The Melting Time of Dark Chocolate Versus Milk Chocolate
Dark chocolate and milk chocolate melt at different speeds because they have different ingredients. According to "The Joy of Cooking," adding milk to chocolate causes it to become more heat sensitive. This means that milk chocolate melts at a lower temperature and faster than dark chocolate. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Temperature
-
Dark chocolate is able to withstand slightly higher temperatures than milk chocolate. When melting milk chocolate, you shouldn't heat it to more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit to keep it from burning. For dark chocolate, the maximum melting temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melting Time
-
The melting time of chocolate depends on the amount used. In general, if heated using a double boiler (a pan or bowl that fits snugly over a pan of boiling water), chocolate will start to melt when it reaches about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This can happen in one or two minutes, although it may take five to 10 minutes for the entire batch to melt. If microwaving the chocolate, heat it in one minute intervals using 50 percent power. Stir after each interval.
-
Milk Chocolate versus Dark Chocolate
-
Dark chocolate contains sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor and sometimes vanilla. Milk chocolate is created by adding milk or milk powder to dark chocolate. This addition gives it different melting properties than dark chocolate.
Tips for Melting Chocolate
-
Make sure all utensils are completely dry; even a few drops of water can cause the chocolate to loose its gloss, clump and seize while melting. When melting chocolate, remove it from heat before it is completely melted. Stir the mixture until the residual heat melts the remaining pieces.
Troubleshooting
-
If the chocolate has seized due to added moisture or high heat, stir in 1 tbsp. solid vegetable shortening for every 6 oz. chocolate used.
-
References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Elin Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Kevin Dooley Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Everjean
Comments
-
Noor Nabihah Sudin
Feb 13, 2011
i've been melting chocolate before and never had problem but today when i was melting milk chocolate it didn't melt like it should be. the texture was very thick. look like mud. i wonder why? is this got to do with the temperature?
