Chocolate as an ingredient is a great way to add richness and bite to your cooking or baking. Cooking and baking with chocolate can be made easy and simple; here are few general guidelines for handling chocolates.

Storing Chocolate Properly

Chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry place where there are relatively irrelevant temperature fluctuations and in an area which is far from direct sunlight. Chocolate should be tightly wrapped in foil, so that it does not absorb moisture. Try to avoid storing chocolates in the refrigerator because its sugar rises up and crystallizes. Dark chocolate has a longer shelf life than milk or white chocolate, generally can retain its flavor for several years. White and milk chocolate can only be stored for a year or less.

Melting Chocolate

Melting chocolate requires full attention because it can produce too much grain or can easily burn. The best way to melt chocolate is to heat at low temperatures, make sure that you do not go above 115° F. it is best to make use of a double boiler-a pot that actually consists of two pots, one on top of the other. The pot at the top holds the chocolate and the pot at the bottom holds an inch of simmering water. A substitute to double boilers is a heat proof bowl that is large enough to suspend over a pot without its bottom having to touch the simmering water. The water should be simmered over low heat and the chocolate stirred frequently. As soon as the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and stir it until it becomes smooth. It is very important to remember that not to get any water into the chocolate, not even a small drop as it can turn the chocolate lumpy and grainy.

Chocolate is made from cocoa pods grown on the cacao tree, a small evergreen native to the tropical regions of South America. The secret to the best quality chocolate is the amounts of cocoa solids present in it. The cocoa bean develops its aroma during fermentation and gives the beans their known chocolate taste, Fermentation begins at 100 -120°F. The fruit pulp carrying the cocoa beans is poured into a fermenting tub or placed between banana leaves.
After harvesting the cacao pods containing cacao beans are crushed and left to ferment and dry for about six days. Then beans are removed from the pods and left to further dry. Quality chocolates demands slow drying process. Some chocolate producers prefer to buy beans; others opt for chocolate mass. The beans are heated to 70 C and hard-pressed to extract the cocoa butter (48-51 percent), which is clarified, becoming yellow and clear. At this phase, lecithin is added to make the mass malleable. After blending, the cocoa beans are roasted then the cocoa beans are shelled, and the pieces of seeds (called nibs) are ground until chocolate liquor is produced. Extra cocoa butter is added to increase the delicacy of the chocolate, and is largely responsible for its flavor.
Some chocolate is good for eating, and some for cooking. Some like overture chocolate can be used for baking, eating or coating candies. This is generally considered the highest quality chocolate, and it has a high percentage of cocoa butter, making it smooth and easily tempered. Couverture is a unique kind of chocolates. Couverture chocolate has more cocoa butter than normal chocolate, anywhere from 34% to 39% for a really high-quality brand. These types of high quality chocolate are used as a coating for things like chocolate truffles.