All About Chocolate - Cooking Tips

Title: All About Chocolate - Cooking Tips
Yield: 1 Servings
Categories: Chocolate 

Ingredients: 



    MELTING CHOCOLATE
  
    Chocolate scorches easily, so always melt it over hot - not boiling -
  water.  It is best to use a double boiler, but you can improvise by using a
  c  or bowl in a small saucepan over very gentle heat. The water must be
  kept below simmering to prevent steam from curling up and hitting the
  chocolate. If steam gets into the melted chocolate it will immediately
  thicken the mixture to a stiff mass. If this does happen, however, you can
  rescue the chocolate by softening it again. To do this, add 1-2 tb of
  vegetable shortening (never use butter as it contains moisture which will
  cause the chocolate stiffen even more!) to the chocolate and stir
  vigorously.  You can also melt chocolate directly over very low heat in a
  heavy gauge saucepan, but you must watch the mixture carefully.
  
    HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS
  
    Use a vegetable peeler with a long narrow blade and a chunk or bar of
  chocolate.  Warm chocolate and blade slightly. Be sure your peeler is
  absolutely dry. Draw the peeler along the smooth surface of the chocolate.
  
  HOW TO GRATE CHOCOLATE
  
    Be sure that the block of chocolate is cool and firm. Grate on hand
  grater, cleaning the grater often so that the chocolate doesn't clog the
  surface of the blade. You cn use a blender, but be sure to cut the
  chocolate into sm pieces first.
  
  HOW TO STORE CHOCOLATE
  
    Chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry place at a temperature of about
  60F. If the chocolate becomes too warm, the cocoa butter rises to the
  surface and forms a dusty gray film known as "bloom." This "bloom" is not
  harmful and, once the chocolate is melted, it returns to its natural rich
  brown color.  If you do store chocolate in the refrigerator or freezer,
  take in out and let it stand until it returns to room temperature before
  you use it in a recipe. Chocolate is very sensitive to sudden changes of
  temperature and you will not get the best results if you do not treat it
  with respect.
  
  Origin: Farm Journal's Choice Chocolate Recipes Posted in COOKING by:
  Sharon Stevens 8/10/93
  
  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini