constant stirring to avoid burning; more
slowly, but with less attention; in a bowl set
over a pan of hot water, from 100ºF/38ºC to
the simmer (the hotter the water, the faster it
melts); in the microwave oven, with frequent
interruptions for stirring and checking the
temperature. Because chocolate is a poor heat
conductor, it’s best to chop it into small
pieces or process it into crumbs to speed its
melting, or its blending with hot ingredients.
Chocolate and Moisture The one vulnerable
aspect of chocolate is its extreme dryness, and
the vast number of tiny sugar and cacao
particles whose surfaces attract moisture. If a
small amount of water is stirred into molten
chocolate, the chocolate will seize up into
stiff paste. It seems perverse that adding
liquid to a liquid produces a solid: but the
small amount of water acts as a kind of glue,
wetting the many millions of sugar and cocoa
particles just enough to make patches of syrup