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A Chocolate Maker is a person who produces Chocolate out of freshly harvested Cacao beans. The profession is often confused with being a chocolatier, a person who Flavors already prepared Chocolate with other ingredients, such as flavor extracts, citrus zest, or nuts, and molds it into individual pieces before decorating them. Chocolate Making is generally a long scientific process that requires precise techniques to ensure the most flavorful product.

The process of Chocolate Making begins with the harvesting of Cacao Beans, husked seeds that grow on the cacao tree. The Cacao Beans, also referred to as cocoa beans, are then removed from the husks and heated to dry out the beans and enhance their natural flavors. Once the beans are heated, a Chocolate Maker may process them into a powder or liquid, or shape them into a block.

Pure Cacao Beans have a bitter taste, even after being heated, so one of the main duties of a Chocolate Maker is to mix the pure cacao with other ingredients to sweeten it. Chocolate is typically classified by the ratio of pure Cacao Beans to sweeteners. If the product contains no additional ingredients, it is classified as Unsweetened Chocolate or baker’s chocolate and is usually only used for desserts that already contain other sweet ingredients. Chocolate Makers can sweeten pure cacao by mixing it with sugar, butter, or milk; however, the exact ratios of pure cacao to sweeteners may vary depending on the specific Chocolate factory’s sweetness classifications. For example, Milk Chocolate is one of the sweetest Types Of Chocolate and may contain less than 50 percent pure Cacao Beans, while the rest of the mixture is made up of sugar, butter, and milk.

To become a professional Chocolate Maker, a person will typically be required to take courses at a culinary or pastry school. The coursework will often focus on not only the process of making chocolate, but also the chemistry behind the products and the history of chocolate. Once an aspiring Chocolate Maker completes a Chocolate Making educational program, he or she can find employment at Chocolate factories as a laboratory technician, a position in which he or she may help develop new chocolate recipes or oversee the production of large amounts of Chocolate for national Chocolate or candy companies. Chocolate Makers may also be able to work at smaller, artisan Chocolate companies to make gourmet Chocolate by hand.

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Chocolate Chips are small, round, processed dollops of Chocolate that are uniform in size and used for baking. Baking Chocolate chip cookies is the most well-known use for Chocolate Chips. However, Chocolate Chips may also be baked in muffins or cakes and can also be sprinkled on top of a warm cake to form a sort of instant chunky frosting. The main types of Chocolate Chips include bittersweet, semisweet, milk and white.

Bittersweet Chocolate Chips are dark in color and contain more cocoa than the other varieties of Chocolate Chips. They have some sugar added but are not very sweet. Bittersweet chocolate chips are the perfect choice when a rich, intense Chocolate Flavor is desired.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips are the most common type available today. They contain Cocoa Butter and a mix of Unsweetened Chocolate and sugar. Semi-Sweet chocolate chips are much sweeter than the bittersweet variety, but not overly sweet. The semisweet variety of Chocolate Chips is versatile and can be used in many recipes.

Milk Chocolate chips are quite sweet and creamy in texture. They are lighter in color than Semi-Sweet chocolate chip due to the milk solids. White Chocolate chips also contain milk solids and are extremely sweet. White chocolate is technically not Chocolate at all since no Cacao beans are used in it. White chocolate chips are often used for color and flavor contrast in deserts using other types of Chocolate Chips or Chocolate.

Chocolate Chips are uniformly round in their size and have a peak on top. Mini Chocolate Chips have the same look but are smaller in size. They are good for smaller cupcakes or mini desserts. Chocolate chunks are larger rectangular pieces of Chocolateschocolate chip and not chip-shaped. They make a chunkier alternative in favorite desserts such as chocolate chip cookies.

Unlike Chocolate baking squares and other Chocolate that melts easily, Chocolate Chips are made to hold their shape when baked. Chocolate Chips have hardly any cocoa butter and that is why they do keep their shape. Chocolate Chips are not usually good for melting as they may be lumpy and some types may even have a gritty texture after melting. All types of Chocolate Chips should be stored in a cool, dry area.

