Chocolate Simplified

Theres almost too much written about chocolate. But unless you're a dedicated pastry chef or candy maker, you can effectively handle chocolate in the kitchen by just understanding three things: types of chocolate, common cooking problems, and how to choose your favorite brand.

To differentiate among chocolate types, all you really need to know is that after a rather complex production, the cocoa bean is pulverized into a paste called chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is made up of cocoa butter (a vegetable fat), as well as cocoa solids. Chocolate type is determined by the percentage of these two elements, as well as which additives are included.

Cocoa: Cocoa is a dry powder made by removing 2/3 of the cocoa butter from the liquor and leaving in all the cocoa solids. Sugar is not added. Cocoa can be bought in two forms. Natural or nonalkalized cocoa like Hersheys has had no further processing. Dutch or European cocoa has had some acidity removed. They can be substituted for each other, with one modification. Most recipes which specify natural cocoa also require baking soda to neutralize the acidity. If you use Dutch cocoa, you do not need the baking soda.

Unsweetened, Baking, or Bitter Chocolate: Solid, unsweetened chocolate can carry any of these three labels. Unsweetened chocolate differs from cocoa as its higher percentage of cocoa butter, 50 - 58%, makes it solid. Liquid unsweetened chocolate is made by substituting vegetable oil for some of the cocoa butter; sacrificing flavor. You can interchange baking chocolate with cocoa. Use 3 T of cocoa powder and 1 T of butter or shortening for every 1 ounce of baking chocolate.

BitterSweet or SemiSweet Chocolate: To make bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, you add sugar, vanilla, and lecithin to the chocolate liquor, replacing some of the cocoa butter.  These chocolates are around 35% fat and largely differ by sugar amount. They can be used interchangeably in recipes. If all you have is unsweetened chocolate, you can make do with substituting 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and 3 tablespoons of sugar for every 4 ounces of bitter chocolate.

Couverture Chocolate: This chocolate is semi or bittersweet chocolate, but has a higher percentage of cocoa butter and less sugar. It is used largely for candy making as it solidifies after melting to a glossy, thin layer.

Milk Chocolate: This is semi sweet chocolate with milk solids added. However, because of the milk component, milk chocolate can not be substituted for other chocolate in recipes.

White Chocolate: To make white chocolate, all the cocoa solids are removed, as is largely the chocolate flavor. White chocolate is only cocoa butter combined with milk solids, sugar, vanilla and lecithin.

Compound or Summer coating chocolate: This is also a specialty chocolate, used largely for making chocolate decorations as it has less taste. The cocoa butter has been partially or entirely replaced with vegetable shortenings, giving the chocolate more stability after it has been melted.

There are two significant problems that arise when cooking with chocolate:

Bloom: When chocolate is stored too warmly, or is not wrapped tightly, it will develop gray splotches or sugar grains on its surface, i.e. bloom. The same problem can occur when chocolate solidifies after being melted.

Proper storage, in a cool environment and wrapped tightly, will prevent bloom in the first case. Semi or bittersweet chocolate can be stored for years; milk and white chocolate for 9-12 months.

To prevent bloom after melting, chocolate has to be tempered (stabilized). Commercial chocolate is bought tempered, but once melted, chocolate becomes unstable. To retemper is complex, and is only necessary for decorating, candy, or dipping purposes.

This process is more than most basic home cooks want to pursue; however, there are two ways to cheat. First, use compound or summer coating chocolate. Alternatively, you can make a home made version of compound chocolate by adding 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening for every 8 ounces of melted chocolate.

Seizing: When chocolate is melted, sometimes it will suddenly clump together in a granulated mess, i.e. it has seized. There are two reasons that chocolate seizes.

First, chocolate burns easily and at a low temperature. Chocolate actually melts at body temperature, (this is why M&Ms require their hard sugar coating) and burns at only 120 degrees. Once burned, the chocolate is ruined. To prevent burning, use either a double boiler or microwave at 50% power, checking after 2 minutes. In both cases, remove the chocolate from the heat when only half of the chocolate appears to be melted. Once off the heat, stir until the rest of the chocolate melts.

Secondly, melted chocolate seizes if even one drop of liquid gets into it. Take precautions. To avoid moisture from condensation, do not use a lid when heating. Use only a very dry spoon to stir melted chocolate. If your chocolate has seized due to moisture, you can sometimes recover it by stirring in a little water or vegetable oil.

The risk of seizing does not mean you can't add ingredients like cream or liquid flavorings like liqueurs to melted chocolate, but you can't add them when the chocolate is warm. To avoid seizing when adding ingredients, either cool the melted chocolate to room temperature, or add a little of the ingredient before melting the chocolate.

Choosing Chocolate:

Manufacturers create signature chocolate by choosing and blending cocoa beans from different geographical origins, by adjusting the proportions of cocoa butter and solids, and by subtle differences in manufacturing. Find out which chocolate you prefer by taste testing. For example, test the Valrhona, Callebaut, Lindt, and Ghirardelli brands. You may prefer different brands for milk vs. semi-sweet chocolate.

In any event, first check the ingredient list. Manufacturers make lesser quality chocolate by substituting vegetable oils for part of the cocoa butter. This substitution is especially noticeable in white chocolate as it influences color. White chocolate should be ivory or cream colored, never pure white.