melt chocolate like a pro 1 of 2

The key here is GENTLE heat. If chocolate gets too hot, the cocoa butter separates from the cocoa solids, streaking the chocolate gray. There are two basic methods for melting chocolate: double-boiler and microwave.
Double-Boiler Method:
• If you don’t own a double boiler, you can fashion one out of a stainless steel or glass bowl set over a saucepan. Be certain that half the bowl can be inserted into the saucepan and that the bowl covers the entire top of the pan.
• You need only about an inch of water in the pan under the bowl. Make sure that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl and that the water doesn’t boil so vigorously or steam so excessively that moisture falls into the chocolate.
• Place chopped chocolate chunks in the double boiler; melt slowly while stirring with a rubber spatula. When almost all the chocolate pieces are melted, remove the bowl from the heat, stir, and let the remaining chocolate melt by the heat of the larger mass.