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Oaxaca is the center of Chocolate production in Mexico, so it should come a no surprise to learn that Oaxaca Chocolate is famous, not just in Mexico, but abroad. The history of Oaxaca Chocolate goes back for centuries, and the residents of this region consume significantly more Chocolate than other people in Mexico, thanks to the pervasiveness of Chocolate in Oaxacan culture. Many visitors to this region of Mexico indulge in its famous ingredient, taking advantage of the culinary heritage of Oaxaca Chocolate in a wide assortment of both sweet and savory dishes.

Chocolate is made from the beans of the Cacao tree, after they are picked and carefully fermented. The seasoned beans are ground into a gritty paste which can be seasoned with an assortment of ingredients to bring out its Flavor. In Mexico, Chocolate has historically been consumed in a wide assortment of things, but perhaps most famously in the form of a hot spiced drink, which European explorers brought back with them. This drink, in a slightly different incarnation, is known today at hot Chocolate, and it is popular around the world.

Traditional Oaxaca Chocolate is prepared in a number of ways. It is often ground with sugar, cinnamon, and Almonds, and formed into bars which can be used to prepare hot Chocolate and other dishes. You may hear this form of Oaxaca Chocolate referred to as “Mexican Chocolate” and it is readily available in many grocery stores, often in beautifully packaged octagonal boxes with thick wedges of Chocolate which must be broken apart for use.

Oaxaca is also famous for its mole, a savory dish which sometimes includes Chocolate. Mole is savory, not sweet, which may be strange for people who are accustomed to Chocolate in the form of desserts only. Mole is also extremely spicy, and it is a rich, piquant sauce which pairs well with a wide assortment of foods. Mole can be found pre-mixed, and it is also possible to assemble your own, using the ingredients which Oaxacans have used for centuries.

A lesser known use of Oaxaca Chocolate is tejate, which is a cold Chocolate drink. It can be difficult to find tejate outside of Oaxaca, which is a great pity, since this drink is quite delightful. It is made with Chocolate, masa, flowers, and the pulp of the mamey fruit. The ingredients are ground and blended into a rich, frothy drink which is extremely refreshing in the summer.

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Whipped Cream is cream which has been beaten with air, causing the fat droplets in the cream to form little pockets which approximately double the volume of the cream. The result is a very rich, frothy dairy product which can be used in a variety of ways, from frosting cakes to topping hot Chocolate. Whipped Cream can be purchased in pressurized canisters which are typically packaged with nitrous oxide as a propellant, and it can also be made quickly at home; the advantage to home-made Whipped Cream is that it tends to be denser and richer, and the flavor can be better controlled.

In order for Whipped Cream to set up right, the base cream must have a fat content of at least 30%. When Whipped Cream is made by hand, cooks use some form of beater to whip the cream, beating either by hand or with a hand-held mixer. As the cream starts to whip up, ingredients like sugar and Flavorings can be added. When the cream has almost doubled in volume, the cook must stop beating, or he or she will end up creating butter.

Whipped Cream in pressurized canisters is actually whipped as it comes out of the canister. When the user presses down on the nozzle, the pressurized gases inside the canister whip the cream, causing it to come out in a frothy stream. Because of the use of pressurized gas, this form of Whipped Cream is much lighter and frothier. However, it is also more prone to dissolving back into liquid form, which can be especially important to remember if one is preparing a dish with Whipped Cream which will be served later.

As a general rule, the fresher the cream, the better the Flavor of the Whipped Cream. Heavily stabilized cream like that in Whipped Cream canisters at the store sometimes acquires an unpleasant, almost metallic flavor which causes people to prefer hand-Whipped Cream. However, it is also possible to find re-usable canisters which can be loaded with pressurized gas and fresh cream for a more home-made flavor without the hassle of whipping by hand.

