How to fix seized or overheated chocolate — Tum Yum Yum — Tum Yum Yum (2024)

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How to fix seized or overheated chocolate — Tum Yum Yum — Tum Yum Yum? ›

Funnily enough, it's super simple. First boil some water. Second, very slowly, as in 1-2 tsp at a time add in the boiling water and whisk the chocolate vigorously until the mixture is smooth again. The hot water will essentially melt the clumps back to a liquid consistency.

Saving Overheated Chocolate

The solid chocolate will quickly lower the temperature of the melted chocolate. If the chocolate remains thick or lumpy, try straining it through a sieve. If this doesn't solve the problem, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil or melted vegetable shortening while stirring constantly.

Chocolate seizes when it comes into contact with even a small amount of liquid or moisture during the melting process. This is because the water causes the sugar in the chocolate to dissolve and then form a syrup, which binds the cocoa particles together, creating a grainy, thick, and clumpy texture.

To thin melted chocolate, add a small amount of neutral oil, like vegetable oil or cocoa butter, stirring gently until it reaches the desired consistency. Melt slowly to avoid overheating, and keep water out to prevent the chocolate from seizing.

So, what do you do to save it if your chocolate seizes? Funnily enough, it's super simple. First boil some water. Second, very slowly, as in 1-2 tsp at a time add in the boiling water and whisk the chocolate vigorously until the mixture is smooth again.

Cooking Tip: How to save lumpy melted chocolate and to bring it back to life. This often happens with melted milk chocolate when it overheats or gets a splash of water. Add a couple of tablespoons boiling water and stir through. This will remove the lumps and make it silky smooth again.

Once chocolate has seized it's not easy to coax it back to liquid form. Sometimes whisking a tablespoon of warm water into the chocolate works, then add more water a teaspoon at a time until the chocolate is smooth. Or try adding a few drops of vegetable oil or clarified butter (as it's water content has been removed).

When a melted chocolate is kept in a refrigerator it solidifies on cooling. However when it will be kept at room temperature, it will absorb heat and melt again. Hence, it is a reversible process..

"When chocolate is subject to extreme temperature changes it can cause blooming, both from the fat in the cocoa butter which will surface if it gets too warm, and the sugars, (which) can crystalize from humidity and leave discoloration on the surface." Blooming does not mean you cannot eat the chocolate, but it does ...

Consider this as a backup of the backup. This means, if adding chunks of chocolate still has no effects on the seized chocolate, you can simply add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the mixture. Although, ensure that you're stirring it thoroughly until it's mixed well.

How to stop melted chocolate from hardening? ›

Even a small splash of water in your melting chocolate will cause it to seize, becoming stiff and grainy instead of smooth and silky.

Reversing the reaction means adding just enough water (or other liquid) to dissolve most of the sugar and cocoa particles in the seized chocolate clumps. It's easy to do: Simply add boiling water to seized chocolate, 1 teaspoon at a time, and stir vigorously after each addition until the chocolate is smooth.

Overheating Chocolate

Excessive heat can cause the chocolate's cocoa particles to cluster, resulting in a lumpy texture. You can prevent this clustering by not exposing your chocolate to direct heat, such as when you place it in a hot pan or microwave it for too long.

Is Burnt Chocolate Reversible? Unfortunately, carbonization (the process of burning chocolate) is irreversible. The same goes for other burnt foodstuffs like burnt caramel or meat. Our chefs would recommend you to scrape the burnt part away if you can and throw it away.

This can take some time, usually about 15 minutes, so just be patient – it will come down to temperature! A glass bowl will take longer to cool. Speed this process up by carefully placing the bowl of chocolate into an ice bath, making sure not to get ANY water in the chocolate.

Melting chocolate is an irreversible change. Heating materials always causes reversible changes. An irreversible change is one that cannot be changed back. Reversible changes create new materials.