Technique: Incomplete Melting

Using a microwave or warm water bath to melt and temper chocolate is also an acceptable method when small quantities are involved. Using this technique, about 80 percent of the chopped chocolate is melted, observing the usual precautions for exposure to heat and moisture. The bowl is then removed from the heat and the chocolate stirred. The unmelted pieces in the bowl become the seed chocolate, cooling and seeding the melted chocolate. This method is no different from the seeding method, except that it relies on incompletely melting out the stable crystals in the unmelted chocolate and using them to seed the melted portion of the chocolate.