Types Of Chocolate

If you always like to accompany your cup of coffee with a chocolate cookie or other chocolate-based treat, or if you usually order a hot chocolate drink, you might not consider yourself a chocoholic, but you certainly make it to the fans' category.  But even if chocolate is not your first choice when it comes to desert, you should probably by familiar with at least its main categories, just in case you are asked if you prefer couverture over white chocolate for your ice-cream glace.

• Dark Chocolate can contain anything from 30% to 75% cocoa solids.  It has a slightly sweet flavor and a dark color and it is the chocolate type most used in cooking.  For everyday cooking and the majority of the recipes for dark chocolate, choose one with around 50% cocoa solids.  However, dark chocolate with a higher cocoa solid content will give a richer, more intense, flavor.  This chocolate is often called luxury or continental chocolate and has a cocoa solid content of between 70-75%.  Occasionally, cooking experts support that it is essential to use a better chocolate, but the recipe should specify when that is the case.
• Milk Chocolate, as its name suggests, contains milk and has lovely creamy, mild, and sweet flavor.  It is mostly used as an eating chocolate, rather than in cooking.  However it does have its place in chocolate cookery, especially for decorations, and when a milder, creamy flavor is required.  It is more sensitive to heat than dark chocolate so care must be taken when melting it.
• White Chocolate contains lower cocoa butter content and cocoa solids.  It can be quite temperamental when used in cooking.  Always choose a luxury white cooking chocolate to avoid problems and take great care not to overheat when melting it.  White chocolate is useful also for color contrast in decoration, creating a dramatic effect when it is placed over darker backgrounds.
• Couverture is the preferred chocolate for professional use, as it retains a high gloss after melting and cooling.  Nevertheless, it requires tempering and is only available from specialist suppliers.  In case it can be found to special cooking supply stores, it usually is more expensive than regular milk chocolate.
• Chocolate Glace is a chocolate-flavored cake covering which is an inferior product not generally used by true chocolate lovers.  However, it has a high fat content, making it easier to handle when making some decorations such as curls or caraque.  In case you do not want to compromise flavor too much, but have difficulty making the decorations with pure chocolate, try adding a few squares of chocolate-flavored cake covering to a good quality chocolate.
• Chocolate Chips are available in dark, milk, and white chocolate varieties, and are used primarily for baking and as decoration materials.
• Coco Powder is the powder left after the cocoa butter has been pressed from the roasted and ground beans.  It is unsweetened and bitter in flavor.  It gives good, strong chocolate flavor when used in cooking.

The Chocolate Fantasy

Chocolate is produced from the beans of the cacao tree, which originated in South America, and now grows in Africa, the West Indies, the tropical parts of America, and the Far West.  Used as the main ingredient in numerous recipes, chocolate constitutes one of the most loved materials known in today's food world.  Children and adults both appreciate chocolate's unique aroma, taste, color and texture and prefer it in comparison to other foods.

The cacao beans, from which chocolate is produced, are large pods -- once harvested, both the pulp from the pods and the bean are allowed to ferment in the sun.  The pulp evaporates and the bean develops its chocolaty flavor.  Later, the outer skin is removed and the beans are left in the sun for a little longer or roasted.  Finally they are shelled and the kennels are used for making cocoa and chocolate.

Chocolate once purchased has to be stored in a cool, dry place, away from heat or direct sunlight.  Most chocolate can be stored for about a year.  When it is stored in the refrigerator or freezer, chocolate can last even longer, but one should be careful with its wrapping as it might pick up flavors from other foods if not properly handled.

If you enjoy using chocolate in your meals, you have to be aware that it should not be melted over direct heat, except when melted with other ingredients, and even then heat should be very low.  For easily melting chocolate, begin by breaking it into smaller equal-sized pieces (chunks) of chocolate and placing them into a heat-proof bowl or pot.  Then you should place the bowl or pot over a pan of hot water, making sure the base of the bowl is not in direct contact with the boiling water.  Once the chocolate starts to melt, stir gently and if necessary leave over the water a little longer.  No drops of water or steam should come into contact with the melted chocolate at any time as it will solidify.

After your chocolate is melted, you can use it to create anything, from chocolate cookies and treats to cakes and beautiful decorations.  Keep in mind that chocolate sets best at 65°F although it will set, more slowly, in a slightly hotter room.  Finally, be careful when you place chocolate into the refrigerator especially after the melting process as it might develop a white bloom.