I've been trying to melt chocolate so I could dip stuff in it. No matter what I do, it's always so thick and makes a mess. Does anyone have any good tips???

be sure there absolutely no water in the container or pan, it will cause the chocolate to seize. You can melt it in the microwave, carefully, or in a bowl over barely simmering water. Be careful to NOT over heat the chocolate.

You can thin chocolate for dipping by adding Parmount crystals, or a bit of shortening-tsp at a time.

I never heard of paramount crystals - what are they and where can I buy them? Thanks.

Once I have my chocolate melted, I always add just a drop of liquid Crisco into it. Then just stir it until it's mixed well. Be sure to just start with a small amount (1/2 teaspoon or even less) because you can always add more Crisco until it's the consistency that you want it to be.

HTH

I just made a chocolate plaque of spiderman. The black around the eyes ran a little into the red. How can I avoid that? By the way thanks for the Crisco idea I had the same problem to thick chocolate.

Thanks for the Crisco Oil tip!