Seize

To seize means to turn suddenly thick, dull and grainy. The word is used most for melted chocolate that meets a small amount of water or steam and clumps into a stiff paste. Caramel and sugar syrups can also seize, crystallizing into a solid, sandy mass.

Why it works

Chocolate is fine particles of sugar and cocoa solids spread through cocoa butter, with almost no water. A few drops of water wet the sugar and cocoa particles and make them stick together into clumps, which thickens the whole bowl. A large amount of liquid behaves differently: the particles dissolve or spread out in it, and you get a smooth sauce or ganache. So it is a little water that causes the problem, not a lot.

Overheating can also make chocolate thick and grainy, because the sugar and milk solids start to scorch.

How to use it

To avoid seizing:

• Use a completely dry bowl and spatula.
• When melting over a bain-marie, keep the water at a gentle simmer and make sure the bowl does not touch it. Steam is enough to cause seizing.
• In the microwave, heat in 15 to 30 second bursts and stir between them.
• When adding liquid such as cream or liqueur, add it all at once, warm, and in a good amount, or melt the chocolate with the liquid from the start.

Common mistakes

• Covering a bowl of melting chocolate with a lid, so condensation drips in.
• Adding a teaspoon of cold flavoring to melted chocolate.
• Heating white or milk chocolate too hot. Keep them below about 45°C (113°F).

In recipes

To rescue seized chocolate, stir in 1 teaspoon of boiling water or neutral oil at a time until smooth again. The result will not temper or set glossy, but it works for sauces, brownies and fillings. Badly burnt chocolate cannot be saved.

For caramel, a sugar syrup that seizes into crystals can often be saved by adding a splash of water and heating gently until it dissolves, then cooking it again without stirring. See caramelization. A fatty sauce that separates into oil and liquid has a different problem; see split sauce.