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- Is chocolate an unhealthy product?
An increasing amount of research shows that good quality dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids contains antioxidant which can help protect against high blood pressure and heart disease. It is also a source of minerals such as copper, which helps control sugar cravings, iron for healthy red blood cells and magnesium, which works with calcium to help strengthen your bones. What's more, it contains small amounts of serotonin which produce feeling of elation.
- I keep my chocolates in the refrigerator, why does it seem to have a white powdery coat?
This white powdery film is referred to as chocolate bloom. There are two types of chocolate bloom: sugar bloom and fat bloom.
Sugar bloom is formed by the action of moisture on the sugar ingredients. For example, if there is moisture in the air, this moisture may condense and drip onto the surface of the chocolate. This will dissolve some of the sugar in the chocolate and when the chocolate is re-warmed, the water evaporates again leaving a white powdery surface.
Fat bloom arises from changes in the fat structure in the chocolate. There are various factors that can cause fat bloom in chocolate, including poor tempering of the chocolate, incorrect cooling methods, the presence of soft fats in the centers of chocolates, warm storage conditions, and the addition of fats that are incompatible with cocoa butter.
Although bloom creates an unpleasant appearance when seen on chocolate, it does not affect the eating quality of chocolate, unless it has been very poorly stored. In this case, the chocolate may have a stale taste, and if it has been subjected to excessive dampness, surface mold may develop.
- What is the difference between coating/compound and chocolate?
Coatings/compound have very little or no cocoa butter in them at all. The cocoa butter in chocolate is replaced by fats that are "naturally" solid at room temperature, which is why coatings do not need to be tempered.
- What is does it mean by tempered chocolate?
If you melt chocolate and let it cool, it will set as an unattractive, dull brown mass streaked with grey: its texture when eaten will be chalky and grainy. Tempered chocolate, on the other hand, is shiny, even-coloured, crisp, smooth tasting.
- How to temper chocolate?
The trick to tempering is to control the temperature of the melted chocolate very precisely: first cooling it and then reheating slightly. At each step of the way the temperature of the chocolate must be precise and uniform: even tiny variations can ruin the result. It is also very important to mix the chocolate in just the right way: too little mixing will prevent the right crystals from forming; too much mixing will cause the fat in the chocolate to separate from the cocoa solids.
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Couverture |
Temperature |
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Dark |
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Milk |
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White |
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