Prompted by some of your comments and messages, here are some chocolate frequently-asked questions...
My chocolate has gray streaks. It is okay to use?
That's called 'bloom' and it happens when the chocolate melts or gets warm, and then cools again without being tempered. Those streaks are harmless cocoa fat rising to the surface because when it was warmed, it lost its emulsion (like chicken stock or vinaigrette does.) Similarly, if there are crystal-like formations on the surface, those indicate 'sugar bloom' and the chocolate is safe to use. In either case, the chocolate can be melted and used as normal.
If there is green mold, or anything furry, that means the chocolate got damp. In that case, it should be tossed.
How long does chocolate last?
Contrary to what you may hear, dark chocolate lasts around five years. That's in part due to the high amount of antioxidants, as well as the sugar, which is a preservative.
Milk chocolate and white chocolate contain milk solids and should be used within a year.
What's the difference between bittersweet and semisweet chocolate?
Technically nothing. Both chocolates must contain a minimum of 35% cacao solids in the US. Some manufacturers that make both will often call their sweeter chocolate 'semisweet', although it's totally arbitrary and they can be used interchangably in recipes.
What's the difference between bitter and bittersweet chocolate?
Bitter chocolate contains no sugar, and is often called 'unsweetened' chocolate. In some countries, it's called 100% cacao since it's composed of ground up cocoa bean mass. Because bitter chocolate has no sugar and no added fat (cocoa beans are about half fat), it will be a bit more stubborn to melt. They are not interchangeable in recipes.
How do I store chocolate? And how long does it last?
Store chocolate well-wrapped in a cool, dry place. The refrigerator isn't the best place to store chocolate since it's quite damp, plus there's often stinky stuff nearby and chocolate is a sponge for absorbing other odors.
If you live somewhere warm, like Paris in the summer, I unwrap my chocolate and keep it in a large, food-safe plastic container, in case it melts.
The recipe says 'Dutch-process' cocoa. Can I use any cocoa powder?
Most recipes are formulate for either Dutched cocoa (acid neutralized) or Natural cocoa (like Hershey's and Scharffen Berger), which normally requires something like baking soda, vinegar, or brown sugar to activate it. If using baking soda, an acid ingredient like natural cocoa powder is required to neutralize it to avoid a soapy taste.
If one is specifically called for in a recipe, use what's indicated. If not, I use Dutch process.
How is cocoa powder different than powdered chocolate or hot cocoa mix?
Cocoa powder contains no sugar whereas powdered chocolate, and hot cocoa mixes, do. They are not interchangeable in recipes. Powdered chocolate is generally used as a garnish or to make hot chocolate. Do not substitute one for the other.
If the recipe say to sift cocoa powder, do I really need to?
Yes
Why did my ganache or chocolate mixture break?
With the newer chocolates, often boasting high-percentages, they're more acidic and can cause mixtures to curdle. Unless the recipe indicates, it's best to bake with dark chocolate in the 35-60% range. In virtually all of my recipes, they're tested with chocolate that's around 50% cacao solids.
What's the best chocolate?
That depends. There's lots of good ones out there and the best one is the one that you like. I don't advise using a delicate, very expensive chocolate for baking since the nuances can get lost.
For everyday baking, Callebaut, Ghiradelli and Guittard are good, reasonably-priced choices. In the US, I've used Bakers chocolate which is available in most supermarkets, with surprisingly decent results. ScharffenBerger and Dagoba have bolder tastes which I've used successfully as well.
For dipping and places where it really matters, Valrhona, El Rey, Cuizel, and E. Guittard are nice to use. But the best chocolate is what tastes good to you.
I have a recipe that calls for a specific brand of chocolate. Can I use another one?
In almost all cases, yes. Unless there's a very specific reason to use one chocolate, most are interchangeable. That said, if a recipe says to use an "80%" chocolate, usually there's a reason. But any brand can be substituted.
Often in cookbooks, chocolate companies either sponsor the author or contribute to the book in exchange for placement. This is rare, but does happen. I don't do that.
