This Is The Best Method For Chopping Chocolate

Picture this: You're ready to tackle a new chocolate-based recipe. Step one is to melt the chocolate. Alarms and buzzers start going off in your head. You've watched "The Great British Baking Show," and you know that a myriad of things can go wrong when working with chocolate.

Fear not. There is a foolproof way to ensure that chocolate melts evenly: chopping it. According to Anne Wolf, a chocolatier at EHChocolatier, chopped chocolate bars are better for melting than chocolate chips. That's because chips are designed to hold their shape, whereas chocolate bars have a higher concentration of cocoa butter for a "melty, silky mouthfeel" (via Martha Stewart). Chopped chocolate is not only great for melting, some argue it's a welcome replacement for chocolate chips in cookies. Bon Appétit went so far as to claim that they've "graduated from chocolate chips" and when melted chocolate is the aim, chopped chocolate is the way to go.

While hacking at a block of chocolate with a chef's knife may eventually work, slow and steady with a serrated or scallop-edged knife is the way to go — especially when chopping chocolate in large quantities. When you're ready to chop, Cook's Illustrated recommends starting at the corner of the chocolate bar. Then, use both hands to press down on the chocolate to create shards rather than chunks.

Another element to keep in mind when chopping chocolate is the temperature of the chocolate bar. Chocolatier Anne Wolf told Martha Stewart to keep the chocolate at cool room temperature to avoid condensation because "water is chocolate's enemy." Even the smallest drop of water can cause the chocolate to seize up, but it can be fixed, ironically enough, by adding in more hot water. Once you've successfully chopped your chocolate, melt it down to coat your favorite fruit or substitute for chocolate chips in your favorite cookie recipe.