How To Melt Chocolate Chips On The Stovetop Without Burning Them

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If you leave chocolate chips out in the sun, they'll melt into a gooey mess in no time. So why is it so hard to liquify them into a delectable chocolate sauce for dipping strawberries or drizzling on cakes and quick breads? Regardless of whether you buy some of the best chocolate chips on store shelves or pick any one of the many other brands out there, if you simply toss them in a pan and turn up the heat, you'll likely end up with a burned mess that you can't (and don't want to) eat. Luckily, the double boiler method offers a solution that is both easy and effective at preventing burned chocolate.

Along with sugar, chocolate, and cocoa butter, chocolate chips often contain an ingredient like lecithin that acts as a stabilizer. Stabilizers are important to the structure of the chip, enabling them to keep their shape when they heat up. This is what makes them so great in bakes such as coconut chocolate chip cookies where they are the star. But that stabilizer gets in the way when you want to melt them into a smooth and creamy sauce, so if you don't heat them properly, you run the risk of burning them in the process. Sure, you can melt them in a microwave, but you have to heat the chips in small increments of time and still run the risk of burning the chocolate. And, of course, not every cook is a fan of using the microwave to begin with. Instead, the stovetop double boiler gives you a gentle heat that lets you have more control over the melting chips without burning them.

You can use an actual double boiler that has an outer and inner pot which fit snugly together — like the stainless steel one by Farberware on Amazon. Or you can create the same setup using a pot and a heatproof bowl. You only need about an inch of water in the pot so it doesn't touch the bowl that you'll rest on top. That way there is room between the two to trap the heat necessary to slowly melt the chocolate. Heat the water to a simmer, then reduce and cook until the chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Keep in mind that choosing the right bowl for your double boiler is important. You'll want one that is safe to use with heat, like glass, ceramic, or stainless steel (in other words, no plastic), and you don't want one that is so thick the heat won't get through to the chocolate.

As long as your equipment is good and set up properly, you will be able to successfully melt your chocolate chips so they reach the creamy consistency that is just right for dipping, decorating, or incorporating into other desserts. And it will taste excellent, as opposed to the bitter flavor of burnt chocolate. You will, however, want to take a few extra precautions to ensure perfection. Make sure no water gets into the chocolate, which can cause it to seize up while you are trying to melt it. Only heat the chips as long as you need to in order to get the consistency you are going for — too long and they will get thick and lumpy. These issues won't ruin your chocolate like burning will, but it won't have that silky consistency you are going for.