I Melted Dark, Milk, and White Chocolate 3 Ways—Only 2 Are Worth Using

I once spent a frustrating few days developing a white chocolate rocky road recipe. No matter what I tried, my melted chocolate turned into a grainy, clumpy mess as soon as I stirred in the other ingredients. I eventually abandoned the idea altogether, opting to stick with milk and dark chocolate. Chocolate can be temperamental, even for chefs who use it frequently. Every chocolate behaves differently, and melting it isn't as simple as tossing everything into a pot and turning up the heat. How you use the chocolate matters, too: What works for ganache isn't necessarily ideal for hot chocolate, tempered bars, or bonbons.

Professional kitchens sometimes employ a tempering machine, a chocolate melter, or even a sous-vide setup. Still, the microwave and double boiler are the two most common methods for melting chocolate at home. I tried both of these, plus one unorthodox approach—melting it directly in a pot on the stovetop—to see which method worked best.

The Tests

For each test, I melted six ounces (170 grams) of the following:

• Guittard Coucher du Soleil 72% Dark Couverture
• Guittard Éclipse du Soleil 41% Milk Couverture
• Guittard Crème Française 31% White Couverture

Each of the chocolates above has a different cocoa percentage, which indicates how much of the chocolate itself comes from the cacao bean. As Serious Eats contributor Marissa Sertich Velie noted in her guide to baking with chocolate, each chocolate has varying amounts of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar, which affect its meltability in several ways. 

"White and milk chocolate can overheat very easily because of the high percentage of milk solids and sugar," says Esther Park, owner of Grumpy Chocolatier in Los Angeles. "Dark chocolate has more cocoa mass and can handle higher temperatures." More cocoa solids—and less dairy and sugar, which burn more easily—give dark chocolate increased structure and stability at higher temperatures. 

As I melted the chocolates, I took notes on the pros and cons of each method, observed how long each took to melt, and noted the ideal time and power combination for melting in the microwave, along with any headaches or hiccups I encountered along the way.

Bain-Marie/Double Boiler

A bain-marie, or hot water bath, is a simple method for warming. There are many ways to set one up. You can purchase a double boiler with two metal pans that nest inside one another, or create your own setup by placing a metal or glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. The steam creates gentle, indirect heat that melts chocolate and cooks delicate custards and sauces, such as hollandaise, placed within the bowl without scorching or curdling them.

The Pros

A bain-marie is easy to assemble and can be rigged up with equipment you already have at home. It works exceptionally well for melting larger quantities of chocolate, keeping chocolate warm as you work, and gently rewarming chocolate that has started to set in the bowl. Dark chocolate, which contains the highest percentage of cocoa solids, took about three minutes to melt; white chocolate, which has the lowest percentage, melted in just over one minute; milk chocolate took about two minutes.

The Cons

A single drop of water, close by in a bain-marie setup, can cause cocoa solids and sugar to separate from the cocoa butter. "Chocolate is an emulsion of fat and solids, and the addition of water can cause the emulsion to break and, worse, create a sort of lock up of the solids," Morgan Roddy, owner of Queer Chocolatier in Muncie, Indiana, explains. Known as seizing, this "lock up" rapidly turns smooth, fluid chocolate into a clumpy, unusable mass.

The Verdict

All three chocolates melted in a bain-marie remained smooth, with no seizing or scorching. This method was easy to use. After removing the bowl of chocolate from the pan, I wiped its underside to prevent water droplets from dripping onto my work surface, which is especially important if you plan on pouring the melted chocolate into a mold or bowl on your counter. I've ruined more than one batch of chocolate bars because of drips from the bottom of my bowl, and the risk simply isn't worth it. If you can remain attentive to the water risk, this is a great method.

Microwave

Microwaves are machines, but the term, as Serious Eats contributor Summer Rylander notes in her guide to the appliance, also refers to the actual electromagnetic waves that bounce around inside. "Microwaves work by reflecting off of the oven's metal surfaces inside the oven," creating heat that the food within the oven absorbs. They're a common household appliance for popping popcorn or reheating leftovers, and an equally reliable tool for melting chocolate both at home and in professional kitchens. "The hero in my kitchen for melting chocolate is the microwave," says Roddy, who prefers it to a double boiler because it eliminates the risk of water contamination.

For this test, I had to nail down the ideal power level and timing for each chocolate in my 1000W microwave (the standard power for home models). Every microwave is different, and you will likely have to experiment to find out what works best for yours, especially if it's a different wattage.

Dark Chocolate

I placed the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heated it in 15-second bursts at 100% power. It took 60 seconds to see any significant melting, and continually opening the door felt unproductive. I tried 50% power, but found it excruciatingly slow. The middle ground worked best: 70% power and 30-second bursts melted the dark chocolate fully and smoothly in about two minutes.

Milk Chocolate

As with dark chocolate, 15-second bursts at 100% power seemed tedious. 30- and 45-second bursts at 50% power were both reasonably effective (each melted the chocolate in about two minutes), but 30-second bursts at 70% power were the sweet spot, completely melting the chocolate in around 90 seconds.

White Chocolate

Unlike dark and milk chocolate, 15-second bursts at full power melted the white chocolate in just over a minute, thanks to its high cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar content. But 50% power and 30-second bursts provided the best and safest approach, melting the chocolate in about two and a half minutes, while minimizing the risk of burning.

The Pros

The microwave is a readily accessible household appliance, and the most foolproof of the three methods I tested. In addition to melting chocolate, short bursts at 50% power are effective for rewarming cooled chocolate. Plus, there's not a drop of water in sight.

The Cons

Every microwave works differently, so power and duration can vary significantly depending on the size and wattage of your oven. Shorter bursts require frequent stopping and starting, which can feel tedious, especially if you're melting a large amount of chocolate.

The Verdict

Melting chocolate in the microwave is easy, with a low margin for error. The time and temperature combination that works for one chocolate isn't necessarily best for another, nor will those settings work across all microwaves, so allow room for experimentation.

Direct Heat

Those in a hurry may be tempted to dump their chocolate into a pot and melt it directly on the stovetop. Although not a typical method for melting chocolate, I tried pouring my callets into a large metal stock pot and placing it on the gas range over very low heat to see how the chocolate would fare without a buffer of steam.

With constant stirring, the dark and milk chocolates both melted smoothly—but as I predicted, my white chocolate experiment was less successful. It turned dry and chunky, developed brown scorch marks around the edges of the pan, and smelled burnt.

The Pros

Pretty much none. While it's not impossible to use direct heat, it's very high-risk.

The Cons

Close proximity to direct heat can cause the cocoa butter to melt too quickly, causing the chocolate to split and seize as it would if contaminated with water. Scorching is also a real possibility.

The Verdict

Though it's possible to melt dark and milk chocolate over direct heat, it's an inconsistent and unreliable method that requires a vigilant eye. It simply isn't worth the risk, especially when there are two other very good methods—the double boiler and microwave—that melt chocolate effectively and quickly. It's also not a good option for keeping chocolate warm, since it burns when left unattended on the stovetop.

The Takeaway

Both the bain-marie/double boiler and the microwave are reliable, user-friendly methods for melting chocolate. However, one may work better than the other depending on the amount and type of chocolate you're using. If you, like me, are risk-averse and want to limit the possibility of water seizing your chocolate, it's best to melt your chocolate in a microwave—just be sure to experiment with intervals and power settings to find the best one for your microwave and the chocolate you're using. Avoid direct heat, which can ruin expensive chocolate—after my failed experiment, six ounces of high-quality couverture went straight into the trash.