problems with cooking chocolate - advice please

pinkparrott

Hi
I offered to make a load of cupcakes to take to a halloween party soon why i dont know,

Anyway i did some tester ones last night, and as i'm trying to be careful with money at the moment, i bought just value white chocolate(Mr S basics @28p per 100g) well when i melted it and out it on top of the cup cakes it went all wierd and tasted really strange.

Not sure if it was because it was white chocolate as i usually use milk or plain, or was it because i used just normal chocolate rather than cooking choc?

also my sister said she didnt think your were supposed to stir melting chocolate as that could make it funny?

it sort of hard a strange texture and was grainy and didnt taste too good ( but it was fine before i melted it)

Any advice please, or can anyone tell me the best type to use, I would prefer to use white if poss as i have some halloween coloured sugar sprinkles etc that would look better against a white background.

Many thanks

Penelope_Penguin

Chocolate can be very temperamental If you're melting it alone (without butter, for instance) it should be done carefully, in a bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. It shouldn't be stirred, or any of the water allowed in, or its structure will change, and it'll go grainy.

Or you can use a microwave, but I've found that to be more problematic than the pan of water

I'd not normally recommend it, but in this instance (where looks are more important than taste), I might be tempted to use Scotchbloc (it has a very low chocolate content, and more fat). It's much easier to use than high cocoa solids chocolate.

Penny. x

homeaway

pinkparrott wrote: »

Hi
I offered to make a load of cupcakes to take to a halloween party soon why i dont know,

Anyway i did some tester ones last night, and as i'm trying to be careful with money at the moment, i bought just value white chocolate(Mr S basics @28p per 100g) well when i melted it and out it on top of the cup cakes it went all wierd and tasted really strange.

Not sure if it was because it was white chocolate as i usually use milk or plain, or was it because i used just normal chocolate rather than cooking choc?

also my sister said she didnt think your were supposed to stir melting chocolate as that could make it funny?

it sort of hard a strange texture and was grainy and didnt taste too good ( but it was fine before i melted it)

Any advice please, or can anyone tell me the best type to use, I would prefer to use white if poss as i have some halloween coloured sugar sprinkles etc that would look better against a white background.

Many thanks

Can you not just make chocolate icing just mix some chocolate powder with icing sugar, butter and a little milk?
50g/2oz margarine
25g/1oz cocoa, sifted
about 2 tbsp milk
225g/8oz icing sugar, sifted

Melt the butter add seived icing sugar and cocao then stir in milk for the consistency that you like.

I agree with the others if the chocolate has gone grainy it has been heated too much, i have managed to save mine tho by just adding a little water to it. You have to heat it slowly in a bowl above water. Hope it helps you .

OrkneyStar

Ordinary chocolate does not melt and then set again in the same way as cooking choc. The icing idea is a good one, or what about icing with a choccie button on top ?
hth
x

lizzyb1812

You could use plain white icing and put your halloween coloured sprinkles on that - and just eat any choc that's left:j

Butterfly_Brain

I find that if you are using any chocolate for baking it helps to add a little butter when melting and mix well - it has worked for me

Adereterial

Chocolate will go grainy if it's overheated, or you get water in it whilst melting. If it tasted funny I'd guess it was the former, as water wouldn't really affect the flavour.

White chocolate is even more tempramental (sp?) than milk or dark, so you need to be careful. Specific cooking chocolate is designed to be melted so you may find that better but it is more expensive.

Alternatively - a white chocolate ganache? Heat cream, then add the chocolate finely chopped/grated and allow the heat of the cream to melt the chocolate. Once cool it will be lovely and thick and creamy, you could even whip it I think for a fluffy icing.

pinkparrott

Thank you all so much for all the help, i think i stirred it too much, and also becuase it wasn't cooking choc :mad:

I tried the Icing but made it a bit thin so ran down too much and left the raised middles of the cupcakes bear.:o

I think i will give the chocolate butter cream a go that homeaway mentioned ot the choclate ganache, will test them out this week. (so wont be losing any weight this week)

Its so frustrating, I'm a really good cook, even if i say so myself:D but i cant bake to save my life - dont know why?
think my rubbish oven dosent help, as when i moved in with my dh the temperature markers had already rubbed off and also the rubber seal has gone on the door so some heat probably escapes, which i suppose dosent matter with casseroles etc but is important with baking. Must start saving for a new oven.

thanks again for the help.

recovering_spendaholic

White chocolate is notoriously difficult to cook with and I find the best way to melt it (I use the Sainsburys Basics too) is to put it in a pyrex bowl in the microwave and microwave it on 30% power for 30 seconds at a time until melted. It's a bit of a faff but has worked okay for me.

If you have an Aldi nearby they sell cooking chocolate with 55% cocoa solids - its 89p for a 200g bar but it is REALLY nice and melts like a dream. They also do a 35% cocoa solids (milk chocolate) cooking chocolate too which is the same price and also melts well and tastes lovely. We had a new aldi open near us the other week and it was on offer. I got loads of it to keep in for making brownies and for cup cakes.

OrkneyStar

pinkparrott wrote: »

Thank you all so much for all the help, i think i stirred it too much, and also becuase it wasn't cooking choc :mad:

I tried the Icing but made it a bit thin so ran down too much and left the raised middles of the cupcakes bear.:o

I think i will give the chocolate butter cream a go that homeaway mentioned ot the choclate ganache, will test them out this week. (so wont be losing any weight this week)

Its so frustrating, I'm a really good cook, even if i say so myself:D but i cant bake to save my life - dont know why?
think my rubbish oven dosent help, as when i moved in with my dh the temperature markers had already rubbed off and also the rubber seal has gone on the door so some heat probably escapes, which i suppose dosent matter with casseroles etc but is important with baking. Must start saving for a new oven.

thanks again for the help.

I had the same problem in my old flat- was a decent cook (better now lol) but hopeless baker! The oven temps had rubbed off and also it was pretty old. When I moved here the oven was much better (fan oven) and the dial had the temps on too! I can now bake quite well and 95% of my creations are good and edible (the other 5% are edible but not so good lol). It can sound like an excuse to some people, but I understand exactly where you are are coming from. Good luck getting something pulled together though:)
x

lizzyb1812

Hi Pinkparrot

I used to be a not-so-good baker too despite having an OK oven. What sorted me out was realising that baking is about maths.

Make a risotto, casserole, pasta bake, etc and it's OK to estimate quantities but when baking I got much better results once I started measuring stuff accurately. I love the Bero baking book - small soft backed book v cheap in supermarkets.

And I had a thought about your oven - would buying a cheap oven thermometer help - eg draw marks around the oven knob then record what temperature the oven gets to at each marking?