Melting Chocolate

Melting chocolate; place chopped chocolate or chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. 

Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not sit in the water; it should also fit snuggly over the pot to avoid steam from escaping.

Avoid getting any water in to the chocolate as it will thicken.  Always use a dry utensils when stirring the chocolate.

You can also melt chocolate  in the microwave, but use only half power or the defrost setting. 

Microwave for about 30 seconds – stop and stir, repeat this process several times until the chocolate has reached the desired consistency.  

Chocolate melted in the microwave retains its shape so you need to sitr fequently to dissolve the lumps.