How do I melt chocolate without it seizing?

Chocolate is cocoa solids suspended in fat. Water causes the sugar particles to clump together, which is seizing. Too much heat separates the fat out. Both are avoidable and neither is recoverable to a smooth state without adding more liquid.

What you'll need

• Chocolate
• Dry heatproof bowl
• Pan of water (optional)
• Microwave (optional)

Step by step

1. Make sure everything is completely dry.Bowl, spatula, hands. A single drop of water seizes the whole bowl. This is the most common failure by a wide margin.
2. Chop the chocolate evenly.Small even pieces melt at the same rate. Large chunks mean some is burning while some is still solid.
3. Melt over barely simmering water, bowl not touching it.Steam heats the bowl gently. If the bowl touches the water the chocolate gets too hot and can split.
4. Or microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each.Faster and perfectly reliable if you stir every time. Chocolate holds its shape when melted, so it looks unmelted when it is not.
5. Stop while a few small pieces remain and stir them out.Residual heat finishes it. Continuing until nothing is solid usually means overheating.
6. Keep steam away from the bowl.Condensation from the pan below is enough to seize it. Lift the bowl away from the steam when stirring.
7. If it seizes, add liquid deliberately.A tablespoon of hot water or cream, stirred hard. It will not return to melted chocolate but it becomes a usable sauce or ganache.
8. For a snap and shine on coatings, temper it.Melt two-thirds, then stir in the remaining third off the heat until smooth. It is a simplified tempering that works well for home use.

Tips

• White and milk chocolate have more milk solids and burn far more readily than dark. Use lower heat and shorter bursts.
• Chocolate that has bloomed — gone pale and streaky — is fine to melt and use. It is a cosmetic change in the fat or sugar, not spoilage.
• For a ganache, pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and leave it a minute before stirring. Far more reliable than melting the chocolate first.

Common mistakes

• Letting any water reach the chocolate — It seizes into a grainy paste immediately. A wet spatula or condensation from the pan is enough.
• Melting on high heat or in long microwave bursts — Chocolate burns easily and the fat separates. It cannot be recovered to a smooth state.
• Melting until nothing solid remains — By then it is usually overheated. Stop with a few pieces left and stir them out with residual heat.

Questions people ask