Tips and tricks to grate and chop chocolates the perfect way

From delicious chocolate cakes, chocolate chip cookies to fudge brownies, many desserts involve chocolate that is required to be either grated or chopped. Grating and chopping chocolates in a perfect way is a skill that not everybody has. The amount of chocolate that needs to be chopped and how fine or chunky it should entirely depend on your recipe and garnishing method. Grated chocolate is an amazing way to make your desserts look elegant. You can add a touch of elegance through grated chocolate to ice cream sundaes, classic cookies, and hot cocoa to chocolate cakes.

Chopping chocolate only requires minimal effort but the skill to make your chopped chocolate look classy. Some people think that grating and chopping chocolate is a similar process, but these methods are done differently. Grating chocolate means grating it with a tool like a cheese grater or Microplane that shreds the chocolate in fine small pieces. Chopped chocolates look like tiny ribbons of chocolates, usually done with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.

Grated chocolate can be used as toppings of cake or to decorate a cookie or cake. It makes a dessert look ten times classier and enhances the smoothie, cake, or ice cream taste. Grating chocolate is quite easy if you do it with the right tools.

Let us explore the tools used and learn some tips and tricks through which you can grate or chop the chocolates perfectly.

Cheese grate or Microplane

Firstly, with a knife, you need to cut the chunks of chocolate of the required size. Secondly, keep the chocolate chunks and grating tool in the fridge for around 15-20 minutes. Chocolate chunks are kept in the fridge to avoid melting them while grating through the cheese grater. Either make use of a cheese grater or Microplane in one hand and smoothly run the chocolate from the other hand on grating tools. Keep grating chocolate until you get the required amount of chocolate. It will grate chocolate into fine pieces.

With knife

There is a wide variety of chocolates available in the market, like white, dark, and milk chocolate. Some of these chocolates are easier to chop, while others are hard. Chocolates with a high percentage of milk solids and cocoa butter can easily be chopped, while others are difficult. All you need is a stable cutting board and a knife. Make sure to use a plastic and dry cutting board and place the chocolate on it. Then, use a sharp and long-bladed knife to chop the chocolate. With a knife, start cutting the corner of chocolate as it will help fine chopping the chocolate bar.

Shaving chocolate

Enhance the elegance of your dessert by shaving the chocolate in curls. It would help if you kept the chocolate in the fridge for a few hours and peelers to get them properly shaped curls for shaving chocolate. Then, use the vegetable peeler and shave the chocolate in fine curls. Buy homemade chocolates online as they get shaved easily.

With potato peeler

A potato peeler is a great tool to grate and chop chocolates. Before using a potato peeler, clean it nicely and dry it to grate the chocolate bar. Next, chill the chocolate and peeler in the fridge and hold the chocolate in one hand and the peeler in the other hand. Finally, slide the chocolate on the peeler in a downward direction. Ensure to don’t apply high pressure on chocolate and peeler as it will break the chocolate into pieces, and it won’t be easily grated afterward.

With chocolate chipper

A chocolate chipper is a chopping tool that is designed especially for chopping chocolate. You can get a chocolate chipper easily at retail stores. If you are a baker, then chocolate chipper is worth investing in. you would require a cutting board, baking sheets, damp paper towel, and chef’s knife. Use a baking sheet and place it on a paper towel. To prevent the chocolate from falling off the table, you need to place the cutting board inside a baking sheet.

Push the chocolate into the chocolate chipper. Start chopping chocolate from its edge and then go far by moving the chocolate. You can also use a chef’s knife by cutting the chocolate into fine pieces.

Hitting chocolate

It would be best to put the chocolate either in its wrapper, plastic wrap, or Ziploc bag. Next, place the chocolate on a cutting board and use different tools like a rolling pin, a metal handle, or a hammer. Make sure to place the chocolate on a hard surface that will not break or get affected by high pressure. Avoid using too much force on chocolate. Instead, use the tool and hit the middle of the bar of chocolate. Only use a hammer or metal handle if you have placed the chocolate on a hard surface.