BBC Good Food - 04.2020

114 bbcgoodfood.com APRIL 2020

COOK WITH

CONFIDENCE

CHOCOLATE PERCENTAGES
The key to understanding chocolate
is that the higher the cocoa
percentage, the less sweet it is.
This is because more cocoa means
fewer milk solids, which naturally
contain sugar. If you’re baking,
you’ll probably be adding sugar,
so it’s best to use chocolate with
a higher percentage of cocoa.
While this doesn’t guarantee it’s
high quality, it is a good indicator.

HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE
On the hob
Melting chocolate on the hob
is the most controlled method.
It’s important to make sure your
chocolate never comes into
contact with the water, which
will cause it to ‘seize’ (see right).

• Pour water into a medium
  saucepan to a depth of about 4cm.
  Put over a medium heat and bring
  to a gentle simmer.


• Put a heatproof bowl on top of
  the saucepan, so itits snugly
  but doesn’t touch the water.


• Add some roughly chopped
  chocolate to the bowl and stir
  regularly for about 45 mins
  until it’s melted and glossy.

In the microwave

Checking the chocolate at 5-second

intervals is important as it can catch

and burn quickly in the microwave.

• Use a microwavable bowl.


• Microwave for about 20 seconds,
  but pause to check and stir the
  chocolate every 5 seconds, within
  this time, until it’s smooth and
  completely melted.

OTHER MELTING TECHNIQUES

Making a ganache and tempering

are ways of melting chocolate, but

the processes dier.

Te m p e r i n gis the advanced technique

of melting and cooling chocolate to

speciic temperatures, often to create

a glossy sheen and clean ‘snap’.

Ganacheis made by combining

chocolate with a hot liquid (usually

cream) to melt it and create a

scoopable texture. This method is

often used for making trules and

icing for cakes.

FLAVOUR FRIENDS

When you’re cooking or baking with

chocolate, there are a few secret

ingredients you can add to boost

the lavour:

• Coeeand chocolate share the
  samelavour proile, so when you
  add a hint of coee to melted
  chocolate, you increase its richlavour.


• Saltis useful for enhancinglavours
  and reducing bitterness. It works
  particularly well with chocolate, which
  is why ‘sea salt’ has become a popular
  lavour in artisan chocolate.

SAVING ‘SEIZED’ CHOCOLATE

If your chocolate has completely

melted and turned grainy or lumpy,

it has ‘seized’. This means that either

some water has gotten into the

chocolate or it has overheated.

Here’s how to bring it back:

• Add more chocolate
  Sometimes adding more melted
  chocolate can smooth everything out.


• Add creamStirring warm double
  cream through grainy chocolate
  will smooth it out, but this will
  make it a ganache rather than
  plain melted chocolate (see melting
  techniques, left).

Chocolate is irresistible but it can

be a tricky ingredient to cook with.

Here’s how to make sure you get it right

Work i n g w it h

chocolate