Chocolate and Water

Are tey really like oil and water?

Anybody who has tried to melt chocolate has probably bumped into those horror stories where the chocolate would seize. This is when you try to melt chocolate over a double boiler and the chocolate ends up seizing up into the dreadful ball of death. This is the scariest thing that could happen when you are making chocolate - That huge lumped up ball of darkness. And eventually, we learn the valuable lesson. Chocolate should never be in contact with water! Never! Just Never! But is this really true?

 The process of refining cocoa beans into chocolate renders chocolate to become very dry. All those dry particles in the chocolate are thirsty for water, making it very hygroscopic - or water-loving. This is why even the smallest amount of water introduced to chocolate allows it to seize up. 

This is why we always say not to add water to our chocolate, even to the degree in which some chefs swear by the microwave to eliminate the chance of any water attracted from a double boiler. but actually, we are always adding water to our dark sweets every day without knowing it. Butter, heavy cream, bourbon, These ingredients that enhance the flavor of chocolate and are also water-based. So why does adding these ingredients make a smooth chocolaty delight, while plain old H2O creates an abomination? 

A good illustration of this is two bowls of sugar. Most chocolate contains sugar, and sugar is one of the many hygroscopic ingredients contained in chocolate. If I wet the spoon in water and dip it into the sugar, only adding a tiny bit of moisture to the sugar, the small lumps would represent seized chocolate. Now at this point where the chocolate seizes up into a ball, a lot of people would end up throwing away all that expensive chocolate and starting all over from scratch. However, if we add a significant amount of water to the sugar, the sugar would dissolve easily in the large body of water. 

The same principle applies to chocolate, add more water. Butter, heavy cream, whiskey, coffee, or any flavorful liquid to enhance your chocolate. At this point, you won't be able to temper the chocolate, but you would be able to make a chocolate sauce, or even chocolate mousse only using chocolate and water.

So, the next time your chocolate happens to turn into a huge dark lump, don't despair. Just a bit more fluid and enjoy the chocolatey goodness.