How to Chop Chocolate

Chopping chocolate is a bit like chopping nuts - not easy. The sheer shape of the ingredients makes using a knife to chop difficult, not to mention that unless you do it relatively quickly, it has a tendency to melt in the process.

It's not easy to chop chocolate in a mechanical chopper or food rpocessor either for the same reason.

It can be grated, but again, unless done uickly, it has a tendency to melt in the process.
 

So here's how to do it...

• When chopping chocolate make sure it’s cold from the fridge, it’s a lot easier to work with and it will hold its shape and not melt in your hands.
• Break off a small amount and then using a large knife, preferably a cook or a chef’s knife, hold the point of the knife with the fingers of one hand and the handle of the knife in your other hand and gradually work your way through the chocolate using a ricking motion. It won’t be an easy task, you’ll be doing it bit by bit but you will be able to chop it up eventually. Just keep working backwards and forwards in a rocking motion, bringing the chocolate back into the centre of your chopping board and gradually going through each piece.
• Work it from different angles so that you end up with nice, small pieces of chocolate.