Anyone who has eaten a fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookie knows the joys of melted semisweet chocolate chips. Using these chips in other recipes means that you need to know the safest and best ways to melt them on their own. Melted chocolate needs to be smooth and satiny, and there are several different melting methods. Choose the one that is easiest for you.
Place the chips in a microwaveable bowl just big enough to hold them. Place in microwave on low heat setting and microwave in 30-second increments. Stir after each 30 seconds to ensure all chips melt.
Place water in the bottom of a double boiler and chips in the top. Melt the chips over medium heat, stirring them with a wooden spoon until just melted.
Place the chips in a small ovenproof casserole or metal mixing bowl. Heat oven or toaster oven to warm (150 to 200 degrees F). Using the potholder, check the casserole and stir the chips every 3 minutes until they are melted.
Tips
Use a container close to the size of the amount of chips you are melting. This will save all the scraping you will have to do if you are melting a small amount of chips in a big container.