The light, frothy texture of Whipped Cream can be deceptive, tricking people into being unaware of the high fat content. When sugar and various flavorings are added, Whipped Cream can take on a more rich flavor, suitable for dipping fruit, topping desserts, and garnishing various drinks. The rich nature of Whipped Cream causes some people to regard it as a luxury or special treat.

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Mexican Chocolate is a Type Of Chocolate which is prepared with an assortment of spices for a very distinctive and rich flavor. It is available in many markets, especially those which stock basic Mexican foods, and it can be found in the form of bars and discs of solid Chocolate, along with powders and syrups. In addition to being used to make hot Chocolate, Mexican Chocolate can also be used in traditional Mexican dishes like mole, and it can be used in baking for an unusual Flavor.

Chocolate has a very long history in Mexico and Central America. The Theobroma Cacao plant, which produces the Cacao beans used to Make Chocolate, is native to South America, and archaeological evidence suggests that Mesoamericans made dishes with Chocolate for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Although many people associate Chocolate with sweetness today, the original Mexican Chocolate was actually rather sour and intense, and it was highly prized. When the Spanish were introduced to Chocolate, they brought it back to Europe, popularizing it among the upper classes; for quite some time, hot Chocolate drinking was rather trendy.

Typical Mexican Chocolate is made with roasted and ground cacao nibs, sugar, and cinnamon. Other spices such as nutmeg and allspice may be added, along with nuts, and chilies are sometimes used as well. Mexican Chocolate tends to be rather granular in texture, with a creamy finish from the Cocoa Butter. The natural sweetness from the sugar makes the addition of extra sweetener unnecessary.

In Mexico, Chocolate is often used to make a hot beverage, as it has been used for centuries. Traditional Mexican hot Chocolate is foamy; originally, this was accomplished by pouring the drink back and forth between vessels, but today it is foamed with a molinillo, a specially designed whisk. These tools can also be used to foam other drinks to taste. Many people in the United States along the Mexican border have developed a taste for Chocolate Mexicano, and it is often available at shops as a result.

Some people develop their own techniques for preparing Mexican Chocolate, including special ingredients which they like to add. Mexican Chocolate right out of the package is, of course, perfectly usable for whisking with water or milk to create a hot beverage, but you may also enjoy experimenting with additions and toppings like Whipped Cream. Mexican Chocolate can also be used to make desserts like puddings and flans, and some people enjoy eating it straight, savoring the rich and sometimes intense flavor.

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Although many of us would consider Almonds to be nuts, scientifically speaking they are closer to peach pits. Almonds are actually the fruits of deciduous (meaning that the leaves fall off every year) trees originally found in Asia and North Africa. Instead of growing a sweet fleshy pulp around the seed, Almonds develop a leathery coating. Beneath this shell lies a hardened pit with a dark skin, much like a pit from a freestone peach.

Almonds come in two varieties, sweet and bitter. Sweet Almonds are used in many Asian dishes, as well as dessert pastes and garnishes. A popular use for crushed sweet Almonds is a European candy base called marzipan. The Almonds are mixed with glucose (a sugar substitute that can be derived from Almonds) and water to form a thick but pliable paste. Marzipan can be molded into cookies or other identifiable shapes by skilled dessert makers.

Sweet Almonds can also be processed into essential oils or extracts. Almond extract is commonly used as an alternative to Vanilla extract in diabetic-safe recipes. Sweet Almonds are often roasted and turned into slivers or chunks for texture in ice creams or puddings.

The bitter form of Almonds is also used in cooking, but it must first be processed in the raw stage. Bitter Almonds contain a toxic amount of prussic acid, which can be further refined into a poison called cyanide. Consuming a handful of unprocessed, raw bitter Almonds can lead to death from this poison. Consequently, the prussic acid must be leached out of the bitter Almonds before they can be used by humans as food.

The designation 'bitter Almonds' does not necessarily mean a disagreeable bitterness. Extracts from bitter Almonds are used to Flavor a very flavorful liqueur called amaretto. The slight bitterness is a distinctive characteristic of amaretto, which is often mixed with orange juice or other sweet mixer to balance it out. Bitter Almonds are also processed into slivers and whole pieces for salads and casseroles.