Can I use chocolate chips in a recipe in place of chopped chocolate?
In general, no.
Many chocolate chips, especially the more mainstream commercial brands, are formulated with less cocoa butter so they retain their shape. So if you try to melt them on their own, the result will be sludgy instead of smooth.
I have some recipes that specifically call for melting chips with something like butter or cream since it's easier for many home cook to find and use chips.
And there are a few brands of chocolate chips that are made from premium chocolate which is similar to regular chocolate, but it's best to use what's indicated by the recipe.
Are single-origin chocolates better?
No. That just means the cocoa beans used to make the chocolate are from one place. In that place, there could be a mixture of cocoa trees and varieties, so it sometimes doesn't mean much. It can be interesting to taste these chocolates on their own, but for baking, you lose much of any character that's present once mixed with other ingredients.
Chocolate and Baking Links
Tempering Chocolate
American Baking in Paris
The Great Book of Chocolate
A Chocolate Cake Tip
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate
Understanding Chocolate Percentages
Speaking about chocolate, you should try the "Original Box" from Marcolini. You get chocolate from six different origins at three different stages (grué liqueur and ganache). It's a really nice way to compare the differences in taste between origins, and to understand the evolution from cocoa to chocolate.
More info at :
http://www.marcolini.be/EN/collections.html
Thank you! I found that to be hugely informative! Always wondered about bitter vs. bittersweet chocolate.
Thanks---I look forward to all of your upcoming holiday recipes & tips.
What are the cookies piled up in the top photograph? They look fabulous. Any chance of a recipe?
Great tips, merci! And your pictures are making me drool.
I get Valrhona really cheap at Trader Joe's, for anyone who is looking for it at a reasonable price.
Thanks for the info about melting chocolate chips- I knew from experience they never melted smoothly like high quality chocolate, but never knew why. Now I can have a reason to cite when writing recipes.
We've been making chocolate mole sauce a lot this year and Mexican chocolate is always surprising to me. So sugary! But I love the cinnamon. Have any baking recipes that use mexican chocolate?
Have you tried Green & Blacks chocolate? It's my new favorite, and their caramel bars quickly got me over a no-milk-chocolate policy that I'd had for a couple of years, so I'm curious how it strikes your palate as compared to Vahlrona, Guittard, etc.
David,
Thanks for taking the time to explain some things about chocolate. I won't be keeping mine in the fridge any longer. Most times it doesn't matter how I store it because when my husband finds it it disappears anyway. I hope you have lots of fun baking :)
Bonjour Gabrielle: I love those cookies too! They're the Chocolate Wafer Cookies from The Perfect Scoop, which I use to make ice cream sandwiches
Holly: I have tried their chocolates. I do like their baking chocolate, sold in large tablets, but it's unfortunately not available in France.
Lesley: Trader Joes also sells 10# blocks of chocolate around the holidays, which is great to stock up on since it's about $2/pound that way. And since it lasts quite a while, why not stock up? Or split it with a baker friend.
Sara: That Mexican chocolate actually has it's own category: It's called 'sweet chocolate' since it has little chocolate in it. Still, I use it for things like mole as well. Haven't had much success making hot chocolate with it, since it's so sugary. I love the packaging.
Thank you. As a relative chocolate ignoramus, this was great to read.
I do have a question: why is it that my 65% Valrhona still tastes more chocolaty than higher percentages of other brands? Is it just my mouth?
Thank you for this useful information.
Judith: It's because the percentage of cacao is a minor factor in the quality of the finished chocolate. Mostly it has to do with the quality of the beans sourced and how they're treated after they're harvested.
The percentage just tells you the quantity of the cacao, not the quality. Too much cacao, if it's poor quality, will taste less-chocolaty than a bar with lesser cacao that's made with top-notch chocolate.
(And hey...you're in Italy! Shouldn't you be eating all that delicious Slitti chocolate?? Yum!...)
