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enter image description here

Take pity, is there any way I can be better?

Here's a close-up (in case that, you know, helps)

enter image description here

I heat only normal real chocolate (i.e., normal bar eating or cooking chocolate), that is to say I am not open to using EZ-Net fake chocolate or any sort of additives or chemicals; FTR I melt it in this guy:

enter image description here

(Apart from anything else I don't really know how to get it the hell out of there and start netting; I guess if you had an incredibly steady/variable hand you could pour straight from the double boiler there; basically I just use a normal spoon and, as you can see, valiantly try my best.)

Laughter understandable, help appreciated!

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  • but how hot was it when you poured it? That can also make a difference
    – Luciano
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 9:01
  • 4
    Another tip is to start your lines of netting outside the pan, so the initial drop happens off the edge. This is messier and more cleanup since you get chocolate outside/on the pan, but the results are neater lines.
    – stanri
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 9:19
  • tyhat's a huge tip @stan !
    – Fattie
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 14:01
  • @Luciano - in fact, i basically simply used a spoon ... and, i don't know how hot it was. (it "all melted" - that's my only temp. knowledge!)
    – Fattie
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 14:02
  • Were you trying to pour slowly and carefully? Sometimes it's actually better to go quickly.
    – barbecue
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 14:36

1 Answer 1

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Take a plastic zip top bag, and put it inside a pint glass or tall quart size container. Fold the top of the bag down over the outside of the mug/container. Essentially, you're just using the mug to hold the bag up and open.

After you've melted your chocolate, dump it into the bag, squeeze out extra air, and zip the top closed. You've got a single use pastry bag!

Edit: Adding a suggestion from Graham: You can melt your chocolate directly in the zip top bag by placing your chocolate pieces in the bag, then placing that bag directly in your water bath to melt--thus saving the entire "transfer messy, warm, gooey chocolate into a zip top bag" step entirely.

Nearly all freezer zip top bags will happily survive the water bath. Thinner, or budget bags may not keep together at the seams as well when heated, so read the box, or test first by filling the bag with plain water & heating. This way you can test durability without wasting a batch of chocolate.

Hold the bag with one corner pointing down. Use one hand to hold the bag on the top, so that squeezing will push the chocolate down (like a pastry bag). Now clip that corner off the bag with scissors. You can now drizzle in a nice steady stream, giving a squeeze, pushing chocolate down as you go.

With some practice, you'll be able to get a very even netting. And if you do it often, you can graduate to a proper pastry bag eventually, which makes things even a bit easier.

For a more detailed set of instructions with photos (albeit with a proper piping bag, but it's the same process), check out this.

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  • Wow, this will actually work w/ melted chocolate ?!
    – Fattie
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 10:48
  • 12
    As a slight modification to this, put the bar chocolate straight inside the bag, then dump the entire bag in your bain-marie with a little warm water. This avoids all the mess of melting it in a separate pot and then pouring it into the bag. Or just stick the bag in the microwave and ping it for short bursts repeatedly.
    – Graham
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 11:27
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    @Fattie Google sez (with rounding and approximations): Ideal chocolate melting temperature, 110*F, freezer bag softening temperature, 195*F, burning point for chocolate, 200*F, bag melting temperature, 210*F. So unless you're trying to almost burn your chocolate you shouldn't have any problems. (If you use the bag-in-the-water method, I might try to keep the bag out of contact with the pan, although you should really be at very low temperatures anyway.) Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 12:54
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    Adding to this, the same technique works for most liquids and pastes of similar viscosity to melted chocolate. Many iciings, syrups, and puddings work rather well with this approach, as do most thicker condiments (mustard, ketchup, aioli, ranch salad dressing, etc), and even some soft, moisture-rich cheeses (such as real mozzerella) when melted. Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 13:57
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    @Fattie if you're not keen on plastic, you get silicon bags too that would also work, and bonus there's no chocolate loss, since you can just leave the remaining chocolate in the bag to harden there and it'll come out in one chunk without sticking.
    – stanri
    Commented Oct 9, 2020 at 14:12

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