makeshift double boiler

i think its really important to be able to melt chocolate effectively so that you can infuse your baked goods evenly with the rich deliciousness of chocolate. my boss bought me a deck of chocolate recipes, and included was directions for a makeshift chocolate double boiler. i guess you can always use your microwave to melt chocolate, but i think this does a more thorough job. besides, cleaning up is a snap, and it makes your kitchen smell nice and chocolatey!

first, you put a bowl into a 1/3 full pot of water. make sure you dont use too much or too little water. just let your bowl float. be aware that your bowl will get heavier as the chocolate melts, so if you have too much water, it will leak into your bowl of chocolates. if you have too little, it wont float, which defeats the purpose of a double boiler (and it might get burnt more easily). also, please make sure the bowl can handle the heat. then drop your chocolates into the bowl. here i am melting chocolate chips.


watch as the chocolate slowly starts to melt. i added 1/4 cup of milk into the mixture, as i was making the chocolate layer for my pie. you can easily use this technique to melt bricks of chocolate and butter together for your brownie batter. or you can use it to melt butterscotch for butterscotch chocolate chip cookies. recipe forthcoming!


look at the dissolving chocolate! chocolate burns easily, so make sure you stir constantly as your chocolate turns into melted fabulousness!

afterwards, take out your bowl of melted chocolate and use as your recipe calls for. be careful, the bowl will definitely be hot!

dont you just loooove chocolate?