookbook where can i get one of those?

I guess they're on sale in most cookshops.

Such is my reputation as a chocolate fiend I was given TWO copies one Christmas. (Managed to trade one in for Nigella's Feast!)

when I said 'cookshop' I meant 'bookshop'

The G+B cookbook is good - I've done the chocolate courgette cake and the chocolate chip and brazil nut cookies, both are very good.

I have to work up the nerve to try some of the savoury chocolate dishes, though ...

I did the venison in chocolate for my dad's birthday - very yummy, though not sure I could have spotted the chocolate.

Just amde a yummy chocolate and ginger cake (Nigella's chocolate ornage cake but with ginger preserve) whihc is easy as you just add the choc to butter you just melted, but generaly I use the microwaver as well- by far the most easy and risk free method. And take it out before its all melted, the warmth will melt the rest anyway

think i might go to heffers tomorrow!

Just tried the microwave melting and it worked a treat that you so much - i have now learned a new thing today