Chocolate in the Kitchen

Pure chocolate and bitter chocolate are the two most common ways of using chocolate in the kitchen. The difference between the two is in the proportion of the solid of cacao and sugar; generally, as the amount of cacao solids increases, the amount of sugar decreases and from which a less sweet chocolate is obtained (bitter chocolate) and with a stronger and more appropriate flavor for cooking. Pure chocolates start out with a minimum of a thirty percent of solid of cacao, but some chocolates from Continental Europe, that are specifically designated for cooking, have up to a fifty two percent. The law demands that the percentages of solids of cacao come printed on the packaging, so that if someone takes a look at it, they will be able to prove that they are indeed buying pure chocolate or bitter chocolate.

Milk chocolate is rarely used for cooking, since it does not have a sufficiently concentrated taste. It is used for chocolate tablets, Easter eggs, bonbons and decorating.

White chocolate is made out of cacao butter sweetened with sugar and essence of vanilla. It is really not the most appropriate for cooking, since it does not really have the true taste of chocolate, although occasionally it is used for mousses.

Cooking chocolate, more commonly known as baker’s chocolate, is called baker’s chocolate because the first person that produced it was Dr. James Baker in the United States, and not because it has anything to do with the art of making bread or pastries, although this is what it is usually used for. It is a non-sweetened chocolate, simply made out of toasted cacao grains without a supplementary of cacao butter (although there are some varieties that have a little bit in them). This chocolate, which is easy to find in the United States, is not that easy to find in the United Kingdom because of its elevated price.

Chocolate icing, which is also known as cooking chocolate, is actually an incorrect term. This product is actually cheaper than pure chocolate that has less cacao solids and an elevated proportion of vegetable oil (predominantly coco). Although it doesn’t give an optimal flavor to recipes like chocolate mousse, it is considerably easy to use than pure chocolate, which makes it pretty practical to use with kids when making Easter eggs, etc., besides this it also ends up giving really good results on some cakes, pies and puddings.

Cocoa powder, is the cheapest way of obtaining a chocolate flavor; excellent for pastries, since it has a delicious flavor without the need of adding an excess of butter and sugar.

However it is important that the starch the cocoa powder contains is cooked, which makes it inadequate for mousses, ice creams, etc., although a small quantity of pure melted chocolate will make this stronger tasting and slightly more “bitter”.

Drinking chocolate is not generally, adequate for cooking since it has large quantities of sugar, vanilla, etc., and you would have to use a large quantity of it to give it the taste and consistency of chocolate.

Often times the following flavors are added when cooking to complement the chocolate flavor:

Vanilla Extract, that improves almost all chocolate preparations.
Salt, especially when cacao is being used since it improves the taste of pastries, cookies, and cooked pastries, just a little pinch of it is needed when cooking.
Coffee, which when added in large quantities to chocolate, is called mocha. One small teaspoon of instant ground coffee with about one hundred and ten grams of chocolate gives the dessert a slightly more bitter taste.
Orange, especially when the grated peel is added, gives the chocolate a richer and stronger flavor.

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