Almond trees can be found in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa. In the United States, virtually all Almonds for commercial sale are produced in California. Grocery stores may carry raw Almonds for cooking, roasted Almonds for snacking, ground Almonds for pastes and chopped Almonds for garnishes and salads. Almonds are very high in the good form of cholesterol, and are often treated with hickory-smoked salts or other savory flavors.

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Vanilla has both a literal and a figurative meaning. Literally, Vanilla refers to a plant. the seedpod of the plant, which is often referred to as a Vanilla bean; Vanilla powder, which is produced from grinding the entire bean after it's been dried; and the bean's extract or a synthetic imitation which is used to Flavor a whole range of culinary products from cakes and cookies to ice cream.

Since 1975, Vanilla or plain Vanilla has been used figuratively to refer to something basic or lacking adornment. This use arises from the fact that Vanilla has long been considered the standard and basic ice cream choice, among the many and varied Flavors offered. The term plain Vanilla has come to be used in business to describe a type of security that does not have special features.

Vanilla is the genus name of a group of tropical vines that are in the orchid family and grow in the Americas. The word Vanilla comes from the Spanish vainilla and refers to the shape of the plants' seedpods. The seedpods have been used for flavoring food for many years: in pre-Columbian times, Aztecs employed it in Making Chocolate. Today, the particular plant that is are used for commercial Vanilla preparation is often Vanilla planifolia.

The three kinds of Vanilla beans now available are Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla beans, Mexican Vanilla beans, and Tahitian Vanilla beans. Some products made from the Mexican Vanilla beans have been found to contain coumarin, which is potentially toxic, so care should be taken when using products from this source.

It's also important to be aware of the technical meaning of Vanilla product names. Natural Vanilla means that the product is made 100% from real Vanilla. Imitation Vanilla is entirely synthetic, and is primarily made from byproducts of the paper industry. Vanilla flavored has a combination of natural and synthetic Vanilla, while artificial-flavored Vanilla is also entirely synthetic.

Vanilla figures prominently in a chapter of Anne of Green Gables called "A New Departure in Flavoring" in which Anne makes a cake especially for the minister's wife and unintentionally substitutes anodyne liniment - a salve for sprains and similar pains - for Vanilla. Needless to say, the cake doesn't have the desired flavor, and the error is typical of Anne's struggles.

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A Chocolate Egg is a Chocolate confection that is shaped like an egg. Chocolate Eggs are most commonly seen around Easter, where they are exchanged as gifts or included in Easter egg hunts. The egg is a traditional symbol of Christ's resurrection in many Christian faiths, but the Chocolate Egg has transcended religious boundaries to become popular with people all over the world. Chocolate Eggs can be kept in a candy bowl near the door for guests, exchanged as Easter gifts, or hidden for Easter egg hunts and parties.

Many candy manufacturers produce Chocolate Eggs in the weeks leading up to Easter, with an array of styles available for consumers. One of the most famous is the Cadbury Cream Egg, which is filled with a creamy fondant. People can also make Chocolate Eggs at home, using egg-shaped candy and chocolate molds as a basis, although some enterprising cooks have been known to use actual eggs as a mold for confections.

Some Chocolate Eggs are solid, in which case they are usually made from a soft chocolate so that they are easy to chew, and the chocolate is relatively light, as rich chocolate could be too intense for many consumers. Filled Chocolate Eggs made with a chocolate shell and various fillings are also available. In addition to fondant, a Chocolate Egg can be filled with ganache and various fruit preserves, among other things. It is also possible to find hollow Chocolate Eggs without filling. Hollow eggs tend to be oversized.