I'm so happy you mentioned El Rey. We have a local grocery that sells chocolate rounds and I tasted all the varieties and liked a couple of the El Rey percentages the best for general baking needs. Guittard morsels are also a really nice substitute for Hershey's and cost about the same.
Hi David,
This http://www.ghirardelli.com/products/chips_bittersweet.aspx
is an 11.5 oz Ghirardelli chips bag that costs around $2-3 I think, and this http://www.ghirardelli.com/products/bars_bittersweet.aspx
is a chocolate bar, only 4 oz but costs $2-3. They're both 60%. I used to go with the chips because they were cheaper in terms of price per weight but eventually I realized that the chips don't really taste as good as the bar. If you look at the contents, it shows that the bar does have more fat.
David - Don't knock Hershey's products, which are wonderful. And living in Penn., there is also a locavore factor.
I love it that you know this stuff! And I can only imagine how good your apartment is going to smell for the next two months. Do you have to bribe the neighbors with baked goods??
Hi Melissa: I'm not sure where I was knocking Hershey's cocoa powder here? (Although I did take them to task once before...)
The only mention was that their regular cocoa powder, like Scharffen Berger's, isn't Dutch-processed. And that these natural cocoa powders needs to have an acid ingredient in the recipe to neutralize the soapy taste of baking soda. Perhaps that wasn't clear, so I'll clarify that.
PS: What's not to like about Mr. Goodbar? : )
I have signed up for the newsletter 3-4 times already and have never, Never, NEVER gotten it. And now you're sending out your all-time fave? Please somehow add me to the list!
Thanks for all the great info! I have a recipe that calls for "Belgian dark chocolate." Is there anything inherent to Belgian chocolate that I need, or can I ignore this and just get any good quality dark chocolate? And, would dark chocolate be equivalent to bittersweet chocolate?
Zoe: Without seeing the recipe, I would say any chocolate labeled semisweet or bittersweet would be fine.
Abra: I checked and your name is on the mailing list database (as an anti-spam measure, I can't put people on there—folks have to do it themselves.) So I don't know why you're not getting them. I send a newsletter out about 4-5 times/year.
In some cases, various internet providers block incoming bulk email, especially from overseas servers, so you may want to put , replacing the AT with @, on your safe list if there is on in your mail program.
You can also check the mailing list provider's website, and see if there's an answer there.
David, there's a brand of cacao powder available only in Canada by the name of "Fry's". It's supposedly amongst the best that's available; however, I was curious as to whether or not you had ever heard of it and/or ever tried it and, if so, what you thought of it.
Also, I made English Toffee last night and very carefully followed each and every step (waited until 305 degrees to add the vanilla - allowed toffee to cool for an hour before adding the chocolate and nuts - didn't try to break into pieces for another 90 minutes) yet, when I tried to break the pieces up randomly using a rubber mallet (over Saran) the chocolate only bent. Do you have any idea as to why this would happen? Thanks very much.
David,
Do you have time to relate what the essential points are in making a light chocolate mousse?
How does stiffness (or looseness) of egg whites and cream affect lightness of finished product?
How does temperature of melted chocolate effect outcome?
Why do I have tiny specks of chocolate in finished mousse? (not melted enough, I assume?)
I know you are super-busy but if you could enlighten me I trust your opinion.
Thanks!
paul: Yes, don't overbeat the egg whites and/or cream for the smoothest mousse. Little bits of chocolate could indeed be because it wasn't melted enough...or...if chocolate is overheated, little hard bits can form that never dissolve (they can be strained out). But it's best not to overheat the chocolate in the first place.
The best Chocolate Mousse recipe I've ever made is in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which has really good instructions as well.
drb: If there's something added to the dark chocolate, that will affect it's texture once hardened. I can't vouch for other's recipes, but the Caramelized Matzoh Crunch is a winner toujours...
