How to Clean a Chocolate Fountain

For the chocoholics in your crowd, nothing says "Party!" like a chocolate fountain. You can buy a small one for home use or rent a larger one for major occasions, but either way you'll need to know how to clean a chocolate fountain once the party's over and everyone has gone home. It's not a difficult or complicated process, but it's definitely quicker and easier if you start right away. Otherwise, the chocolate will begin to harden and create extra work.

As soon as you shut off the fountain, use a flexible silicone spatula to scrape as much chocolate as possible from the tower. Next:

1. Remove the cap from the tower and set it aside on a plate or a piece of paper towel.
   
2. Reach in with your fingertips and wiggle the auger loose, then lift it slowly from the tower. The best way to clean the chocolate from the auger is to pinch its spiral curves between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, while "unscrewing" it through your fingers with the other hand.
   
3. Set the auger aside with the cap of the tower.
   
4. Remove the tower assembly. In many small home units this is all in one piece, but in larger units the the tiers may lift off and the tower itself break down into sections for easier cleaning.
   
5. Scrape chocolate from the inside of the tower with your spatula, if it will fit. Otherwise push a damp cloth or a large twist of paper towel through it, to remove as much chocolate as possible. Set the tower sections aside with the other pieces.
   
6. Pour the remaining chocolate from the base unit into a bowl or other receptacle if you plan to keep and reuse it, or straight into the trash otherwise. Scrape the bowl clean with your spatula.
7. Transfer the auger and tower pieces to a sink or bowl filled with hot, soapy water for a soak. This will loosen the stuck-on chocolate, and make it easier to remove.
   

The tower portion of most chocolate fountains is machine washable. Confirm this by checking your owner's guide or the manufacturer's website, or in the cleaning instructions that came with your rental. If your unit isn't machine-washable, or if you don't plan to run the machine immediately, clean the pieces by hand.

1. Use a clean cloth or sponge to wipe down the auger's threads. At the bottom of the auger where it connects to the base unit, you'll usually find small corners where chocolate can get stuck. Clean these out with a brush, or run hot water over the area until all of the chocolate washes away.
2. Rinse the auger and set it aside to drain.
   
3. Wash the tiers with your cloth, if you have the kind that separate, then rinse them and set them aside to drain.
   
4. Wash the outside of the tower with your cloth or sponge. If the tiers are permanently attached to the tower, clean carefully underneath them (chocolate tends to collect in the corner where the underside of the tier meets the tower's tube).
   
5. Clean the inside of the tower tube (or tubes, if it separates into sections) with a soft bottle brush, or by pulling a cloth or a wad of wet paper towels through it. Repeat, until there's no more chocolate adhering to the interior of the tube.
   
6. Look closely at the bottom and top of the tower, where it connected to the base and the cap respectively. You'll typically see threads or some other type of locking mechanism to hold the pieces together; these are a magnet for chocolate. Clean the small crevices with a cloth, a soft-bristled brush or toothpicks, or raid your bathroom for a cotton swab on a stick. Designs vary, so you might need to try a few different methods to get all the chocolate out.
   
7. Rinse the tower and set it aside to drain, then repeat the process with the tower's cap.
   
8. Wring out your cloth or sponge so it's just damp, and wipe out the bowl of the base unit. Wet the cloth again and give the base a good wash, then rinse it with clean water and set it aside to dry. Never put the base unit in the water (electrical components and water don't get along).
   

If the fountain has already cooled by the time you're ready to clean it, the steps are much the same but slower, and they'll take more effort. Never try to re-melt the chocolate by turning the machine back on; trying to turn the auger inside solidified chocolate will likely burn out the motor. Instead, scrape as much chocolate from the tower's tiers as you can and then move it, auger and all, to your sink full of hot water. The water will soften and loosen the chocolate until you can take it apart and proceed with the rest of the cleaning process.

Scrape the chocolate from the bowl with a wooden spoon or stiffer plastic spatula, then wipe it out repeatedly with your wet, soapy cloth until it's finally clean. Then rinse your pieces and let them drain.