Things You Should Know About Chocolate
Chocolates that contain at least 70% cocoa are the best ones you can choose, taking into account the higher the cocoa content, the more nutrients you can get. Your chocolate is also better non- or lightly alkalized or non-dutched. Milk and white chocolate are sooo good, but they don’t have as much healthy flavanols as dark chocolate does.
If you’re not crazy about dark chocolate, don’t worry. They say it’s an acquired taste, and you can learn it by gradually increasing percentage of cocoa in the chocolates that you have. Truth be told, there are milk chocolates with 50 percent cocoa or more available these days.
Portion control is the way to go. Studies have shown that as few as 30 calories of flavanol-rich dark chocolate can lower the blood pressure. Nevertheless, indulging yourself once in a while is not so bad. A 500-calorie indulgence amounts to only about a two-ounce weight gain, and you can sweat that out in the gym any day.
No, don’t confuse chocolate with an aphrodisiac. Sorry chocoholic boys, but science has still not proven that chocolate can increase the libido of your female partner. Don’t go sending here boxes of chocolate and expect something in return!
However, cocoa can be considered as a fountain of youth in its own right, since it is proven to keep skin young. Cocoa beans come with antioxidants that can combat free radicals, which are known to bring about skin damage. When cocoa beans are made into chocolate bars, they can lose a sizable amount of antioxidants. That being said, have it in liquid form and drink cocoa instead!
Furthermore, chocolate is beneficial to the heart, given that a study had shown that specific substances in chocolate cold lessen LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and an increase the HDL cholesterol (the good kind).
Also, chocolate is not evil for the teeth. As a matter of fact, chocolate can help prevent cavities and plaque build-up on the teeth. A sugar-laden chocolate is a different story, though.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: antioxidants, chocolate fun facts, chocolate information, cocoa, dark chocolate, fun chocolate facts, fun facts, once
Awesome Chocolate Is Awesome
An array of things have already been said about chocolate with regard to its beneficial effects to the human mind and body. Little do we know that deeper investigation and research are being done so as to lengthen the existing long list of the good things about it.
The American Heart Association did a study, reported in their journal named Hypertension. The outcome of which indicated that cocoa, which is the main ingredient of chocolate, has antioxidants that aids in improving mild cognitive impairment in the elderly.
The said research involved a group of aged participants, who in a span of two months, were supplied with drinks that have different cocoa flavonol levels. Such process produced results displaying that the ones who received the highest of these doses exhibited progress in a few cognitive tasks, which includes memory function.
Other flavonol rich products, aside from chocolate, include red wine, apples, tea as well as berries.
Moreover, new studies look back at past studies to compare. They have found out that cocoa products high in flavonols may contain a small, but very significant role, in lowering high blood pressure.
More to these, it also aids in alleviating risks for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and aging problems.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that too much of everything is bad enough. Yes, chocolate can do you good but it can backfire when you go overboard. Take slow steps, and always eat in moderation.
Furthermore, dark chocolates have more cocoa in them, hence an increased sense of beneficial effects. White chocolate does not contain cocoa at all, sad to say. All chocolates are high in calories and sugar, it’s not a secret anymore. You would not want to overgrow your favorite clothes or be swimming in a bed of ants.
Many people tend to be hard on themselves by depriving themselves of chocolate. That’s not ideal. If you want to enjoy it, throw away the guilty thoughts and savor it the healthy way. Better!
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: aids, chocolate facts, chocolate lovers, chocolate studies, chocolate tasting, cocoa, research, things
Bittersweet And Semisweet Chocolate
Bittersweet chocolates are usually a sweetened form of dark chocolate that doesn’t have any type of milk whether in its liquid or powdered form. It is fundamentally a combination of chocolate liquor, sugar, butter that is made out of cocoa and for the most part – vanilla. Typically, a substance known as lecithin is added which acts as an emulsifier. Cocoa produced through grinding its beans into a liquid form is usually called chocolate liquor, which ironically has no alcohol and what not. Unsweetened baking chocolate is the outcome of cocoa liquor that has been solidified.
In the North America, a standard is being set by the FDA or Food and Drug Administration that such bittersweet chocolates must be required to contain at least 35% of chocolate liquor. Whereas in the United Kingdom, the figure can be as high as 43%. It is readily understandable that the more chocolate liquor the chocolate has, the more intense the flavor can be. Even some high quality chocolates have chocolate liquor as high as 65 to 70%.
Terms like bittersweet and semisweet are oftentimes mistaken for each other in conversations and printed materials, but there are specific traits that separate and define the two. Bittersweet chocolate consists of more chocolate liquor and less amount of sugar as compared to the semisweet one. On the other hand, semisweet chocolates only have 35% of liquor, making the two types of chocolates pretty similar to each other. This is the main reason why the terms semisweet and bittersweet are always used interchangeably in cooking and baking processes which typically produce good results.
Recent studies in the previous years have shown that the regular consumption and intake of minor quantities of bittersweet chocolates have specific health benefits. These health benefits lessen heart diseases caused by the high flavonoid contents of this dark chocolates. Flavonoids such as epicathecin and gallic acid are actually abundant in these types of dark chocolates. Blood pressure lowering is also an attribute which are linked to these bittersweet chocolates. These chocolates are available in different forms like chips and bars that definitely cater to a vast market.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, dark chocolate, health benefits, semisweet, semisweet chocolate, usually
What is the substitute of cocoa butter and how much we should use for i1 cup of sugar for white chocolate?
Question by chhaya r: What is the substitute of cocoa butter and how much we should use for 1 cup of sugar for white chocolate?
I want to make raw white ,dark and milk chocolate at home i want to know the substitute of cocoa butter and the quantity for one cup of coco powder and one cup of sugar in white chocolate .
