It's a way to do gentle heating--specifically, it provides heat through steam. It's good for delicate sauces, and, more relevantly here, chocolate.
[As she says this, she gets a saucepan from a cabinet, then a glass bowl. She puts the bowl on top of the pan, face lighting up a bit when she finds it fits snugly. The bowl gets set aside as she fills the saucepan with water.]
You want to start with a pan like this, with water in it.
[She puts it on the stove, then goes for the glass bowl again.]
And then you'll want a heat-proof bowl of some sort. I prefer heat-proof glass myself, but some people prefer metal or ceramic. The main things are you should have at least ten centimeters between the bases--preferably more, actually--and the bowl should fit snugly. The second one's really important because steam escaping means the chocolate can come in contact with that water, which can make chocolate seize up. Still with me?
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[As she says this, she gets a saucepan from a cabinet, then a glass bowl. She puts the bowl on top of the pan, face lighting up a bit when she finds it fits snugly. The bowl gets set aside as she fills the saucepan with water.]
You want to start with a pan like this, with water in it.
[She puts it on the stove, then goes for the glass bowl again.]
And then you'll want a heat-proof bowl of some sort. I prefer heat-proof glass myself, but some people prefer metal or ceramic. The main things are you should have at least ten centimeters between the bases--preferably more, actually--and the bowl should fit snugly. The second one's really important because steam escaping means the chocolate can come in contact with that water, which can make chocolate seize up. Still with me?