Chocolate Fountain at Home: Which Chocolate, How Much Oil, and How Much to Buy

A fountain needs real chocolate with a high proportion of cocoa butter, ideally in callets (small chocolate drops). It melts evenly, doesn't scorch as easily, and flows like silk once thinned. Here's how the options compare:

• Special fountain chocolate (e.g. Callebaut Fountain, which we don't sell) contains more cocoa butter, according to the manufacturer, so you don't need to thin it. It's the most convenient option, but it's mostly sold only in large 2.5 kg packs.

• Couverture callets (labeled on the pack as chocolate coating for dark and milk, or milk chocolate coating), such as Callebaut 811, 823, or white W2, melt evenly and have a distinct flavor. For a fountain, you thin them a little, as explained below.

• Supermarket bar chocolate usually has less fat, is thicker, and needs more oil. It can work, but expect more fine-tuning. Breaking bars into little pieces is also a chore.

• Confectionery coating (made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter) flows easily but tastes waxy and clings to the palate. It's not right for a fountain, where the chocolate is the star. Be careful not to confuse it with chocolate coating on the label: what matters is whether the ingredients list cocoa butter or vegetable fat.

Which type to choose:

• Callebaut dark chocolate callets (811) (54.5% cocoa) tolerates the highest temperature and is the least temperamental. It's the safest choice for your first fountain, and it pairs best with strawberries and pineapple.

• Callebaut milk chocolate callets (823) is the surest bet with kids and mixed crowds. It's more sensitive to overheating, so keep the temperature lower.

• Callebaut white chocolate callets (W2) is the sweetest and the most delicate. If it overheats, it thickens quickly and turns yellow. It looks great with raspberries and can be colored with oil-based chocolate coloring.

You'll find the whole range of couvertures in our chocolate for bakers and pastry cooks. Always choose just one type for the fountain, though. Mixed types each have a different ideal temperature.

For 1 kg of chocolate callets, add 40–80 g of neutral oil or melted cocoa butter. The exact amount depends on the type:

• Dark (811): 60–80 g per kilo.

• Milk (823): 40–50 g per kilo.

• White (W2): 50–60 g per kilo.

These figures are based on fountain manufacturers' recommendations. Treat them as a starting point. Begin at the low end and add a tablespoon at a time (about 14 g) until the curtain flows continuously.

Oil is cheaper, while cocoa butter tastes cleaner:

• Neutral oil (sunflower, rapeseed/canola) is the cheapest, and at this quantity you won't taste it. It does leave the coating on the fruit softer and slightly sticky, though.

• Cocoa butter preserves the pure flavor and texture of the chocolate and sets beautifully on chilled fruit. It's more expensive, and you have to melt it separately first. We don't carry it, but you can find it in specialty baking shops.

Never use butter, cream, or milk. They contain water (butter about 16%), and water makes the chocolate in a fountain seize into a grainy paste. Cream belongs in fondue, not in a fountain. We cover the general principles of thinning in the article How to Thin Chocolate So It Flows Better.

Plan on 100–150 g of chocolate per guest when the fountain is one of several desserts, and 150–200 g when it's the main sweet attraction of the evening. Then compare that with the fountain's minimum fill, and buy the higher of the two numbers.

The minimum fill is the catch people forget. A fountain needs a certain amount of chocolate just so the auger can draw it up and the curtain doesn't break, even if only a single guest is standing there:

• small home fountains (3 tiers, around 30 cm): roughly 0.7–1 kg,

• larger four-tier models: 1.5–3 kg.

The exact figure is in the manufacturer's instructions. If you fill the fountain below the minimum, holes will form in the curtain, no matter how much oil you add.

With 400 g packs, it works out like this:

• 6 guests, small fountain: 6 × 125 g = 750 g, minimum 1 kg → 3 packs (1.2 kg).

• 12 guests, main dessert: 12 × 175 g = 2.1 kg → 6 packs (2.4 kg).

• 25 guests, party with other desserts: 25 × 125 g = 3.1 kg → 8 packs (3.2 kg).

Always round up. Some chocolate stays on the walls of the fountain and in the bowl, and topping up halfway through the evening is worse than having a spare pack.

Melt the chocolate separately, mix in the oil, and only then pour the finished liquid mixture into a preheated fountain. Most home fountains can't melt callets on their own; they only hold the temperature.

1. Set the fountain on a level surface. On a tilted table the curtain runs down only one side and breaks up. Keep it away from windows, heaters, and drafts.

2. Preheat the bowl of the fountain for 5–10 minutes using the heater without the motor.

3. Melt the chocolate. In the microwave at medium power, in 30–60 second bursts, stirring each time, or in a water bath where the bowl must not touch the water and no steam can reach the chocolate. Target temperatures: dark 46–49 °C (115–120 °F), milk 40–45 °C (104–113 °F), white 40–45 °C (104–113 °F).

4. Stir in the oil or melted cocoa butter. Start with the lower end of the amounts above: dark 60 g, milk 40 g, white 50 g per kilo.

5. Pour the mixture into the bowl and switch on the motor. For the first minute or two the auger fills up and the curtain may be uneven; that's normal.

6. Adjust the thickness. If the curtain is still breaking up after two minutes, add a tablespoon of oil, stir it in the bowl, and wait another minute.

When the curtain breaks up or the fountain stops flowing, it's almost always one of five causes: too little chocolate, chocolate that's too thick, cold or drafts, air in the auger, or water or crumbs in the chocolate. Here's how to spot and fix each one:

• Too little chocolate. You're below the minimum fill and the auger is drawing in air. Fix: top up with chocolate that's been melted beforehand and mixed with oil.

• Chocolate too thick. The curtain splits into streams. Fix: add oil a tablespoon at a time.

• Cold or drafts. The chocolate sets on the tiers and slows down. Fix: move the fountain away from windows and doors.

• Air in the auger. The fountain was running and suddenly stopped. Fix: switch off the motor, stir the chocolate in the bowl, and switch it back on.

• Water or crumbs in the chocolate. Wet fruit or crumbly cookies thicken it until it turns grainy. Oil won't rescue seized chocolate. Scoop out the crumbs with a spoon and adjust the thickness with oil, and if the chocolate turns grainy, it's time to replace it.

Milk and white chocolate also thicken from overheating. If they thicken even though you aren't adding anything cold, lower the temperature rather than adding oil.

Don't add cold callets to a running fountain. They cool the whole bowl and the curtain falls apart. Always top up with chocolate melted separately and mixed with oil in the same ratio.

The best choices are firm, dry pieces that don't crumble: strawberries, banana, pineapple, pieces of apple and pear, marshmallows, pretzels, and cubes of firm cake.

• Always dry fruit thoroughly. Wash strawberries ahead of time and let them dry completely on a towel. Blot pineapple and melon with a paper towel. One drop of water in the bowl won't ruin the chocolate, but hundreds of drops over an evening will.

• Cut banana and apple just before serving, or brush them with lemon juice and then dry them, otherwise they'll turn brown.

• Serve cake chilled and cut into cubes at least 3 cm (about 1¼ in) across. Dense fudgy brownies with sprinkles don't crumble and hold their shape in the chocolate. Delicate cookies and sponge fingers break apart, and the crumbs clog the auger.

• Spear pieces on skewers or fondue forks and leave them under the curtain only briefly. Quickly fish out any piece that falls into the bowl.

For a small group, where a fountain isn't worth it, a pot over a candle is simpler. You'll find how to do it in the article Chocolate Fondue at Home.