Tag Archive: dark chocolate
Interview with CUO’s own Bryn Kirk
October 9, 2015
We'll get right to it in this post, as there's quite a bit of content.
In an exclusive interview, I asked our own chocolate expert and head of CUO's online chocolate classes, Bryn Kirk, 12 interesting questions about chocolate!
Guittard L’Harmonie Semisweet Chocolate
September 28, 2015
Guittard chocolate company is based out of California, started in San Francisco by Etienne Guittard in the mid-1800s.
According to their website, www.guittard.com, Guittard left Tournus, France, hoping to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush. He brought chocolate from his uncle’s factory to trade for supplies but soon had the wealthy miners paying for it.
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Mango Sunset Bar
September 14, 2015
I’m a fan of mango, and of course I’m an UBER fan of chocolate...
So when I saw the pairing in a Ghirardelli Intense Dark Mango Sunset chocolate bar, I was looking forward to heavenly bliss. They already had me by "Mango Sunset" (come now, Mango Sunset? I can’t be the only one that imagines myself on a tropical beach when reading that, right?)
Dark Chocolate Benefit for Peripheral Artery Disease
July 11, 2014
Eating dark chocolate, instead of milk chocolate, has been recommended by health experts for quite some time now. Its reputation, health-wise, is not news anymore.
According to the Journal of the American Heart Association, patients suffering from PAD (peripheral artery disease) can reap major benefits from eating chocolate. Apparently, chocolate can improve vascular health by increasing blood flow.
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Basking In The Awesome Chocolate
November 8, 2013
Below are the reasons why you should always save some space for chocolate on your plate.
- Chocolate is good for your heart.
Daily consumption of chocolate may cut down one’s risk of suffering from a heart attack and even stroke.
- Chocolate can help you shed some unwanted pounds.
People have this notion that chocolate makes you fat. It’s not always the case. Research has shown that a person who gets his chocolate fix on a regular basis is more likely to be slim than one who doesn’t. Turns out, a person who eats chocolate five times per week or more has a lower BMI (Body Mass Index) than those who eat chocolate less frequently.
Dark Chocolate – The Dessert of the Modern Age
November 1, 2013
Want something to balance the savory taste of your meal? Choose dark chocolate. Even a little can do the trick, that’s why it’s the go-to dessert of a lot of people leaning towards a healthy lifestyle.
Here are a few ways you can savor dark chocolate:
1. Make it you workday treat!
In the middle of a particularly demanding day, take a break, and much on some dark chocolate. It will melt away stress as it melts in your mouth.
2. Make it a staple in your relaxing ritual.
"Me time" is not complete without your heartwarming comfort food. Cap off the experience with some dark chocolate in hand.
Dark Chocolate Lovers Tolerate Bitterness In Ice Cream
July 26, 2013
According to senior author John E. Hayes, Assistant Professor of Food Science and Director of the Sensory Evaluation Center, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, their main objective in this particular study zeroed in on identifying whether rejection thresholds for added bitterness in chocolate ice cream has a direct correlation with personal preferences for solid milk or dark chocolate.
"Estimating rejection thresholds could be an effective, rapid tool to determine acceptable formulations or quality limits when considering attributes that become objectionable at high intensities," he said.
Mood-enhancing Dark Chocolate
May 24, 2013
A recently published study in Australia claimed that dark chocolate enhances one’s mood by means of boosting calmness and feelings of contentment. How is this possible? It’s all in the polyphenols that cocoa is known to be rich in.
Polyphenols are naturally found in plants and are a basic element of the human diet. Such compounds are proven to lessen oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to a lot of diseases. Also, polyphenols are said to have outstanding psychological effects.
“Anecdotally, chocolate is often linked to mood enhancement,” Matthew Pase, a PhD candidate at the University of Swineburne in Melbourne and lead author of the study, claims. “This clinical trial is perhaps the first to scientifically demonstrate the positive effects of cocoa polyphenols on mood.”
Chocolate Facts You Want To Know
February 15, 2013
Always be choosy with the chocolate you eat. Chocolate is known to be packed with nutrients, but to be able to get its substantial benefits, we must know what we're eating.
Chocolates that have at least 70% cocoa are the best ones, considering the higher the cocoa content, the more nutritious. Your chocolate is also better off non- or lightly alkalized or non-dutched. While milk and white chocolate are head-tilting good, they don’t offer as much healthy flavanols as dark chocolate does.
If you’re not a fan of dark chocolate, fret not. It's actually an acquired taste, and you can develop it by slowly increasing percentage of cocoa in the chocolates you eat. As a matter of fact, there are milk chocolates with 50 percent cocoa or more available in the market now.
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Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark with Dark Chocolate
November 26, 2012
I like how the dark chocolate is strong enough to come through the peppermint. The texture is fantastic, as the crunchy pieces feel like tiny peppermint bits, and that just adds to the enjoyment.
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