Copywriting: Chocolate Basics
WHAT IS CHOCOLATE?
Without a doubt, we love chocolate. But what is it, really? The key component, cacao, comes from cocoa beans. Cacao (also known as chocolate liquor) is comprised of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. When processing the cacao into chocolate, other ingredients are added, including sugar, vanilla and, in some cases, milk solids.
When developing these recipes, we chose chocolate with "premium" on the label. Nowadays it's also common to find a percentage of cacao on the label. More cacao isn't always a good thing, though. Sometimes a milder flavor of chocolate is preferred in a recipe. Here's a breakdown of the types of chocolate that appear in this cookbook:
Unsweetened: 100% cacao
Bittersweet: 35-99% cacao. We used bittersweet chocolate containing 60% cacao.
Semi-Sweet: At least 35% cacao and less than 12% milk solids.
Milk: At least 10% cacao and 12% milk solids. Sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla are added.
White: Not a true chocolate, since it contains no cacao. It contains at least 20% cocoa butter.
BUYING CHOCOLATE
Don't underestimate the importance of good-quality chocolate when cooking and baking! Fine chocolate shares these qualities:
o It looks shiny without blemishes like grayish streaks (fat bloom) or grayish crystals (sugar bloom)--signs that the chocolate has been improperly stored
o It snaps cleanly when you break or cut it, meaning it's been properly processed
o Its texture is creamy and satiny when you eat it
WORKING WITH CHOCOLATE
Here are some tips to handle chocolate properly:
Storage: Store chocolate in its original wrapper or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil in a cool, dry place (below 75°F/24°C, but not in the refrigerator). Milk chocolate, when properly stored, will keep for up to a year; dark chocolate for a longer period of time. If stored in too warm of an environment, fat bloom (caused from cocoa butter rising to the surface) appears. A humid environment causes sugar bloom (sugar crystals). In both cases, the texture may be compromised.
Chopping: Chopping chocolate helps it to melt quickly and evenly. To chop a bar of chocolate, use a large knife such as a Chef's Knife. Chip away at the corners rather than straight across the bar for greatest efficiency.
Melting: To melt chocolate easily, chop it and microwave it, uncovered, in a Micro-Cooker® and stir every 30 seconds. To avoid overheating chocolate, microwave it until it's mostly melted, and then stir until it melts completely. Never cover the chocolate; condensation can drip down and cause it to seize (become grainy and unusable).
You can also melt chocolate in a Double Boiler. Fill a (3-qt./2.8-L) Saucepan with 2½ cups (625 mL) water; place Double Boiler on top and add chopped chocolate. Heat the water to simmering (not boiling) and stir the chocolate constantly. Be careful not to let any of the steam from the pan get into the chocolate; the moisture will cause it to seize.