chocolate education
Chocolate Cheerios
January 18, 2010
It has been a while since I had Cheerios for breakfast. For me, Cheerios was the cereal I fed my toddler to keep him quiet in church, not something I was interested in eating for breakfast. What got my attention recently is the new Chocolate Cheerios.
According to the Cheerios website, Chocolate Cheerios is “a perfect balance of whole grain goodness and a delicious touch of chocolate taste in every bite.”
I am a fan of whole grain goodness, but I am even more a fan of chocolate!
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Is White Chocolate Really Chocolate?
November 18, 2009
Yes and No.
White chocolate is a blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and vanilla. There is no chocolate liquor (chocolate solids) present, so, can you really call it chocolate? Perhaps not.
However, there is a legal definition for white chocolate to separate it from other “white stuff,” so perhaps yes.
According to U.S. regulations, white chocolate needs to be at least 20% cocoa butter and at least 14% total milk solids.
Beware - there are white chocolate look-a-likes out there!
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Avoid Mistakes While Tempering Chocolate
November 12, 2009
As a follow-up to a few recent posts about tempering chocolate, I thought it might be useful to discuss some common mistakes you might make when tempering.
The most common mistakes I see are the lack of temperature control, lack of proper stirring, not choosing the right chocolate for the job, improper storage, and letting moisture contact the chocolate.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these situations...
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Chocolate as a Cure For Everything
November 3, 2009
Before modern science began discovering the much talked about health benefits of chocolate, the Mayans (central America) and Aztecs (ancient Mexico) considered it a powerful remedy to many ailments.
Theobroma cacao, or the “chocolate tree,” has been used in folk medicine as an anticeptic, diurectic, and parasiticide. It has been used to heal burns, cough, dry lips, fever, listlessness, malaria, nephrosis, rheumatism, snakebites, and small wounds.
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Chocolate Definitions
October 29, 2009
Confusion in the world of chocolate?
You might think, "there’s nothing confusing about chocolate -- you buy it, you eat it!" The reality is, the chocolate world has its own lingo, with terms and definitions that apply to the tasting of chocolate, the baking and cooking of chocolate, and the making of chocolate confections.
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Experiencing Fine Chocolate
October 13, 2009
Some people compare a fine chocolate to a fine wine. I do too. How about you? If so, isn’t it about time you know what to “look for” and how to “taste” fine chocolate?
The Aroma
Smell the chocolate. Concentrate on the intensity of the aroma and the many different scents you can identify. Some of the most common scents in chocolate are vanilla, honey, milk, fruit, spice, and roasted nut.
If you have trouble smelling something, gently put your finger on the surface and melt a small bit of chocolate to release the aroma and try again.
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How to Temper Chocolate (Step 2 – Finish)
October 8, 2009
When you buy chocolate in the store, it is already tempered. (At least it should be!) Basically this means it is in a stable solid form at room temperature.
If you want to get down to the business of eating the chocolate straight out of the package, no problem, just break off a chunk and go to it! But, if you want to use the chocolate for any other purpose you may have to re-temper.
This is the final part in my series of tempering chocolate. The first article was about the importance of tempering chocolate. The last article was about melting the chocolate to get ready for tempering.
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How to Temper Chocolate (Step 1 – Melt It)
September 14, 2009
The first step in tempering chocolate is melting the chocolate... Properly!
You might be thinking, what's the big deal about melting chocolate?
Chocolate is a low melting point food. It melts just below human body temperature. While this low melting point means it’s easy to melt in the mouth, it also means it’s easy to burn when direct heat is used. Overheating chocolate will cause it to burn. Burnt chocolate is irreversibly damaged and cannot be used.
In addition to burning, another potential problem when melting chocolate is "seizing". This can happen if you use an indirect heating method like a hot water and a double boiler. Small amounts of water will cause the chocolate to “seize” or become hard and crumbly. Seized chocolate is irreversibly damaged and cannot be used.
The Importance of Tempering Chocolate
August 31, 2009
I admit my mind works differently than that of other chocolate lovers. I am a scientist first, I guess, then a chocolate lover.
One day I was attending a local street festival and happened upon a vendor selling “Fresh Pineapple – Chocolate Covered!” Most people’s first reaction might be, “Yum!” but mine was more like, “Well, this is interesting. It is either a chocolate disaster in the making (there’s too much moisture in most fresh fruit to support a tempered chocolate) or a major discovery!”