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ELI5: Why does chocolate only melt smoothly in a pot inside hot water, but not in a pot that is directly heated? (lemmit.online)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/explainlikeimfive by /u/danielmcschmaniel on 2023-09-15 09:01:57.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

A double boiler can't get hotter than 100 C anywhere, until all the water boils off. A directly heated pot can get hotter in spots leading to undesirable reactions.

The double boiler also heats more gently because water absorbs so much heat. You are less likely to overshoot the target temp, especially if someone is watching the pot. A watched pot never boils, so by observing the double boiler you limit its temperature.