What are your dos and dont’s when it comes to cooking or baking with chocolate?
A big thing is to store it away from spices because it [the chocolate] will absorb those aromas from your pantry.
Keep it [the chocolate] well sealed as well otherwise it will absorb moisture.
Should you keep your chocolate in the fridge or pantry?
It absolutely belongs in the pantry!
The cocoa butter in the chocolate will go really hard [in the fridge] and when you move the chocolate back to room temperature the cocoa butter will move within the chocolate which you don’t want.
That’s the official line - put your chocolate in the pantry!
What is the best way to melt chocolate?
Microwave is the best way [to melt chocolate] actually!
The best way to melt it is in a plastic bowl because glass or china retains too much heat.
Melt it in 30-second increments, stirring it in between, until the chocolate is melted.
Is there a foolproof way to temper chocolate at home?
[The microwave] is actually the easiest way.
You melt it to a half liquid in the microwave in a plastic bowl and then you really vigorously stir it.
Once it’s all melted it’ll be tempered.
Talk us through your upcoming appearance on MasterChef Dessert Masters?
I’m one to jump in and who wants to try everything and push myself and I thought it [Dessert Masters] would be a great opportunity to show other women and girls that you can achieve it all.
You can have a family, have a career, you just need to work hard at it.
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So I thought, you just need to put yourself out there, be vulnerable, and do the best that you possibly can.
I want to jump into life instead of watching other people do things.
What is the real difference between everyday chocolate and cooking chocolate?
Some cooking chocolates are made from vegetable fats, and some cooking chocolates [are made from] cocoa butter - you always want to go for ones with cocoa butter because the other fat is hard for our bodies to process and coats the palate, it’s not a nice eating experience.
What's next for you?
I’ve got a cookbook called Chocolate All Day coming out in October, and I believe it’s the best chocolate recipe that I've ever done.
You can pre-order Chocolate All Day here.