Is there a chocolate expert in the house?

1st off, White Chocolate isn't actually chocolate at all. It's chilled confectioner's sugar & vanilla & cream.

My PastryGal tells me :

- Melt UR White Choc. chips.over a double boiler to melt SLOWLY.

- Stir w/ only a WOODEN SPOON.[ w/ a metal spoon there will be a temp. transference & it will seize]

- Use the chocolate immediately & dip your cookies & rest them on a rack w/ a sheet pan underneath

- THIS MUST BE DONE QUICKLY - DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE COATING - U CAN DIP AGAIN AS LONG AS U DO NOT CONTINUE TO HEAT THE "CHOCOLATE" CONTINUOUSLY.

- Once the "chocolate " STARTS to firm - dip again, This will give your product a more distinct coating & presentation.

- All in all - this is a 3 min execution= 4 dozen biscotti . Be quick - Be prepared.

In a bowl on top of a pot with almost boiling water in it.

*** LIKE I SAID.......

Melting white chocolate

White chocolate is a weird bugger of a thing, not least because it’s not really a chocolate at all.

It’s also a bit of a bugger to work with, as it has a tendency to split and to burn easily. Melting it is no exception, but there are a couple of simple rules to follow, to not end up with a lumpy mess.

White chocolate should be melted in the same way as any other type of chocolate, in a bowl over gently simmering water. Don’t even think about trying to melt it in a microwave, you might as well just throw the packet in the bin before you start.

Because white chocolate has a very low burning point (about 44°C) you need to be careful about a couple of things. First make sure that the bowl your chocolate is in does not touch the water, and secondly make sure that the water is simmering very gently and not bubbling away madly.

It’s important not to let any water get into the bowl with the chocolate, because this will cause it to turn lumpy and grainy. Make sure that your bowl is dry before you start and don’t cover it with a lid, condensation will form on the underside of the lid and drop back down into the chocolate. You should also stir the chocolate with a metal spoon, instead of with plastic or wood, because both wood and plastic can contain moisture, and the melting chocolate might not like it.

If some water does manage to sneak in, then you can re-emulsify the chocolate as below.

The incredibly frustrating thing is that even when you do everything right, the cocoa butter in white chocolate can decide to split and leave you with a lumpy oily mess. If this does happen, don’t panic, remove it from the heat for a minute and whisk in a small amount of butter, until the whole lot re-emulsifies.

SHORT answer is, there IS no foolproof method but this works as well or better than any others. It's very moody stuff.

That is really annoying!!! I hate it when it does that. Well, when I melt white chocolate, I usually melt it over a pot of already boiling water. Put another pan on top of that with the chocolate in it when the water in the saucepan is boiling. Yeah. If it doesn't work, then maybe add some cream to the chocolate to make it have a thicker consistency. That one always works!!

Bring a pot of water to a near simmer over low heat; set a large heatproof bowl (the edges should overhang the pot for easier removal) over it, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl (to avoid overheating the chocolate).

Add 8 ounces chocolate chips (or bar chocolate chopped into ½-inch pieces) and heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until uniformly smooth and glossy, about 10 minutes (adjust the cooking time as necessary for larger or smaller amounts of chocolate). If the recipe calls for melting the chocolate with butter, add both to the bowl at the same time.

Or:

Put 8 ounces chocolate chips (or bar chocolate chopped into ½-inch pieces) in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high power for 45 seconds.

Stir with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides of the bowl, then heat 30 seconds more. Continue heating and stirring for 15-second intervals until the chocolate is uniformly smooth and glossy. (To melt smaller or larger amounts, decrease or increase the initial microwaving time by 10 seconds for every 2 ounces of chocolate.) If the recipe calls for melting the chocolate with butter, do not add the butter until the chocolate is almost completely melted. (Adding the butter earlier will cause it to splatter.)

The house will be very well insulated so that there will be little heat loss ... the colours then there are a wide variety of coffee or chocolate shades ...

fastest way is put it in the microwave for half a minute then turn it over and do another half a minute .. easy as that

ljjlk