Lots of great info for enjoying all the nuances of that most luxurious food - chocolate. Conspicuous in its absence, however, is a discussion of the issue of fair trade. Chocolate producers have traditionally been taken huge financial advantage of by some of the most high end chocolatiers. I know I'm probably going to come across as a zealot, but to my mind those of us who possess the extreme good fortune of being able to enjoy such costly luxuries as chocolate owe a huge debt of gratitude to those (almost always improvrished) people who labour to produce such luxuries for our benefit. Please everyone, take the time to ensure that the chocolate you buy is fairly traded. There are more options every day for those with a social conscience - which should be everyone!
Hi Jody: Thanks for the comment. Yes, that's a pretty important concern, especially since cacao is grown in places that are quite impoverished and the people make very little money —which is why I always buy premium vanilla beans & extracts from a trusted source.
When I lived in the US, I got my chocolate mostly from friends who were chocolate-makers, who sourced their own beans.
For those interested in Fair Trade chocolates, in Europe Max Havelaar is the most visible of distributor of Fair Trade Products.
In the US (and Europe), there's Alter Eco.
Thank you for the chocolate tips! I love chocolate all year but holiday chocolate-teering is especially fun! All that baking and candy making!!!!!
My daughter and I are going to start experimenting this week with dipping brownie bites (we have a great recipe!) in a Belgian chocolate we picked up at Trader Joe's this weekend. We thought it might be fun to combine candy and baking??? We'll see!
I am so looking forward to your recipes!!! You have chocolate knowledge that one can only admire! :)
OK, so while we're talking about chocolate...are any changes necessary when tempering chocolate at high altitude (5,000 feet, let's say)? I've adjusted my baking and sugar caramelizing pretty well but I can't find any reliable information about chocolate tempering at high altitude, except that the dry climate probably helps. So far, my chocolate has come out more or less well-tempered (kind of like me). Do I need to make temperature adjustments? Thanks for all your sage advice, and the lovely picture of glossy dark chocolate. Mmmmm....
Hi Jennifer: For conversions on high-altitude cooking, I suggest you check out Letty Flatt's site.
She wrote Chocolate Snowball, a great cookbook on altitude baking and is a pastry chef pal who I turn to for conversions.
David, thanks for the tip!
Thanks for these answers David! I found the chocolate chips question/answer especially helpful since I probably would make that mistake!
Hi!
Could you tell me if there is any possible way to repair a broken ganache? Could it be cooled and the fat removed? Usually it happens when the ganache has been overheated (it's too bad that not everyone listens and doesn't heat it slower/evenly). I am hoping you have a remedy for this. :D
Thanks for the great info!!
Karen: That's a common problem now with people using high-percentage chocolates. My advice it to use something that's more in the mid-range to start with.
Once it's broken, you can often bring it back by whisking in a few spoonfuls of very hot liquid, like water or espresso, until smooth. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but I've done it a lot.
You are not the best food blogger for nothing. That was one informative post. Thanks for taking the trouble to share.
Perhaps a stretch for the FAQ's... Can you (or anyone) recommend any good red wines that can pair well with dark chocolate? Thanks.
Steve: I'm not much of a red wine drinker with chocolate. The tannins seem to cancel each other out. I recommend port with chocolate. It's an exceptionally-good combination. Try it!
David,
My vet told me that chocolate is toxic for dogs, and that one ounce is fatal for a 40 lb. dog. He also added that baker's chocolate is even worse for dogs than milk chocolate. What is the difference? Mly guess is that baker's chocolate contains a lot less sugar and more chocolate; hence, being more potent for a dog.
Could you tell me what the actual difference is. Thank you.
Shelby
Shelby: I'm not a vet, so it's best to follow his advice. I suspect he meant 'unsweetened chocolate' by 'Baker's chocolate', which is 100% cocoa mass (ground cocoa beans), as opposed to bittersweet, semisweet and milk chocolates, which are cut with sugar and cocoa butter.
Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate have to have a minimum of 35% cocoa mass and milk chocolate has to have 10% cocoa mass, as required by law in the US. The percentage varies in other countries.
So there's much more theobromine in unsweetened chocolate, a respiratory stimulant which is harmful (and sometimes fatal) to dogs, especially small ones, whose systems are much smaller than large animals.