July 19 saw a full house at Golden Tulip hotel in Salt Lake, as home bakers and dessert enthusiasts came together in large numbers to learn a few tricks on how to play with chocolate at the Chocolate Workshop, in association with t2, by chef and t2 columnist Shaun Kenworthy. “I think these days, the trend of home baking is on the rise, and it’s a great way for people to show their culinary skills. My main aim for the workshop is to help the attendees learn important techniques which can go a long way in taking their skills forward,” said Shaun, before beginning the workshop.

t2 learnt some simple but valuable tips from chef Shaun Kenworthy. Keep them in mind when you work with chocolate

1. If you are colouring chocolate, then always try and use powder-based colours, instead of using a liquid base. 
2. The best shine to your chocolates comes from a good quality mould, so investing in a good mould is a must.
3. Never wash your mould with soap and water. After using it, clean it with cotton so that it retains its shine.
4. The easiest way to melt chocolate is to microwave it for 20 seconds with breaks of 20 seconds in between, till it completely melts. Never melt it above 38 degrees Celsius, else it will scorch.
5. While adding colour, melt the chocolate first and then add colour. 
6. Try not to refrigerate chocolate. The fridge causes the formation of water bubbles and the chocolate loses its natural texture. 
7. Chocolate is best stored in a sealed box, at room temperature. In Indian weather, an air-conditioned space works best. 
8. When adding liquid chocolate to a mould, the best way to go about it is to tap out the excess chocolate from the mould so that air bubbles do not form

Text: Zeba Akhtar
Pictures: B. Halder.