Best answer:
Answer by 10K.BC
If you don’t have access to cocoa butter, and assuming you aren’t selling it, you can substitute butter or palm oil along with a 40% mix of bee’s wax to harden it up. Basically any saturated fat will work.
If you’re making it for sale though, most countries require you to use a minimum amount of cocoa butter in order to legally call it “chocolate.”
Give your answer to this question below!
Categories: chocolate questions Tags: butter, CHOCOLATE, cocoa, much, Should, substitut, substitute, Sugar, white
Math And Chocolate
It’s no secret that many of us dread numbers, especially when it comes on a test paper. Many of us have math as waterloo. You might deem this irrelevant as nonsensical, but chocolate and math actually have a strong link. How come? Read on.
A group of researchers presented a study during the annual Brighton Show at the British Psychological Society that showcases how chocolate containing compounds of flavanols which is a part of a group of chemicals called polyphenols can make mental arithmetic easier for people by means of boosting the blood supply to the brain.
According to the said research, the volunteers who were given 500mg of flavanols in their cocoa drinks had lower chances of experiencing mental draining. Professor David Kennedy who is the director of the performance and nutrition research centre at Northumbria University and co-author of the study said “For things that are difficult to do, mentally demanding things that maybe crop up in your work it could help.”
Such researcg involved 30 volunteers in groups of three were instructed to count backwards randomly between 800 and 999 as chosen by the computer. These people were provided with cocoa drink first and was discovered that they were quick and accurate with the calculations later on. The participants were observed to be less tired in spite of being asked to do the task over and over again within an hour.
If you lack in the department of math problem-solving skills, a cocoa drink or anything rich in flavanols and you can continue getting on with your life without having to fear numbers. Okay, that’s pretty sugarcoated, but you get the picture!
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, chocolate studies, cocoa, math, numbers, people
Chocolate Melting & Tempering Machine 1.58 Gal
Chocolate Melting & Tempering Machine 1.58 Gal
- 15.74 in. x 12.99 in.
- h 5.31 in. 110V. Capacity 1.58 Gal – Basin 12.59 in. x 1.04 in. h 3.93 in.
- Manual Thermostat to control the temperature desired.
- Removable Stainless Steel basin and lid.
- Thermoresistant plastic material.
Available capacity 0.92 Gal item # MC01110V, 2.37 Gal item # MC03110V, 3.61 Gal item # MC04110V
Melt 70% of your chocolate setting the Melting Machine at 40 – 45°C;
Wait until the chocolate will be melt completely while checking the thermometer. This operation is necessary to have the butter crystals melt;
Add the rest 30% of your chocolate to the mixture already melt. This procedure represents the insemination of cocoa butter present in the chocolate;
Mix strongly the chocolate in order to lower its temperature: The ideal temperature is different depending on the type of chocolate that we are working
Dark chocolate 32° – Milk chocolate 30° – White chocolate 29°. By lowering the temperature of the chocolate we have the stabilization of the cocoa butter crystals;
Once reached the right temperature, you need only to keep this temperature for the required time to work it.
Advantages of the well temperated chocolate:
The removal of the praline will be easier and it will look shinier because the sugars and the cocoa butter will not appear on the surface causing that unpleasant white coating;
The praline or the chocolate bar will have that crunchy effect when you break it or bite it;
The praline will not melt in your hands.
In case the surface of the chocolate in the basin should start hardening, because of the room temperature, just use the hair-dryer to melt it. Do not increase the temperature!!!
The same technique can be used if the temperature of the chocolate starts going down. In this way you catch up the temperature. If the temperature increased, act on the thermostat and lower 2 – 3 degrees, mixing the chocolate.
KEEP the chocolate always stirred to have the butter crystal stable.
DO NOT PUT pieces of chocolate left from molding into the tempering machine!!!!
Keep them for next time while starting the whole procedure from the beginning. The reason is due to the cocoa butter stabilization.
List Price: $ 1,120.00
Price:
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The Difference Between Dutch-process and Natural Cocoa Powder
Dutch-process cocoa powder is actually derived from cacao beans that have undergone washing with a potassium solution. This is in order to neutralize their acidity. Natural cocoa powder is made out of cocoa beans that have simply undergone roasting, and then got pulverized into fine powder.
Apart from having the acidity neutralized, Dutching cocoa powder will actually make it darker and it tends to mellow the beans’ flavor. Many of the artisan manufacturers you will find in American don’t Dutch-process the cocoa that they have. They claim that their beans need not be acid-neutralized. Majority of supermarket brands of cocoa powder you can find in the United States, like Nestlé and Hershey’s, are natural cocoa powders.
Given than natural cocoa powder has not undergone tempering of acidity, it typically goes hand in hand with baking soda (which is alkali) in recipes. Chocolate makers typically mix Dutch-process cocoa with baking powder, since it does not react to baking soda like natural cocoa does. A lot of classic American recipes, such as Devil’s Food Cake, make use of natural cocoa powder. The reddish crumb in this recipe is the reaction between baking soda and natural cocoa powder.
But of course, there are exceptions to each. According to Fine Cooking magazine, “You can substitute natural cocoa powder for Dutch-process in most recipes (though not vice versa). Flavor and texture can be affected, but generally only in recipes calling for 3/4 cup (75 g) or more.”
You must know that you can’t use Dutch-process cocoa when a recipe specifically requires natural cocoa powder. When making ice creams and sauces, though, they can be swapped out. However, it cannot be applied when making cookies and cakes.
If a recipe requires either, the main difference that you will see is that Dutch-process cocoa yields a darker color and a more complex flavor , while natural cocoa powder is fruitier tasting and lighter in color.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: cocoa, cocoa powder, find, making
