Know Your Chocolate 101

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans harvested in pods from cocoa trees. Here are various different strains of cocoa, which give different flavor profiles. The three most common are, trintario, forestero and criollo.

Chocolate Origins

33%  Ivory Coast
25%  Rest of the world
17.5 %  Ghana
7.45%  Indonesia
5.6%  Ecuador
5.3%  Brazil
1.8%  Peru
1.66%  Mexico
1.4 %  Dominican Republic
1.1%  Colombia

Chemistry of Cocoa

Cocoa contains over 600 different flavor-carrying substances and the cocoa butter melts at mouth temperature. It also contains sugar and flavorsome cocoa, which all put together stimulants, the brain’s pleasure centers. On top of that, cocoa also contains stimulants, such as caffeine and theobromine, which causes ‘chocolate high.

Know Your Chocolate

There are three main types of chocolate – dark, milk, and white. It all comes down to how the chocolate is made; the levels of cocoa solids, cocoa fat (butter), sugar, and milk powder it contains.

100% Chocolate

Made only from 100% cocoa beans, with no added sugar, and only a little bit of cocoa butter. This chocolate is very intense and bitter. In cooking it is mainly used in stews and roasted meats.

Dark Chocolate

This type of chocolate has 35-99% cocoa mass, some added sugar (1-65%), and a little milk powder (1-12%).  The high percentage of cocoa, the more intense the flavor is. In cooking, it is best used in chocolate recipes for brownies, cakes, and mousses.

Dark chocolate has a host of benefits, including anti-aging skin care thanks to the presence of flavonoid compounds that fight free radicals. In addition to exerting an antioxidant effect, they also help remove toxins from the skin and improve blood flow to enhance that radiant glow

Flavonoids also absorb UV radiation, which means they protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun.

They are also one of the best ways to the main healthy functioning of blood vessels, which lowers your risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and even kidney disease.

One or two-ounce squares daily are quite enough to avoid weight gain, as chocolate is high in calories

Milk Chocolate

The milk chocolate is the most popular chocolate for eating. It can come with added fruit, nuts, or spices. The cocoa mass here can be between 20-35%, sugar 25-55%, and milk powder 25-35%.

Low-quality chocolate usually contains vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter. Best used in baking, like cookies or muffins

White Chocolate

The chocolate does not contain any cocoa solids, which is what gives chocolate its dark color and chocolaty taste. It only contains cocoa butter (30%), which gives it a mild flavor, the rest comes from added sugar (40%), milk powder (30%), and vanilla flavoring.

How to Melt Chocolate 

The microwave method

Step 1: Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl.
Step 2: Microwave at 70% power for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir.
Step 3: Continue to microwave in 30-second increments, stirring frequently, until the chocolate has fully melted

The stovetop method

Step 1:  Add chopped chocolate to the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water.
Step 2: Stir gently and frequently until the chocolate has completely melted. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as you stir.

TIP: If you don’t have a double boiler then a metal bowl over a saucepan works too. Just make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water in the pan.

The slow cooker method

Step 1: Fill a slow cooker one-third of the way with hot water. Set the heat to high, leaving the lid off.
Step 2: Place mason jars filled with chopped chocolate into the water.
Step 3: Leave for about 30 minutes, without the lid, until the chocolate is melted.

**Source: The Science of Cooking: Every Question Answered to Perfect Your Cooking by Dr. Stuart Farrimond.

Chocolate Recipes

Check out these healthy and delicious chocolate recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth:

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
Fudge Black Bean Brownies
Grain Free Chocolate Sea Salt Granola
Strawberry Mountains with Dark Chocolate Chips
Vegan Chocolate Mousse

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