296536 Mon Mar 22 13:18:29 -0800 2004 4 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1633730 I had Ghirrideli white chocolate chips that I needed to melt. I follow the bag direction and stuck it in the microwave for about 45 second. The chips looked soften so I stuck in for 10 second intervals for a couple more times, but they just becamse crumbly. They won't melt, I even tried to stick that in a double boiler thinking I can fix it. I didn't. So I went to plan b. I figure the microwave might be too powerful so I'll just use the double boiler. It still won't melt. It didn't seize up exactly either. It becamse more like really dry frosting. So I thought I use it anyway, so I mixed it into some whipped cream cheese, and long and behold the whole thing loosen up and behaved as if it was melted. I'm curious, was it the fat content in the cream cheese that rescued the 2nd batch of chocolate? I saved the crumbly white chips. Is there a way to save it or use it in some other recipe? Mon Mar 22 13:18:29 -0800 2004 0 Wendy Lai 1 1633738 I don't know the definitive answer, but this happens to me all the time -- even when using expensive white chocolate (Lindt, Callebaut). Sometimes mixing in melted butter helps. Also, I gave up microwaving white chocolate. Doesn't seem to seize as much in double boiler. All in all, I hate working with white chocolate. Torres sure makes it look easy, doesn't he? Mon Mar 22 13:58:23 -0800 2004 1633730 0 sbp 2 1633797 I work with callebaut in finely chopped pieces. I find the trick is the heat the chocolate slowly over a double boiler (i'm a bit of a luddite and eschew the microwave whenever possible), and stir once the chocolate is partially melted. The residual heat will melt the rest of the chocolate, so once about half of it is melted, I remove it form the heat. Make sure your work surface and equipment is dry because any water will make the chocolate seize and become unmanageable. It takes a little practice, but my experience is that the slower the process the less subject to error. Good luck. Mon Mar 22 19:22:29 -0800 2004 1633738 0 Yelena 3 1633870 I agree, the slower the better. I use this method for melting chocolate all the time. Chop chocolate. If white chocolate, really finely chop chocolate. Bring water to a boil, then take off the heat. Put the chocolate in a double boiler or stainless steel bowl over the water with plastic wrap over the bowl, sealing it tightly. Wait. Stir. If you have a lot of chocolate, you might need to reheat the water at some point, but really, white chocolate melts at so low a temperature, the residual warmth from the water should be plenty of heat to do the trick, and the plastic wrap holds the heat in just enough. Tue Mar 23 12:30:52 -0800 2004 1633797 0 curiousbaker 1 1633787 If you really want consistent results with melted chocolate, you might want to get some "couverture" chocolate instead of working with chips. The chips are formulated and tempered in such a way that they will hold their characteristic chip shape when they're piped out. Couverture is available in discs or blocks and is tempered to "flow" better. I think there's also a bit higher fat percentage in couverture as well. And that, I think, is always a good thing! Mon Mar 22 18:14:17 -0800 2004 1633730 0 chococat