Melting white chocolate

pwurple

Has anyone got some tips for melting white chocolate? I cannot manage it and I'd love to do some swirly effects and christmas things with it.

I've used every brand I can find, most recent one I've mucked up is the cailler drops.

I've tried microwave, ten seconds at a time.
I've tried hot water in a pan, chocolate in a bowl on top.

The chocolate softens, into a fudgey paste, and then bam, 10 seconds later it is a grainy split mess. No melted stage in between.

Gatling

Wouldn't be a regular white chocolate user but when I do use it for decorating cakes and stuff I only keep it on the heat till around half of the chocolate has melted take it off the water and then mix by hand till its all combined and smooth

Tree

I use the homecook "white chocolate" cooking chocolate. It usually melts pretty well and doesnt tend to split, but it's not exactly fancy white chocoalte depending on what you want to use it for (it tastes exactly like those fish and chips penny sweets if you remember them, or even white mice)

pwurple

Melting until half is melted doesn't work for me at all, none of it ever melts, it just goes slightly softer, and then seizes.

Maybe change my brand so. White chocolate is a bit of an abomination to me anyway in terms of chocolate, but it has some decorative uses. I'll try the homecook.

Faith

Are you stirring as you go? I can't say I've ever experienced any problems with melting white chocolate. I treat it the same as any other chocolate - bowl in a pot of simmering water, regular stirring. You probably know this well, but don't let the bowl touch the water, and make sure water can't spit up the sides into the bowl because that will cause it to seize.

The only thing with white chocolate is it will burn more easily, so the microwave is a bad idea. If yours is going grainy, then you're overheating it and it's burning. Try using a metal spoon to stir, as they won't absorb moisture like a wooden spoon.

Cathmandooo

Whip it with an electric mixer, it helps to remove the grainyness.

I like Lidl chocolate, forget the name but the white is a purple packet, 200g, chunky chocolate. Use a big knife to cut it, it cuts very easily that way, chop it down as fine as you can, it helps it to melt. Melt it in a bowl over a pan of water.

pwurple

Whip it? I'd take my eye out and mangle my mixer.

I will try those brands this weekend and get my chocolate leaves on the go. Thanks peeps!

spottybananas

pwurple wrote: »

Whip it? I'd take my eye out and mangle my mixer.

I will try those brands this weekend and get my chocolate leaves on the go. Thanks peeps!

Whip it when melted...?

ceemgee

pwurple wrote: »

Has anyone got some tips for melting white chocolate? I cannot manage it and I'd love to do some swirly effects and christmas things with it.

I've tried microwave, ten seconds at a time.
I've tried hot water in a pan, chocolate in a bowl on top.

Both these methods work for me. I use Llydl or Aldi chocolate. I heat in microwave until it is almost melted and then vigorously mix it to distribute the heat and to melt down the bits that aren't melted. This means that it doesn't get to the granule stage.
The bowl over hot water also works, but maybe mixing with a metal spoon is the trick?

Millem

OP I am a home Ec teacher and get my students to melt in a bowl over saucepan of hot water. Some of the bowls we are using are metal as all Pyrex ones haven't arrived yet Some students are tempted to melt in saucepan and when it goes too far I put a tiny bit of milk in it and it brings it back to life