Do You Know Your Chocolate?

By: James Dyson
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:53
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What is in Chocolate?

The Basic ingredients are same cocoa butter, cocoa, sugar and milk. Hot chocolates are supplied as fine powder that could be used as beverage along with milk and sugar. Preparation of chocolates may be by two methods there are hand made chocolates and factory manufactured chocolates.

Chocolate Manufacturing process

There are two types of processes in which the bitter cocoa solids are treated. In the other process the cocoa butter is treated with baking soda. This is able to create a leavening effect on the mixture. The resultant chocolate in used for cooking purposes. In the Dutch process the cocoa solids is treated with alkali and thus the flavonoids in cocoa are destroyed. The processes known as tempering and conching are applied to create the soft chocolates. There are mint chocolates and gourmet chocolates that have specific taste. Conching is employed to create the texture and flavor of chocolates.

Hot Chocolates

Hot chocolates are given as fine powder and hot water is added and stirred brisk with other ingredients like spices they make a nourishing and unique beverage. Spices added to hot chocolates include nutmeg cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. By using hot chocolates from tinned cans, different recipes could be prepared by adding sugar milk and cream. Special occasions like Christmas could offer an opportunity for innovating new recipes. One such famous recipe consists of the ingredients like egg, caster sugar, butter and flour. Flour is mixed with butter, and sugar. Then beaten eggs are added and this mixture is baked in the oven. Then it is cooled while pouring them in Tupper ware containers and layers of icing sugar and hot chocolate powder are added in successive layers.

Types of Chocolates

There are three types of chocolates, namely plain dark chocolates, white chocolates, milk chocolates. All this chocolates have coca butter, coca solids, emulsifiers, vanilla and the proportion of the combination may vary giving difference in finished product. According to European rule, dark chocolates should have 35% cocoa solids. In certain chocolates there may be up to 70% of cocoa solids and total fat content of 30%-40.

Health and Chocolate

We all know the so called fattening effects of chocolates. But are there any good ones? It has been established that chocolates tend to raise the serotonin level. Serotonins are components that create a sense of happiness in the human brain. Chocolates may have a smoothening effect on throat. Some people say that throat problems, dryness due to coughs could be reduced by using chocolates.

Gifts - Buying Chocolates online

Chocolates are perfect gift for most of the occasions like wedding, Christmas, birthday, anniversaries and many more pleasant events. Gourmet chocolates have remained as a top gift for pleasant moments. There are plenty of Online gift shops which sell chocolates at a lower price than the high street. You can shop at your leisure from home and get them delivered with a personal message to your loved ones. You never know, you might get some extra discounts if there are Seasonal Special Offers and sale in these shops.

Craving for more chocolate info? Here is the Wikipedia page on Chocolates! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate

Article source: Expert Articles

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