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Bittersweet
Chocolate:
Dark
chocolate that contains s minimum of 35% chocolate liquor.
Bittersweet and semi-sweet fall under this definition; however,
bittersweet is traditionally the term reserved for chocolate with a
minimum of 50% chocolate liquor.
Chocolate
Liquor:
The
ground up center (nib) of the cocoa bean (otherwise known as unsweetened
chocolate).
Cocoa
Beans:
Seeds
from the pod of a Theobroma tree. Native to the tropical Amazon
forests. Commercially grown worldwide in tropical rainforests
within 20" latitude of the equator.
Cocoa
Butter:
The
fat of the cocoa bean.
Cocoa
Powder:
The
cocoa solids resulting from pressing cocoa butter out of chocolate
liquor. Available in different fat levels. May be natural or
dutched.
Compound::
Known
as confectionery coating. A blend of sugar, vegetable oil, cocoa
powder and other products. Vegetable oil is substituted for cocoa
butter to reduce the product cost and to develop special melting
profiles.
Conche:
A
machine in which the chocolate is kept under constant agitation.
This assists in achieving desirable flavors and liquefying the refined
chocolate mass.
Dutch
Process:
A
treatment used during the making of cocoa powder in which cocoa solids
are treated with an alkaline solution to neutralize acidity. This
process darkens the cocoa and develops a milder chocolate flavor.
Fat
Bloom:
The
result of inadequate tempering or temperature abuse of a properly
tempered chocolate. Visible as a dull white film on the surface of
the chocolate with the possibility of a soft or crumbling texture on the
interior. A visual and textural defect only. The product is
safe to use.
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Fineness:
The
measured particle size of the coating solids. Expressed in ten
thousandths of an inch or in microns.
Lecithin:
A
natural emulsifier used in chocolate to improve its flow
properties.
Milk
Chocolate:
Chocolate
with at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk solids, combined with
sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin and vanilla.
Nib:
The
center (meat) of the cocoa bean. When ground, the nib becomes
chocolate liquor.
Semi-Sweet
Chocolate:
Also
known as bittersweet chocolate. Contains a minimum of 35%
chocolate liquor.
Sugar
Bloom:
Visible
as a dull white film on the surface of the chocolate. Dry and hard
to the touch, sugar bloom is the result of surface moisture dissolving
sugar in the chocolate and subsequent recrystallization of the sugar on
the chocolate surface. Typically caused by cold chocolate being
exposed to a warm humid environment with resultant condensation forming
on the product. This is a visual and textural defect.
Sweet
Chocolate:
Chocolate
that contains a minimum of 15% chocolate liquor with varying amounts of
sweeteners and cocoa butter.
Tempering:
A
process of preparing chocolate that involves heating and cooling so that
it will solidify with a stable cocoa butter crystal form. Proper
tempering, followed by good cooling, is required for good surface gloss
and to prevent "fat" bloom.
Unsweetened
Chocolate:
Same
as "chocolate liquor."
Viscosity:
The
measure of the flow characteristics of a melted chocolate.
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