Why can't I melt chocolate?

[MightySquonk]

Am doing everything you're told to do -breaking choc up into small chunks and putting in a bowl, putting bowl in pan of hot water and stirring until melted.

It starts to melt and go quite liquidy, then it kind of clumps together and refuses to be anything other than solid.

Am I doing something obviously wrong, or does chocolate just not like me?

Sounds like either too much heat, or rubbish chocolate.

Don't put the bowl on a hot pan on the heat, just put it over hot boiled water from the kettle - that should be enough. Leave it for a while to start to melt, then stir. If that doesn't work, what kind of chocolate are you using? - make sure it's quality real chocolate, ideally over 50% cocoa solids.

Is there the slightest bit of water or steam getting into the bowl? If so, ths will stop the chocolate going really smooth.

Put it in the microwave for about a minute. Keep checking though, it can burn if you leave it to long.

Don't let the hot water touch the bottom of the bowl. The clumps are probably caused by too much heat.

don't have a microwave.

Suspect water is too hot, like you say SL. Tis quite good chocolate, and this always happens to me, so have bought choc in varying degrees of nice-ness.

So just warm water then, really, not boiling?

As soon as it starts to melt take off teh heat and the heat of the bowl should do it just stir like mad...

I think probably the bottom of the bowl was maybe touching the bottom of the pan as well.

I am crap at this, aren't I?

thank you all

lol Mine did that so i gave up. It turned to mousse.