Designs on the outside of a Chocolate Egg can vary. Textured or patterned molds may be used, or the egg may be covered with a candy coating. Decorations can also be applied by hand, as in the case of a Chocolate Egg covered in stripes of candy, or decorated with small candy flowers and other ornaments. When Chocolate Eggs are made at home, some people enjoy lavishing time over the decorations, creating miniature works of art with their confections.

For people who enjoy Chocolate Eggs year round, many types of chocolate can be safely frozen, which allows the eggs to keep better. Chocolate Eggs can also be stored at room temperature for an extended period of time, although it is important to avoid exposing them to moisture or temperature fluctuations, which can cause the chocolate to develop an unsightly whitish “bloom.” Homemade Chocolate Eggs are, of course, available at any time to cooks who are comfortable working with chocolate.

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A Truffles is a rare, edible mushroom that is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. Generally harvested in the wild, they are quite expensive. Truffles are often confused with Chocolate-covered Truffles, a confectionery that has no relation to mushroom Truffles.

Requiring climates with mild weather changes, Truffles grow in a limited number of places including France, Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia. Truffles are also collected in the United States, in states like Oregon and Washington, as well as parts of the Middle East and North Africa. They grow approximately one foot (30 cm) underground among the roots of oak, elm, chestnut, pine, and willow trees where they form a symbiotic relationship with the environment.

There are dozens of different types of Truffles ranging in size from a walnut to an apple. Truffles are irregularly-shaped with sometimes smooth, though usually bumpy or wrinkled caps.

Truffle hunting is big business during Truffle season, which generally lasts from fall to spring. Each year, trufficulteurs use specially-trained dogs that find the buried treasures, usually at night. In the past, female pigs or sows were used to hunt for Truffles, as the pungent odor that the Truffles emit is similar to that of a male pig. The sows were difficult to hold back once the Truffle was located, however, and would readily consume the expensive delicacy. For this reason most hunters now use Truffle dogs.

The taste of a Truffle is often compared to garlic blended with an earthiness or pungent, mushroomy Flavor. They are most often served uncooked and shaved into foods like pasta, salads, or omelets. They are also served in light sauces, on fondue, or even on pizza.

Of the many varieties of Truffles, some of the most famous are the Italian white Truffle, the French black Truffle, the summer black Truffle, and the March Truffle. The white Truffle, often referred to as the white diamond, is considered the rarest type of Truffle, demanding one of the highest prices. In general, Truffles are among the most expensive natural foods in the world, selling for hundreds or thousands of US Dollars (USD) per pound (0.45 kg).

Many species of mushrooms look similar to Truffles but are actually poisonous. Avoid eating wild mushrooms of any kind without the highly-educated guidance of an expert who can positively identify the species as edible. The safest way to taste a Truffle is to order it from a menu.

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Chocolate Candies are sweet confections made from Chocolate or incorporating Chocolate. They are popular sweets in many regions of the world, as a huge number of cultures are very fond of Chocolate, in a variety of forms. Candy shops usually stock an array of Chocolate Candies, and people can also obtain them at drug stores, grocery stores, and directly through the manufacturer in some cases. Some manufacturers even allow tours of their production floors, giving people a chance to see how the candy is made before they purchase it.

Chocolate has its origins in Latin America, where it was originally used in the preparation of savory foods, a usage which continues to this day with dishes such as mole. When Chocolate was brought back to Europe, people explored the possibility of using it in sweet confections, and people quickly acquired a taste for the exotic ingredient. The development of more advanced refining methods for Chocolate made way for Chocolate bars and other sweets.

Some Chocolate Candies are made from solid Chocolate. More commonly, they include Chocolate and other ingredients. The Chocolate may be coated in a candy shell, or a candy may be dipped in Chocolate to create a flavorful coating. Chocolate can cover cookies, wafers, bars, and candied fruit, and it can be used in a variety of ways. In addition to dipping, companies can also use techniques like enrobing, in which candies pass through a curtain of Chocolate to become coated in an even layer of Chocolate.

