Description
This article is from the Chocolate
FAQ, by Monee Kidd faq@choco.com with numerous contributions
by others.
1.5 What kinds of chocolate are there?
Depending on what is added to (or removed from) the chocolate liquor,
different flavors and varieties of chocolate are produced. Each has a
different chemical make-up, the differences are not solely in the taste.
Be sure, therefore, to use the kind the recipe calls for, as different
varieties will react differently to heat and moisture.
* Unsweetened or Baking chocolate is simply cooled, hardened
chocolate liquor. It is used primarily as an ingredient in recipes, or
as a garnish.
*Semi-sweet chocolate is also used primarily in recipes. It has
extra cocoa butter and sugar added. Sweet cooking chocolate is basically
the same, with more sugar for taste.
* Milk chocolate is chocolate liquor with extra cocoa butter,
sugar, milk and vanilla added. This is the most popular form for chocolate.
It is primarily an eating chocolate.
* Cocoa is chocolate liquor with much of the cocoa butter removed,
creating a fine powder. It can pick up moisture and odors from other
products, so you should keep cocoa in a cool, dry place, tightly covered.
There are several kinds of cocoa:
~ Low-fat cocoa has the most fat removed. It typically has
less than ten percent cocoa butter remaining.
~ Medium-fat cocoa has anywhere from ten to twenty-two percent
cocoa butter in it.
~ Drinking or Breakfast cocoa has over twenty-two percent
left in it. This is the cocoa used in chocolate milk powders like Nestle's
Quik.
~ Dutch process cocoa is cocoa which has been specially
processed to neutralize the natural acids in the chocolate. It is slightly
darker and has a much different taste than regular cocoa.
* White chocolate is somewhat of a misnomer. In the United States,
in order to be legally called 'chocolate' a product must contain cocoa
solids. White chocolate does not contain these solids, which leaves it a
smooth ivory or beige color. Real white chocolate is primarily cocoa butter,
sugar, milk and vanilla. There are some products on the market that call
themselves white chocolate, but are made with vegetable oils instead of
cocoa butter. Check the label to avoid these cheap imitations. White
chocolate is the most fragile form of chocolate; pay close attention to
it while heating or melting it.
* Decorator's chocolate or confectioner's chocolate isn't really
chocolate at all, but a sort of chocolate flavored candy used for things
such as covering strawberries. It was created to melt easily and harden
quickly, but it isn't chocolate. If you want quick and easy, use
decorator's chocolate. If you want the real thing, use real chocolate
and patience.
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