Chocolate Chips
 

HI:
Here goes:: I have for years melted a bag chocolate chips in a saucepan with a small amount of yellow
colored shortening. I like to make Peanut clusters at Christmas time. I have never had any problems.
I also would use it for frosting certain no bake cookies.

NOW lately I have tried the same thing and the chocolate chips will not melt they are thick to say the least.
I have always used either Nestlé's or Hershey's chips. I would like to know if anyone else is experiencing this
same problem. If not what advice do you offer so I can melt the chips.
Thanks a bunch.
eunice

Have you tried doing this in a double boiler?

I melt chocolate in the microwave, just a few seconds at a time.

Did you try the Ghiradelli? They might be a better quality chip.

Just a guess but probably change of mfg recipe.....either for profit reasons or FDA ruling......have you tried contacting the companies and asking that question........answers would be interesting.....

I am interested in the answer, too.
If I want a chocolate layer over the crisp rice and marshmallow layer, I sprinkle the chips on, then put it in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the chips look shiny. Then use a metal spatula or knife to spread around. If I do this on a cake, the oven (turned off) will be hot enough if you do it right away.

I've had the same problem melting chocolate to dip strawberries in. I think our food has changed with the laws requiring that trans fat be taken out of a lot of things. I think maybe the amount of trans fat has been reduced in the chocolate chips. They may have substituted some other fat in the making of the choocolate chips. Who knows? I end up with a globby mess even using a double boiler. I have used Hershey's, Nestles's and Ghiradelli all with the same results.

Something is definitely happening to our food. For years, I bought 2% Am. cheese slices, for grilled cheese sandwiches. A few years ago, I bought a package (same brand) and the cheese refused to melt. Something had been changed, although the supposed ingredients were the same. Needless to say, I stopped buying the 2% slices, as the non-melting quality is disturbing!

Have you tried to contact the company in regards of change of their product ? Most companies have a contact us on their
home pages. I would try if I really wanted to have a solution to the problem. If the product has changed they should be able to tell you and what the change was.

This is what I use and it always works really well. I just gave one to my DD last year and she told me she didn't know how she ever got along without it.

We had this happen with our fudge recipe - the one we used was from the 60's. It was with Choc. chips, marshmallow cream, etc. then one year it was all wrong - it was dry and crumbling and so bad we had to throw it out. We tried it several times, buying different brands. Finally decided we had to change recipes - no idea what was wrong.
I do melt choc. chips with butterscotch chips to make our Chinese Noodle candy and have been doing that since the 60's and so for they are still coming out fine.

Yes last week I tried using the double boiler and that did not work either. I really think it is what one of the board members said that they are using less fat in the chips. That sounds right to me as I have never had this happen until this year.

I use chips for some things, but for candies(bon-bons, Martha Washingtons, etc) I use Wilton's now. I just melt in microwave in very short spurts, stirring each time.

Are you sure you had real chocolate chips and not the artificial ones? At one time they came out with one that was not 100% real chocolate . I don't remember the reason for it, either shortage of cocoa crop and increase in price. Brain fog, can't remember. Sorry

I've been having the same problem recently, I used to be able to sprinkle chocolate chips on a sheet cookie, put in oven for a couple minutes, until they were shiny, then spread the chocolate over the cookie, not any more, it just gums and clumps up and won't spread no matter what. So disappointing.

I almost always use the store brand of choc chips and use a tablespoon or so of white CRISCO shortening --melt them in short bursts in the microwave and have not had any trouble with them.

Chocolate chips are meant to keep their shape in baking. Try using semisweet baking chocolate which is meant to melt down. That said I have used melted chips but the results aren't as nice.

And have you noticed butter does not taste like butter anymore?

add a little coconut oil to melt your chips

I usually put some gulf wax in with my chips,helps them melt better. But then again, I have not done this since last Christmas so I hope it still works.