Chocolate Candies may be made with Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, or White Chocolate, depending on the candy and the manufacturer. Some manufacturers may cut corners with a chocolate coating known as mockolate, which technically cannot be considered true Chocolate because it does not contain Cocoa Butter, a key constituent in Chocolate. Some companies have attracted ire from formerly loyal fans by replacing expensive Chocolate coatings with mockolate in the interests of keeping production costs low.

In addition to being produced commercially, Chocolate Candies can also be made at home. People need some familiarity and skill with candy, and they also need to be comfortable with handling Chocolate. Making candies at home gives people a chance to use custom ingredients and to play with Flavors and designs. Basic candymaking kits are available from some cooking and home supply Stores, and people can also order specialty products such as molds for Chocolate Candies, including custom molds which can be used to make personalized candies.

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A Taste Test is a tool used to gather information about the flavor of a food or product. It may be used by a company to ensure consistency, a manufacturer developing a new product, or a group which is trying to prove a point about the differences, or lack thereof, between two products. There are an assortment of other uses for a Taste Test, which is often carried out on the corporate level by professional “tasters” who have trained to be impartial and valuable tools in the taste profiling process.

When a Taste Test is used to compare or contrast foods, it is typically performed blind. In a blind Taste Test, the tasters do not know what they are tasting. They are offered samples of the product in identical presentations and asked to taste and profile the samples. In a double-blind Taste Test, the people offering the samples also do not know what they are. This is designed to ensure impartiality, making the end results potentially more valid.

Any sort of edible can be analyzed using a Taste Test. Some famous Taste Tests include the regular quality control Taste Tests performed by a number of companies which want to keep their products consistent and taste tests comparing well known brands of soda. Taste Tests have also been performed on everything from water to salt. Often, a Taste Test illuminates very subtle and complex differences between product formulations, especially when professional tasters are involved.

To run a professional Taste Test, each taster is typically isolated in a booth. The tasters usually wear no perfumes or scents, and their clothing is laundered in neutral soaps. This is intended to minimize interference with the Taste Test. Usually a palate cleanser is provided as well, so that each taster can start fresh with each taste. An array of numbered samples are provided, and the taster checks each one, taking notes or making comments about the product.

When a company is gearing up for a major product release, Taste Tests are very important. A panel of tasters will ultimately determine the formulation of the product, by commenting on flavors and textures they like and do not like. For companies which want to keep their products consistent, a panel of trained tasters familiar with their products is crucial.

People can replicate a Taste Test at home for fun if they would like to do things like contrast bottled and tap water or experiment with a panel of wines. When conducting a Taste Test at home, try to avoid biasing the participants. A blind Taste Test is a great way to do that, and can be accomplished by having an “administrator” fill sample cups out of sight of the participants.

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Baking Chocolate is Chocolate which is intended for use in baking. It is unpalatable in plain form, but when combined with other ingredients to make things like cakes, cookies, and brownies, it imparts a very intense Chocolate Flavor. Many markets carry Baking Chocolate in their baking supply sections, with the Baker's Chocolate brand being especially well-known and widely used. It is also possible to order specialty Baking Chocolate directly from Chocolate producers.

The production of Chocolate is a long and involved process. It starts with the harvesting and fermentation of the Cacao beans. The beans are slowly ground, causing the Cocoa Butter in the beans to Melt while the chocolate solids are broken down. The result is a thick mass which is known as Chocolate Liquor. Chocolate liquor can be blended with cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and other ingredients to make a wide assortment of Chocolate products. In the case of Baking Chocolate, the chocolate liquor is packaged as-is, with no additions, making Baking Chocolate a very pure form of Chocolate.

In addition to basic Baking Chocolate, it is also possible to find bittersweet and Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, Baking Chocolate which has been blended with sugar. Many bakers prefer to use unsweetened, because the flavor is stronger, and because some recipes call specifically for unsweetened Baking Chocolate. Semisweet varieties in an unsweetened recipe may throw the balance of sweetness off, causing a fundamental alteration in the recipe.

