[m brown]

What is the best chocolate for baking?
There are so many of them, which is your fav?

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Thank You,
mb

 

[momoreg]

I have used Callebaut 835 semisweet for the past 11 years or so. It is a perfect all-purpose chocolate with just the right amount of sweetness and viscosity.

 

[m brown]

Has anyone used El Rey chocolates? What about Schokinog from Germany?
Any feedback is welcome.
momoreg, Callebaut 835 semisweet is a good solid forgiving chocolate suitable for baking and enrobing. what are some of the items you produce with the Callebaut?

[This message has been edited by m brown (edited July 10, 2000).]

 

[momoreg]

I love it for ganache. 7#8- chocolate to 3.5 qt. heavy cream. It also makes great mousse, pudding, tarts or brulee. I use it for virtually everything.
I use the Callebaut bitter chocolate for cake mix.

One chocolate that I love is Scharffen Berger, but I've never tried baking with it. The flavor is very intense, though.

What kind do you use?

 

[m brown]

Right now I use El Rey Extra Bitter for a flourless chocolate cake, very intence. And El Rey Milk for a milk chocolate mousse parfait called S'mores Tart. The El Rey white chocolate is very cocoa buttery, more so than most other brands.
For garnishes I use Callebaut or Van Leer.
Valrohna is very popular and will use it when the house buys, but it is pricy for baking.
I have used Schokinog and like it very much.
Scharffen Berger is swell but to be used for praline work or enrobing or just eating!
What about Sauchard? (sp) or Felchen?

 

[m brown]

Ain't nothing wrong with Hersheys and Nestley! At many grocery stores you can find cadbury and Tobler.

 

[m brown]

when baking i go for the lower cost chocolates. for eating or praline making i go for the finer chocolates.
the difference is the content and quality of the cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar. the process of conching is most important as well; this is the kneading of the chocolate, refining of the chocolate giving the chocolate a smooth mouth feel and clean break.
couveture is the name of chocolate made with only cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithen and vanilla. No veg shortening or other fats included in couveture, the name of "chocolates" made with other fats is coating.
a fine chcolate is conched 72 hours and your average lower cost chocolate is conched 24 hours. fine couveture needs to be tempered (a series of heating and cooling to melt and bind together the cocoa butter and sugars ) before using while chocolate coating or chocolate made with veg fat does not.
I hope this helps and will answer any other questions you have.

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Thank You,
mb

 

[cookm]

Scharfenberger (sp?) rules! I made this pot de creme with the bittersweet and the semi-sweet, and I thought people were gonna orgasm. I've also made yummy brownies with it. It's not cheap, but I'm willing to pay the price.

 

[m brown]

endorphins, chocolate makes endorphins release in the brain much like sex or the feeling of being in love.
Could Scharfenberger be adding more theobromites to the chocolate to increase these feelings like the big tobaccco did with nicotine?

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You will not understand the American palate until you have rolled a marshmallow in sugar.

[This message has been edited by m brown (edited August 16, 2000).]

 

[m brown]

The beauty of chocolate is use what you like!
Bakers makes a fine brownie but I would not nessasaraly use it for enrobing fine fillings!

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bake first, ask questions later

 

[shroomgirl]

pastiles 55% or 70% Valharona and Sharffenberg.....Flourless chocolate cake with ganauche....Freezes ok too.

 

[gards]

What is the best chocolate to bake with? What is YOUR ultimate goal? The best chocolate is what is great for YOU and if applied, your CUSTOMERS. Would you like pure chocolate? That is chocolate with only one ingredient, cacao. Or, would you prefer a chocolate with just two ingredients cacao and organic sugar? IMO the best chocolate is one that not only tastes amazing but also has the bare minimum ingredients to create it.

Jeffray D. Gardner

Master Chocolate Maker

Marsatta Chocolate