Hello. I am a new chocolatier. Ireally enjoymaking truffles and pralines. I am having difficulty with meltingwhite chocolate..Iam able to melt and then tempermilk and dark chocolate, even though I need more practice, it comes out ok. The white chocolate clumps no matter the technique I use.Its like it does not even melt at all, but just starts to clump together. the techniques I've used include:microwave, direct stove top and even double boiler...Am I missing the melting point? Am I burning it? My equipment used is clean and dry and I am not adding any additives (cream/butter) to the chocolate. I really want to learn how to work with white chocolate so I can color it when I master melting and tempering it. I wanted to send an SOS to my chocolate friends in the hopes I would gain some helpful hints and techniques......Thanks!
updated by @dawn-marie-lambert: 04/10/15 17:01:46

dear Dawn-Marie, use a double boiler and reduce the temperature of the water to say 60 centigrades, i.e. white chocolate needs very gentle warming; as otherwise a 'heat shock' will render the chocolate to clumps.

then, at first add a small amount of chopped-into-small-pieces white chocolate into meltingpott, as the chocolate melts add some more small amounts, continue this steps until all chocolate have melted.

Do not warm the chocolate higher than 29 centigrades.

That should work.

Hi there

Never go above 50 C or you burn it heat it up slowly. When you temper white chocolate you have to do it at a lower temp. then milk or dark start by 45 C take then cool it down to 40 C take 1/3 out and cool it down to 24 - 25 C dempends on the cacaobutter in the chocolate mix it with 2/3 the final temp should not be above 28 C. Take a bread knife and take a sample when it hardes proplery and has a nice gloss after 5 min you know you tempered properly.

It may be the chocolate you are using. Some of the cheaper ones never get passed being a big clump. I've tried a few and just ended up throwing them out because it never melted completely.

I have found that Valrhona, El Rey and EGuittard seem to be pretty fluid. Some complain they are too fluid, but I prefer that. I've had no trouble enrobing or molding with these.

Thank you Robyn. I was thinking the same thing, in regards to the brand of chocoalte I was using. This particular time, I was using ghiradelli. I don't usually use them as a general rule but have not had any trouble using their dark or milk chocolate. I was also thinking of using almond bark ( I know I know...yuck!) only a small amount though to melt at firstand then add the better quality chocolate to it a little at a time, in the hopes that the better quality chocolate would preside as far as flavoring goes.

Perhaps I will try the EGuittard with the temperature suggestions from Thomas and Dieter Speer and see how that goes first...

Thanks for answering my SOS!!

Ghiradelli likely the problem. Are you using their chips, as those likely made for cookies and designed to NOT melt when heated. Also often white chocolate picks up local humidity long before dark or milk and thus is too thick and won't melt.I suggest also when you order your next batch you ask for a true min of 35% fat, that is the min I suggest with white especially if in summer and around humidity.You can order from Qzina Valrhona, Callebaut, Cacao Barry, Chocoa, and others, just make sure you specify high cocoa butter white.

Thank you. I will keep that info in mind when I re order...I am using another brand this weekend and hopefully wont run into the same problem..

hell dawn , if you are following the rules 27 then up to 29-30

then you have to check the chocolates you are using ,is it too thick

or is it too old , my recommendation is to use another brand

of white chocolates with 3 or 4 melting drops ,good luck

The reason it's doing that is because it's absorbed moisture. You're likely not buying in bulk, but from either a distributor or other 3rd party where the mfr has lost control of it's storage and age. White chocolate is more sensitive to moisture absorption than other types. And given that it often doesn't 'turn' stock as quickly as other chocolates, as it sits it absorbs more moisture. And forms the lumps you see.

How to fix? Tough one. You can melt it and add 0.1-0.2% fluid lecithin and mix - that might help but no guarantees. Better answer is to call the mfr and get the decipher code for their lot system so you can determine when it was manufactured. use that to help assist which material you purchase - try to only get that which is 3 months old or fresher, and only that in a factory sealed, poly lined container (bag or otherwise). I would also not microwave it 8-)