Chocolate milk

Chocolate is one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world. Chocolates have become traditional gifts amongst certain holidays; chocolate bunnies and eggs on Easter, chocolate hearts or chocolate in heart-shaped boxes on Valentine’s Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate. A lot of chocolate lovers don’t really know what or which type of chocolates they are eating. There are varies types and all differ in sense, taste and look. Unsweetened chocolate (bitter chocolate) contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions.

The chocolate liquor is refined and until it contains 50-55% cocoa butter. Unsweetened chocolate is also called baking, plain or bitter chocolate. This is chocolate in its rawest form. Since no sugar has been added to the chocolate it has a strong, bitter taste that is used commonly in cooking and baking, but is never eaten straight out the wrapper. Milk chocolate is formulated by substituting whole milk solids for a portion of the chocolate liquor used in producing sweet chocolate. The US Government requires a 10% concentration of chocolate liquor and the European rules specify a minimum of 25% cocoa solids biodiesel.

Therefore milk chocolate does not contain as much chocolate liquor as dark chocolate, which gives it a softer chocolate flavor. Milk chocolate varies; the better brands contain a higher percentage of chocolate liquor using pure ingredients with no artificial flavoring. European milk chocolate generally contains condensed milk, while American and British milk chocolate contains a milk and sugar mixture. Semi-sweet chocolate is primarily an American term, popularized by Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate is a dark chocolate with low sugar content.

This chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids, and is generally assumed to be darker than sweet dark chocolate, but sweeter than bittersweet. However, the lack of regulations regarding sugar content means that these classifications are relative and not consistent across brands. Sweet dark chocolate (bitter sweet) does not contain milk solids, but it still has a high percentage of sugar and is much sweeter than other types of dark chocolates. Chocolate liquor, some sugar, more cocoa butter and vanilla are added.

Often, lecithin is added as well, as an emulsifying agent. Many brands of sweet dark chocolate have only 20-40% cocoa solids. It has less sugar and more liquor than semi-sweet chocolate, but the two are interchangeable in baking. White chocolate is formed from a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter and milk solids. It does not contain any cocoa solids. White chocolate has a creamy consistency and taste and should be ivory-colored. However, it lacks flavor because it contains no chocolate liquor which gives chocolate the bitter intense chocolate taste.

Because of this many countries do not consider white chocolate as chocolate. Chocolate has many uses and come in many different forms. Each variety offers its own set of uses, tastes, and textures that affect a dish. Whether to use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate is up the chef and his/her preference, but also based on how that specific chocolate completes that dish. That won’t change over time; chocolate will always be a staple in all types of cuisine, which exemplifies how versatile an ingredient it is.