The advantage to using Unsweetened Chocolate is that the baker has total control over the level of sweetness in the finished product. Baker's chocolate also has a concentrated chocolate flavor, since it has not been blended or adulterated, with a more pure taste. Parents often find that Baking Chocolate carries another advantage: young residents of the household will not nibble away at it, because it tastes extremely bitter when eaten plain.

A number of specialty chocolatiers make gourmet Baking Chocolate, often with a very high price tag. The value of this Chocolate Varieties considerably, and bakers who are considering the purchase of fancy Baking Chocolate may want to do a taste test before they commit. The key determining factor in terms of quality is the source of the beans and the way in which the beans are handled. Cocoa beans have a range of flavors which can be easily identified in chocolate liquor form. If you like Dark Chocolate and Bittersweet Chocolate products produced by the company, you will probably enjoy their Baking Chocolate, but if you find an off taste or flavor in their chocolate, it is likely to be even stronger in the Baking Chocolate, gourmet or not.

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Couverture Chocolate is a special form of Chocolate used by chocolate manufacturers and professional bakers. This Chocolate is richer and creamier than basic bar or eating Chocolate, with a very high Cocoa Butter content which makes it ideal for things like molding, coating, and dipping. Less than 100 firms around the world produce the bulk of the world's Couverture Chocolate. Some of these firms produce only for their own private lines, while others sell to chocolatiers who lack the facilities and ability to make their couverture in-house.

Several characteristics distinguish Couverture Chocolate. The first is the quality. Companies which manufacture this specialized Chocolate use Chocolate scouts who scour the world for the best Cacao beans, and researchers work to refine the perfect bean blend to ensure a very specific Flavor profile. Huge Chocolate companies like Hershey and Mars actually invest substantially in the cacao industry to breed specialized beans to meet their needs, while smaller Chocolate companies seek out exotic and interesting crops to make their chocolate unique.

The beans used in Couverture Chocolate are ground especially finely for an extremely smooth and uniform flavor, and additional cocoa butter is added to make the Chocolate richer and creamier. The higher cocoa butter content also means that Couverture Chocolate has a distinct glossy appearance, a very crisp snap when broken, and the ability to be melted and tempered with ease. Couverture Chocolate's unique properties make it ideal for Chocolate fountains, with the cocoa butter acting as a lubricant to keep the Chocolate from gumming up the fountain.

Chocolatiers use Couverture Chocolate to come up with their own Chocolate formulations, and they also use it to cover truffles, mold Chocolate garnishes, coat fruit, and perform a variety of other tasks. Couverture Chocolate is generally not mixed in with an excess of other ingredients, because of the high price and quality; it is designed to stand alone as an ingredient. It can also be used to prepare Chocolate shells, glossy coatings for cakes, and so forth.

Although Couverture Chocolate is used to cover Chocolates and other sweets, it should not be confused with covering or coating Chocolate, an inferior product which has much less cocoa butter. It is also not the same thing as baking or cooking Chocolate. When seeking out Couverture Chocolate for cooking projects, your best source is probably a store or company which supplies wholesale products to bakers and cooks. You can also source couverture directly through some Chocolate companies; you may want to order samples from several companies to seek out the flavor profile you prefer, as couverture can taste radically different depending on the source of the beans and how it is handled.

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Cocoa Powder is a powder which is obtained from Cocoa Solids, one of the two components of Chocolate Liquor. Chocolate liquor is a substance which is obtained during the manufacturing process which turns Cacao beans into Chocolate products. Cocoa Powder can be added to baked goods for a Chocolate Flavor, whisked with hot milk or water for hot chocolate, and used in a variety of other ways, depending on the taste of the cook. Most markets carry Cocoa Powder, often with several options available.

Before delving into the specifics of Cocoa Powder, it may help to explain the process through which cacao beans are turned into Chocolate. These beans are harvested in large pods which are split open and then allowed to ferment, mellowing the natural bitterness of the beans. After fermentation, cacao beans are roasted and then hulled to expose the cacao nibs, which are then ground to produce Chocolate liquor, a gritty, runny paste which is the first step in creating a dizzying array of chocolate products.

