# Melting chocolate



## fawn (Dec 24, 2006)

I melted my chocolate, it did melt alright. But i want it more runny, so i added shortening.

And instead of the chocolate turning more runny, it made the chocolate more thick and somewhat grainy.

I'm not sure if its because of the shortening i used, i kept my shortening in the fridge for quite sometime now.  But when i put the shortening into the chocolate (its at room temperature)

Does storing my shortening in the refrigerator has somthing to do with my chocolate becoming thick instead of runny?


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## YT2095 (Dec 24, 2006)

no, when it`s up to temp the choc doesn`t know the history of the shortening at all, nor does freezing shortening alter it`s structure in anyway.
it Sounds to me that you either got the choc too hot in which case the components (sugars and coco and fats) split and recombine badly.
Double cream would have been the best thing to add to the choc rather than shortning.
sadly when it goes grainy like that, it`s irreversible too


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## Michelemarie (Dec 24, 2006)

YT2 - you are impressively knowledgable about alot of things!


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## fawn (Dec 24, 2006)

*YT2095* Thanks for that note.  But its only the time it became grainy when i added the shortening, before that that chocolate was smooth.


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## aguynamedrobert (Dec 27, 2006)

I have never heard of adding shortening...the only reason I could see if going thick on you is because somehow there was water on the shortening...maybe from the fridge...even a little bit of water will seize your chocolate or make it very very thick...If you want to thin it out you can add cocoa butter or vegetable oil....if you want to make a ganache then you can use heavy cream...depends on what you are going for...

Robert
Chocolate Guild :: Chocolate Guild :: learn about chocolate, talk about chocolate


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## philso (Dec 27, 2006)

_hydro_genated shortening

maybe the hydrogen is linking up with some oxygen. that might do it.

on the other hand, butter is often used and it definitely has a liquid content.  

YT2095??? is it possible to explain this in english??


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## fawn (Dec 27, 2006)

our chef told us that you can substitute cocoa butter w/ shortening.. that's what we always do in school. and our chocolate never seizes...


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## kyles (Dec 28, 2006)

I've added shortening to chocolate in the past without a problem. I think maybe the shortening was too cold, and you should have let it come to room temperature before adding it to the chocolate. Chocolate doesn't like extremes in temperatures. 

I agree with YT2095 that cream would have been better, however, that does tend to give you a ganache, which is quite thick, rather than smooth.

What are you using the chocolate for?


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## VeraBlue (Dec 28, 2006)

The chocolate 'siezed', which happens when  chocolate gets too hot.  You probably would not have experienced this if you melted everything together, at the same time. 
Moisture could also cause this.  If the shortening was cold, moisture could have been released in the heating process.


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## Andy M. (Dec 28, 2006)

aguynamedrobert said:
			
		

> I have never heard of adding shortening.../quote]
> 
> 
> S.O. adds shortening to chocolate.  She uses it to drizzle onto cookies.  It hardens as it cools.


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## scott123 (Dec 28, 2006)

Warm liquid chocolate + solid room temp shortening = thicker chocolate

Did you heat the mixture _AFTER_ you added the shortening? That's all you needed to do.



			
				VeraBlue said:
			
		

> The chocolate 'siezed', which happens when  chocolate gets too hot.


'Seizing' is what happens when a small amount of water gets into chocolate. When chocolate gets too hot, it scorches.



			
				YT2095 said:
			
		

> Double cream would have been the best thing to add to the choc rather than shortning.


A small amount of double cream would have caused the chocolate to seize. A larger amount would have created a ganache. A ganache and an oil/fat thinned chocolate are two completely different animals.



			
				YT2095 said:
			
		

> sadly when it goes grainy like that, it`s irreversible too


Sadly, that is not correct. Unless the chocolate is scorched, just about any attribute is reversible. If water isn't involved, letting it cool will bring it back together/re-incorporate the fat, or, if it's cool, heating it will remove the lumpiness/graininess. If water is involved, adding more water will thin it out/make it flow. The only thing that can't be undone is scorching/burning. You can't unburn burned chocolate.


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## aguynamedrobert (Dec 28, 2006)

Just to clarify for scott(which he probably ment)....If you get water in the chocolate...that only way to save it is too add more water(heavy cream usually) and make a ganache. Ganache is far different from chocolate so you are creating a different product but it is still completely good and usuable...just to clarify...

Robert
Chocolate Guild :: Chocolate Guild :: learn about chocolate, talk about chocolate


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## philso (Jan 1, 2007)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> aguynamedrobert said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## college_cook (Jan 1, 2007)

I can see two possible issues:  try melting your chocolate and shortening at the same time.  Also, since you kept your shortening in the fridge its very possible that moisture in the air condensed onto your shortening as or before your were adding it.... and as aguynamedrobert mentioned, small amounts of water will cause chocolate to sieze.


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## T-roy (Jan 1, 2007)

This is quite a coincidence. I was melting chocolate yesterday, things were going well then, I added a teaspoon of room temperature vanilla. The same thing happened to me. The chocolate started to get hard, for a moment I thought I had accidentally turned the burner down. I tried to re-melt it and smelled scorching so I threw it out. On a positive note my butter toffee tastes fine by itself.


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## aguynamedrobert (Jan 1, 2007)

Vanilla is alcohol and water based....anything water based cannot be added to chocolate or else it will seize up and get thick...
    The reason for this is because chocolate is full of DRY particals so when you put just enough water in the chocolate to coat SOME of those particals they are get sticky and cling to each other...to cure this you add more water to moisten ALL the dry particals...at that point you would have a ganache...

Robert
Chocolate Guild :: learn about chocolate, talk about chocolate


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## T-roy (Jan 1, 2007)

Darn! I have a pint of whipping cream in my fridge that I 've been trying to find a use for. Of course if I had made a ganache I'd be making a cake or something now and since I couldn't even melt chocolate yesterday the cake may not have turned out so good. Thanks for the info.


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## aguynamedrobert (Jan 2, 2007)

Why don't you make a Ganache and makes some truffles? then you could use the chocolate and the cream...

Robert
Chocolate Guild :: learn about chocolate, talk about chocolate


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## T-roy (Jan 2, 2007)

I thought about that but I didn't save the chocolate because it had a slight scorched smell. I didn't read up on ganache and truffles 'till last night...but next time I'll know exactly what to do. Thanks again.


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