If you want large chunks or lovely shavings, get a piece from a large block, which many natural food stores and specialty businesses sell. Mince with a chopping board and chef’s knife. Shave chocolate by placing it on the cloth and slowly drawing the knife toward you. They’re easy to master after a few trials.
Melting chocolate may burn quickly. First, chop up the chocolate to melt it faster. Then, melt the chocolate in a double boiler by stirring it occasionally. Keep an eye on the chocolate and microwave it on the lowest setting for a minute or two, stirring once or twice. Liquids make melting chocolate harder.
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Processing method and cocoa solids concentration (chocolate liquid %) distinguish chocolate kinds. Some names are interchangeable, so check the label. The more solids in the mix, the less sugar and the less sweet the chocolate. Less filler means more chocolate solids, which improves taste. A complete list of baking chocolates follows.
Unsweetened chocolate is made of cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Unsweetened chocolate is edible despite its unpleasant taste.
Bittersweet Lindt chocolate bars—semisweet, dark, extreme dark, and extra bittersweet—are the most popular. This chocolate contains between 12% and 35% cocoa solids. That’s a big margin of error, so check the ingredients if no exact figure is given. High solids content reduces filter space and does not guarantee quality. Try several brands before picking one. Breaking it in half should be sharp. High-quality bittersweet chocolate tastes almost chalky, but it coats your mouth evenly without waxiness or grit.
Dark chocolate sweetness.
cacao solids 15–34% and milk solids 12%. The “official” name is sweet chocolate, however most people call it dark chocolate. The excellent stuff tastes great, but it doesn’t adjust baked goods’ sweetness as well as unsweetened or bittersweet chocolates.
Chocolate Milk
Sweet, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate has at least 10% cocoa solids, 12% milk solids, and 3-39.0% milk fat. Avoid shortcuts. Make sure it has a rich, almost buttery flavor and authentic ingredients. Milk chocolate should have subtle flavors and silky smoothness like bittersweet and dark chocolate.
Delicious German chocolate
The Baker’s Chocolate Company’s German Chocolate Bar, a sweetened baking bar, is named after the guy who invented it in 1852. Sugarier than dark or bitter chocolate. Poor quality.
Cocoa powder
After cocoa butter is removed from nibs or chocolate fluid, the solids are finely crushed into powder. Alkalizing cocoa neutralizes its acidity and deepens its color. Buying “natural” cocoa powder is difficult. It’s lighter brown and smells more chocolate. However, you can cook with either. If using natural cocoa without baking soda, a pinch will neutralize acidity and increase leavening.
White, Chocolate
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, not chocolate. 20% cocoa butter, 14% milk solids, and 3–99% milk fat are needed. White chocolate is different from dark and milk chocolate, although you can substitute it.
White chocolate quality varies by retailer. Read the label—cocoa butter should be first. Before cooking, taste it. Good white chocolate is neither waxy, gritty, or bland. It melts and tastes like vanilla ice cream at its best. It lasts a few weeks in the fridge, unlike dark chocolate.
