2.4 I was melting some chocolate, and suddenly it changed from a shiny, smooth liquid to a dull, thick paste. What happened?
Description
This article is from the Chocolate FAQ, by Monee Kidd faq@choco.com with numerous contributions by others.
2.4 I was melting some chocolate, and suddenly it changed from a shiny, smooth liquid to a dull, thick paste. What happened?
As discussed before, chocolate is very sensitive. Any slight variance
from the instructions can cause disastrous results. What you have described
here is called seizing. Seizing can happen for several reasons:
1. The chocolate is burned. Even temperatures that aren't too hot
for your finger can be too hot for chocolate. When melting chocolate, keep
the heat low and keep stirring, especially for milk and white chocolates.
2. A *small* amount of moisture has been added. Chocolate is very
finicky about liquids. Even the moisture from a damp spoon can contaminate
a batch of melting chocolate. This is what happens after a while to
chocolate fondue - moisture from strawberries or cheese can ruin the
texture. Be careful if you are melting pure chocolate by itself to keep
everything very dry.
3. Cool liquids have been added. Another oddity about chocolate:
small amounts of liquid can spoil melted chocolate, but large amounts are
o.k., so long as the liquid is warmed to match the temperature of the
melted chocolate. If you add cold cream or milk, for example, the chocolate
will begin to solidify and you'll end up with a mess.
Regardless of how your chocolate gets seized, you'll have to throw it out
and start again. There is no way to "un-seize" and remelt chocolate once
it has been contaminated in this way.
Continue to:
My Books