Once cacao nibs have been ground into Chocolate liquor, the Chocolate liquor is pressed to squeeze out the rich Cocoa Butter. Without pressing, the Chocolate liquor would be greasy, fatty, and very unpleasant, even with the addition of sugar and spices. The pressing separates the Chocolate liquor into two components: cocoa butter, and Cocoa Solids. To produce Cocoa Powder, the Cocoa Solids are pressed again, ensuring that around 75% of the original cocoa butter has been removed, and creating a substance called press cake. The press cake is dried, and then ground into Cocoa Powder.

There are two main types of Cocoa Powder. Natural Cocoa Powder is produced using the process detailed above, and it is naturally very strong, slightly acidic, and very dark. Dutched Cocoa Powder or Dutch cocoa is produced by adding an alkali to the press cake to mellow the flavor and make the color less intense. Because Dutch cocoa is alkalized to remove the natural acidity, it is important to read baking recipes which call for cocoa carefully, as replacing natural with Dutch cocoa can cause a baked good to rise poorly or unevenly.

Pure Cocoa Powder is very intense and bitter. To make it usable, most people add sugar to temper the chocolate flavor, and other spices such as Vanilla may be added as well. There are all sorts of ways to use Cocoa Powder, ranging from cold drinks to icing, and many people find it handy to have a tin of cocoa around the house.

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Unsweetened Chocolate goes by many names, including baking chocolate, cooking chocolate and bitter chocolate. It's made from a pure mixture of only two ingredients: Cacao beans and Cocoa Butter, referred to as the fat. This Type Of Chocolate has a deeply intense taste. Most people wouldn’t eat Unsweetened Chocolate in its basic form, as it is essentially hardened Chocolate Liquor yet to be enhanced with sugar. It is the base for many confectionery recipes, and even non-dessert foodstuffs, due to its bitter flavor.

The Federal and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict standards regarding how Chocolate producers name and list ingredients on Chocolate packages. According to the FDA, products deemed to be Unsweetened Chocolate must contain at least 50 percent cocoa butter with the remaining ingredients made up of only cocoa solids from the finely ground cocoa nibs — the dry-roasted pieces of the bean. Although the FDA allows different fat-to-cacao ratios, it is usually sold with approximately 55 percent fat and 45 percent solids. Because sugar is not added, any form of such sweetener should not be found on the ingredient label.

Though Unsweetened Chocolate is fundamentally Chocolate in its purest form, its taste varies widely. The location of each company's cacao bean distributor is what truly influences the flavor, though. While beans come from a variety of distributors in a plethora of regions — including the Ivory Coast, Malaysia, West Africa, Brazil and Indonesia, for example — each geographic area’s cacao trees produce a bean that tastes different from the rest. One bean might have hints of coffee while another has hints of citrus.

Unsweetened Chocolate is often mistaken for bittersweet or Dark Chocolate. Bittersweet Chocolate, however, is formed when sugar — and occasionally Vanilla and extra fat — is added to an unsweetened selection. Chefs and amateur cooks may purchase the unsweetened forms for restaurants or home in order to make a dish as sweet as they like it.

Unsweetened sorts of Chocolate may be made sweeter with the addition of white or brown sugar, honey, or artificial sweeteners. Usually sold in rectangular or square bar form, this chocolate liquor may also be found in chip, chunk, powder, or liquid varieties. The majority of big-name confectionery manufacturers carry at least one form of Unsweetened Chocolate.

Residents of European countries such as France and Germany are known to consume unadulterated Unsweetened Chocolate, despite its bitter tastes. With the 21st century boom of foodies in North America, however, Americans have also begun to eat and enjoy more natural foods as opposed to foods with sugary additives. New York City is one of the many hotspots where more and more people are starting to consume Unsweetened Chocolate on its own, particularly if it’s one of the more velvety varieties.

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