Often recipes call for chocolate to be melted in a bain-marie. Why can’t I just melt it in the microwave? What difference would it make?

If you use a microwave you run the risk of burning the chocolate. Chocolate is delicate and a bainmarie provides an easy way to melt it without ruining it. However, if you are very careful, monitor it continually and take it out to stir every minute or so, then a microwave can be used to produce good results. Some people also melt chocolate in the oven on a low heat but, again, you need to be very careful. Good-quality chocolate is expensive and if you burn it you must discard it.