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| The Chocolate
Scoop |
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Powder-fine, solid, chips, liquid -
chocolate comes in a variety of forms
and tastes - everybody knows that. But,
what you may not know is that all real
chocolate contains chocolate liquor
which is made by grinding cocoa beans.
The cocoa beans produce a rich, dark
brown paste. It is this rich dark paste
that chocoholics everywhere find simply
irresistible.
So now, lets take a close look at the
various varieties of chocolate.
Bitter Chocolate
Bitter chocolate is also called
unsweetened, baking or cooking
chocolate. The chocolate liquor is
cooled and molded into blocks. You can
shave it, curl it, drizzle it - well,
you get the idea.
Bittersweet, Semi-sweet or Sweet
Chocolate
This variety of chocolate is prepared by
blending chocolate liquor with
sweeteners and cocoa butter. The most
popular variety of this chocolate is
German's Sweet Chocolate from Baker's®.
And if you've ever baked a German
Chocolate Cake, you know it wouldn't be
the same without it. Interestingly,
German Chocolate Cake isn't German at
all. It's all-American. The chocolate
was developed in 1852 by a man named
Samuel German who worked for the Walter
Baker Company, a chocolate manufacturer
in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate is one of America's
favorite forms of chocolate. It was
invented in Switzerland and introduced
to the world by the Nestle Company. Milk
chocolate is made by adding extra cocoa
butter, milk, sweeteners and flavorings
to chocolate liquor. This mixture is
then "conched" or kneaded to produce the
right texture and flavor. The longer the
chocolate is conched, the more the
flavor and texture improve.
Cocoa Powder
Cocoa Powder is what you're left with
after most of the cocoa butter has been
removed from chocolate liquor.
Dutch-process or European-style cocoa
has been treated with a mild alkali such
as baking soda to reduce the natural
acidity of chocolate. It has a darker
color and mellower flavor than regular
unsweetened baking cocoa.
White Chocolate
Technically white chocolate isn't real
chocolate because it doesn't contain
chocolate liquor. It's made from cocoa
butter, sugar, milk and vanilla. So,
when using white chocolate for baking
and cooking, be sure to choose white
chocolate labeled "premium" or "baking"
to get the best results. Other products
such as "summer coating" may produce
unsatisfactory results.
Chocolate Forever!
What's the best way to store chocolate?
How do you prevent chocolate from
smelling like the inside of your
refrigerator? What's the right
temperature to melt chocolate? Visit
Chocolate Tips to find out! |
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