Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
The paste made from ground, shelled, and roasted cocoa beans without
sugar or any added ingredient is called chocolate liquor. Chocolate
liquor contains no alcohol, so the name is a bit of a misnomer.
In its solid form, you know it as unsweetened baking chocolate.
It has a harsh taste and is not meant to be eaten by itself.
Sweet Dark Chocolate
This category includes all chocolates, bittersweet and semisweet,
that have at least 35 percent chocolate liquor.
The terms bittersweet and semisweet are often used interchangeably
since there is no official distinction between them. Generally (but
not necessarily), bittersweet chocolate is less sweet than semisweet,
because bittersweet often contains more chocolate liquor. Semisweet
and bittersweet chocolate are commonly used in baking, but both
are also delicious to eat plain.
Sometimes packaging indicates the percentage of chocolate liquor
prominently on the label, sometimes not. Although 35 percent is
the required minimum, American bittersweet and semisweet chocolates
found in the supermarket--such as Hershey's or Baker's--usually
contain at least 50 percent chocolate liquor. It's not uncommon
to find chocolate liquor contents from 60 percent or more in premium
chocolates such as Callebaut and Scharffen-Berger. These have intense
chocolate flavor and are excellent in low-fat desserts.
Milk chocolate
America's favorite snacking chocolate, milk chocolate is often used
for making candy bars. Milk chocolate is lighter in color and has
a milder, creamier flavor than dark chocolate. It must contain at
least 10 percent chocolate liquor, at least 12 percent milk solids,
and not less than 3.66 percent butter fat. Because of the milk solids,
milk chocolate doesn't substitute for dark chocolate, as it will
not give you enough chocolate flavor.
White chocolate
White chocolate is not really chocolate because it does not contain
chocolate liquor. It contains cocoa butter, a derivative of chocolate
liquor. Look for cocoa butter on the ingredient listing for quality
white chocolate; if it contains palm kernel oil, it's white confectionery
coating.
Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder is made from roasted and ground cacao seeds from which
much of the fat has been removed. It is naturally tart and acidic.
A little cocoa adds plenty of chocolate flavor.
There are two types of cocoa: natural (nonalkalinized) and Dutch
Process (alkalinized). Natural cocoa powder (also called unsweetened)
is simply untreated cocoa powder; it is rarely labeled with the
word natural on the package, but will simply say cocoa. Dutch Process
cocoa--so named because a Dutch man invented the process ??has
been treated with an alkali to reduce its harshness and acidity.
Along the way, "dutching" gives the cocoa a rich dark
appetizing color, mellow toasted flavor, and coffee notes.
If a recipe simply calls for cocoa, use natural cocoa. Because
Dutch Process cocoa is more alkaline, it may alter the chemistry
in a recipe, reacting differently than natural cocoa with baking
soda or baking powder. In recipes with no leaveners, natural and
Dutch-process cocoa are interchangeable.
It's best to store cocoa away from herbs and spices and other aromatic
substances, as it picks up other flavors relatively easily.
