Chocolate Fountains and Oil

Should You add Oil to Fountain Chocolate?

This is a question that we are asked on a regular basis and the short answer is no, not unless you really have to, but don’t worry about it as much as people claim you should, especially on the web!

Why would you add oil to chocolate? In simple terms, adding oil to the chocolate makes it more runny so that it flows down the fountain more evenly and this will help significantly if you have the less expensive chocolate or a cheaper mini fountain.  It isn’t the best plan to add oil but it isn’t the complete disaster that some companies would like you to believe!

There is far more oil in your average chocolate bar than in specialist fountain chocolate - that’s a fact. The best selling chocolate bars can have every additive under the sun and vegetable oil is cheap and blends well with chocolate so the big manufacturers use it to keep costs down. It is not necessary though and it detracts from the taste of chocolate, the more upmarket chocolatiers definitely do not use oil in their chocolate, probably because they charge more for buying it in the first place.  The next time you buy the leading chocolate bar brands, have a look at the ingredients on the back – you might be surprised at how little chocolate there really is in there.

Anyway, back to chocolate for chocolate fountains. There is a simple and quite cost effective alternative to oil and this is cocoa butter. Any reputable fountain company should use cocoa butter if this is required because it is just as cheap to buy as oil and you don’t need very much to make the chocolate a lot thinner. It is just like a powdered fat in its solid state but it melts in with the chocolate very easily. For 10 litres of chocolate, you literally just need a couple of table spoons to make the chocolate a lot thinner without reducing the impact of the flavour or the taste!

If you have to use oil:  There are certain times when you must use oil, especially if you are using a cheaper chocolate not specifically designed for a chocolate fountain and you don’t have access to cocoa butter. The best idea is to partially melt the chocolate and then add small amounts of oil as you progress with the melting until you get the viscosity that you require. Try not to use too much though, it will reduce the intensity of the flavour but if you need it to make your fountain run, little and often is the best piece of advice.

The important thing is that if you are using a home chocolate fountain, don’t worry about it.  However, purchasing chocolate that is designed for use in mini chocolate fountains is much better than use chocolate bars from a supermarket, it might be more expensive but it will taste a lot nicer and it isn’t that costly!

Have a look back on our articles pages for more information on cleaning chocolate fountains and tips on how to use a chocolate fountain.