Tips and Pitfalls of Melting Chocolate in the Microwave

The microwave is a fantastically wonderful tool, you can heat up just about anything, and quickly to boot.

However, using a microwave can also become a problem if not used appropriately and with caution.

Using a microwave to melt butter is quick but you have to be careful of over melting it (you should only melt it half way then swirl it to melt the rest for best flavor). The same goes for defrosting, melting and heating of other items as well.

For example, chocolate chips melted in a microwave make for a quicker, easier dessert but can be easily burnt. There are two main reasons for this:

1) Microwaves don't cook evenly. Even the best microwaves with the rotating plate will have spots that get hot faster than others. So without regular stirring, your chocolate might overheat in a small area, causing burning.

2) Most chocolate chips are manufactured in such as way as to hold their shape, even when 'melted'. A chocolate chip can get to the melting temperature but you won't know it by just looking at it, they'll look like they always do. This factor can often lead people to think the chocolate chips haven't started melting yet, when they're already beginning to burn. So, you have to stir them to see if their melted.

So, how do you melt chocolate chips in the microwave without risk of burning them?

It's easy! First, just stir regularly. I make sure to stir any chocolate chips I'm melting at least every 30 seconds.

Second, don't cook them until they're all melted, stop heating them when about 75% of the chips are fully melted, after that, simply stir them until it's completely smooth.

Here are some more important microwaving tips:

1) If you want to simply soften your butter, microwave on medium power until soft. Butter will melt quickly once warm so keep the power a bit lower and check it often.

2) Is your brown sugar a bit hard? Try putting the sugar in a bowl in the microwave along side about a cup of water. Microwave on high for about a minute. Your brown sugar should be nice and soft again.

3) Need to toast some nuts or coconut? Although I recommend using the oven, you can microwave them to get much of the 'toasted' flavor you're looking for.

For nuts, try adding 1 tsp. butter for each half cup of nuts then microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

For coconut, simply microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

4) Need to melt large chunks of chocolate? Try breaking them up into small pieces or even grating them with a large-holed grater. The chocolate will melt much faster and be more easily stirred.

5) Juicing lemons? In addition to rolling the lemons on a flat surface, using moderate pressure with your palm, try microwaving each lemon for about 15 seconds on high before squeezing. You'll find you get more juice per lemon this way!

Well, that's it for my microwave tips today! I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you learned something new.

Eric Schmidt has written many articles on dessert tips, he also has a website that helps users with many aspects of making desserts including how to melt chocolate.