When the vegetable shortening starts to melt in the microwave, the surrounding chocolate melts too. Lighter chocolates (like white chocolate and milk chocolate) melt at lower temperatures, around 40–45°C (104–113°F), whereas darker chocolates melt at higher temperatures, around 45–50°C (113–122°F). These melting points are a direct result of how much cocoa is in the original chocolate. The more cocoa a chocolate has, the higher its melting point will be.
DR. KATE BIBERDORF, also known as Kate the Chemist by her fans, is a science professor at UT–Austin by day and a science superhero by night (well, she does that by day, too). Kate travels the country building a STEM army of kids who love science as much as she does. You can often find her breathing fire or making slime—always in her lab coat and goggles.
You can visit Kate on Instagram and Facebook @KatetheChemist, on Twitter @K8theChemist, and online at KatetheChemist.com.
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Some Penguin Problems Page 9