Be patient when melting chocolate using a bain-marie as this process can take up to 10 minutes, during which you must keep stirring. To reduce the time you can break chocolate into smaller pieces. Melting chocolate can be a difficult process as if it overheats (over 65⁰C) or comes into contact with moisture the chocolate can 'seize', forming an unusable, grainy-solid substance.

Have a practice by making Chris Horridge's Chocolate truffles or Mark Dodson's Chocolate fondant with peanut butter ice cream and dark chocolate sauce.