Heating up chocolate, what am k doing wrong?

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My kids love choc cornflakes things, super easy to make. So why is it, 50% of the time I heat the chocolate, it goes thick and grainy? Sort of congeals.

I normally use cooking chocolate (because I thought other choc was the issue). I put it in a glass bowl in the microwave. I read that water can cause this, so now I make sure everything is completely dry, and don't use wooden implements. But still this happens - but only sometimes. I've tried reheating when it gets like this but that makes it even worse.

I've also a tried a BainMarie, but that was even worse! What am I doing wrong? Why am I finding heating chocolate so hard?!

Maybe I'm letting it get too hot before I stir it? I do in minute intervals in the microwave. Perhaps that's the issue?

Certainly not a microwave OP!

Bain marie should be ok, are you adding a bit of butter?

I dont know what cooking chocolate is, where are you buying this. I think I might have heard of this in the 80s or something

Get nice chocolate, aldi and lidl do good quality chocolate which isnt that expensive, bain marie, make sure the bowl of the bain marie doesnt touch the base of your saucepan the bowl needs to be too big for the saucepan, i fyou know what I mean, just touching the water

Mine went a bit grainy yesterday until it had fully melted, then it was glossy and smooth.

Yes water can do this but sounds like you’re using too high heat.

If using a bain marie, make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. I usually boil the water in the kettle, part fill a saucepan, put that on the hob but barely simmering. Put your bowl of chocolate on top but not touching. I keep lifting it to let steam escape.

You can’t rush it, slow and gentle is the way.

I saw Mary Berry saying ‘chocolate melts in a child’s pocket’ and that always reminds me to go gentle!

Sounds like you're burning it maybe? 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir... Repeat. The residual heat of the glass bowl melts it once you stop microwaving. Go slowly!

Chocolate doesnt like being overheated thats for sure

It's too hot. Make sure there's enough of a gap between the water and the bowl for the Bain Marie - it shouldn't touch the water. Microwaves are notorious for doing this to chocolate l.

It's getting too hot and it's splitting. I do it in the microwave but stir every 20 seconds and take it out before it's all melted and let the last bit melt in the residual heat.

Bain marie, low heat, knob of butter, good chocolate.
I use cooking chocolate sometimes, otherwise good quality supermarket chocolate - just avoid galaxy which just seems to soften and never melt!

Don’t try and fully melt it. Heat until it looks soft then let it sit so the heat evens out. then stir

Also, cornflake crunch often had a knob of butter and a spoon of golden syrup in. It makes it a little softer and makes the melting easier. Try that.

The bowl can touch the water, it cant touch the saucepan base

OP have you got a heat diffuser on your hob? I had to get one because my smallest hob still runs too not and now things are better because I can do a really really slow simmer on it, mine is cast iron and was quite expensive but this aluminium one is cheaper and probably does the job just as well

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099RCW1RT/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B099RCW1RT&pd_rd_w=cVHr5&content-id=amzn1.sym.46187d6a-4306-4bc6-830c-7b2085e0e39f&pf_rd_p=46187d6a-4306-4bc6-830c-7b2085e0e39f&pf_rd_r=7CSPWWB27RXREJ17TM9A&pd_rd_wg=9V6b2&pd_rd_r=6a248cf0-76a8-4be2-b61c-7030030c62e8&s=kitchen&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&th=1

I use chocolate powder butter syrup

I always melt chocolate in the microwave. Use a low power setting for a minute at a time, take out and stir between minutes. When it is 80% melted, take it out and keep stirring. The residual heat will melt the rest. Don't buy "cooking chocolate," it's awful stuff. Use good quality, I've been surprised by how delicious the dark chocolate from the Aldi basics range is.

I melted chocolate in the microwave just yesterday.

As a PP said- 30 second increments and stir in between each increment.

And stop when there are still tiny lumps- they'll melt as you stir.

I always do it in a bain Marie, no need to add butter (unless the recipe calls for it of course), just gently simmering water and a bowl above it - not touching the water. Keep it on a gentle heat and don’t rush it. A bain Marie might be worth another try because you can see/stir it the whole time so you can see if it’s overcooking and turn it off.

1 minute may be too long at a time
Try 20/30 second intervals and once it's partially melted take it out and stir, stir, stir to melt the last pieces out of the microwave

Aldi chocolate is amazing. I might just check a bit in the cupboard to see if its still amazing

I put a little water (as in a tablespoon) per 100g chocolate and microwave for 20secs, get out, stir, another 20 secs, stir and so on. When just melted I add a knob of butter and golden syrup, stir, then add cornflakes. The trick is lots of short blasts and stirring

Yeah good plan, you wouldn't want it to go off and then be unusable on a day you were all ready to bake with it.

Prob best to try out on a regular basis 🤣

@soupfiend cooking chocolate is found in the home baking section. I often use it when making cakes

@DeliciousApples

I find chocolate evaporates into stomachs less than a day after purchase, I was completely unaware it was possible to store in cupboards

You can save "seized" chocolate. First, put one square aside and melt the gently. I always do this over simmering water in a glass bowl.

When it's almost all melted take it off the heat and stir in the final square.

If your chocolate seizes, stirring in the final square returns it to lovely chocolate-y-ness (unless you have completely utterly destroyed it).

Reduce the power in the microwave and glass bowls hold a lot of heat so take it out before it's fully melted and let it sit.

Now for the type of chocolate you are using, you say cooking chocolate but that could cover a lot of things! Do you mean fake chocolate like Scotbloc or Homecook or some other brand name or is it a Lidl/Aldi labelled cooking chocolate which are actual chocolate and quite good too. The worst chocolate for going granular and seizing up like you mention with no water anywhere to be seen is something like Cadbury Dairy Milk, not enough cocoa solids in it to be in anyway good chocolate, that said I use it myself at Christmas as a truffle base but it has to be melted very carefully and I do use the microwave.

Overheating is your first problem and chocolate type may or may not be your second one but it's possible to melt even the most awkward chocolate if done slowly enough.

I find microwave very hard to tell how it is melting and often burned it.
So I use my smallest pan on the hob on a low setting with a glass bowl on top. The chocolate needs regular stirring and you take it off before it's fully melted and it will just melt nicely

Thank you everyone!!

So yes looks like it's getting too hot. And perhaps the glass bowl isn't the right receptacle. I'll do a bainmarie next time too and see if this helps.

@marylou25 yes it's the fake chocolate type I've been using. And in fact it was diary milk I tried before which went weird so perhaps that was my other issue!

Thank you everyone! So slow heat, on a bainmarie, and better chocolate!!

i did a chocolate course with a master chocolatier woman once and her method was breaking it into bits in a plastic bowl (not b glass as it retains the heat) and microwaving in 30 second bursts.