chocolate Q&A
Liquor and Cordial Filled Chocolates
September 19, 2010
Here is a question that was sent to me recently...
“How should I make chocolates with liquor filling? What other various fillings can I choose from?”
If you bite into a chocolate-covered cherry, chances are you will drip sugary fluid down your chin and onto your shirt. There is a secret to making chocolates with liquid fillings, with or without alcohol.
Read more
Chocolate Label – What Does It Mean?
September 16, 2010
I am a label reader. In fact, I judiciously read labels because it is a matter of life or death for my daughter who has serious food allergies. But just because I read labels doesn’t mean I understand everything on them!
Luckily, I have experience understanding what’s on a chocolate label. When I was developing product for a large chocolate manufacturer, part of my job was to create the labels that went on our chocolates.
So, what exactly are things like “chocolate liquor,” “cocoa butter,” “soya lecithin,” or “butter fat” (by the way, isn’t butter fat a bit redundant)?
Read more
Is There Such a Thing as Vegan Chocolate?
September 12, 2010
Vegan foods cannot contain any animal products.
Most dark chocolates qualify as vegan because all the ingredients are sourced from plants. A dark chocolate label will list sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin (from soybean), and vanilla.
There are some dark chocolates that add butter oil, but you would know this by reading the ingredient statement on the label.
All ingredients must be declared on the label so that consumers know exactly what the product contains and can make informed decisions based on these ingredients.
Read more
The Shelf Life of Chocolate
August 29, 2010
It's Q&A time. Here is another question from a subscriber:
"Once chocolate has been melted, how long is it good for once it has been molded (again)?"
Chocolate is a very versatile and tolerant product to work with, the nuances of tempering aside. Chocolate can be melted, tempered and molded, re-melted, re-tempered and re-molded, again and again.
The shelf life of chocolate depends on whether it is milk or dark and whether or not it has inclusions like nuts, coconut, or dried fruit.
Read more
Lecithin in Chocolate
August 22, 2010
Take a look at an ingredient label on a bar of chocolate. 9 times out of 10 you will see soy lecithin listed there.
Is using lecithin as an ingredient in chocolate important, and what is the benefit of using it?
How Much Caffeine is in Chocolate?
August 15, 2010
I can’t talk about caffeine without mentioning another similar chemical called theobromine. So, I’ll discuss both and even compare some things between them.
There are two chemicals present in chocolate that qualify as stimulants (alkaloid molecules known as methylxanthines), caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine affects people in a similar way to caffeine but is much weaker. Although there is significantly more theobromine in chocolate than caffeine, it triggers these “caffeine affects” on a much smaller scale.
Read more
Working With Chocolate and Caramel Filling
August 8, 2010
It is true that even the smallest amount of water and chocolate don’t get along. The combination often leads to problems like seizing and sugar bloom. Yet, you can buy chocolate-covered caramels and see for yourself that they look good and tastes good. They have a fairly decent shelf life, too.
Read more