A Guide to Chocolate

Chocolate, we all know is the fine outcome of a long process of refining..This section will give you a brief introduction to the most common varieties of chocolate.

COCOA POWDER

• Can be natural or Dutch processed.

• Is finely ground roasted cocoa beans from which most of the fat has been removed.

• In recipes without baking powder or baking soda, you can use natural or Dutch processed interchangeably.

• Otherwise, use the type of cocoa powder specified.

MILK

• Contains roasted cocoa beans, sugar, either milk or cream and often tiny amounts of vanilla or vanilla and lecithin.

• Flavour and sweetness vary, depending on the ratio of the ingredients.

SEMISWEET AND BITTERSWEET

• Contains roasted cocoa beans, sugar and often extra cocoa butter and tiny amounts of vanilla or vanilla and lecithin.

• Brands sold range in cacao percentage from 55  percent to well over 70 percent.

• For best flavour and texture in dessert recipes, chose chocolate with the specifies cacao percentage.

UNSWEETENED

• Chocolate is purely roasted cocoa beans that have been ground to a molten paste and re-hardened into bars or pieces.

• Because it isn't sweetened, its quite bitter.

WHITE

• Contains cocoa, butter, sugar and milk or cream (usually in addition to tiny amounts of vanilla or vanilla and lecithin)

• Don't substitute white confectionery coating or white baking chips, both of which are made with vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter.