What makes good chocolate, good?
Chocolate is a proprietary product with each producer having its own process
usually shrouded with secrecy. Accordingly, there is a great deal of difference in
brands with the better quality brands usually offering better chocolates. Try
different chocolates to find the ones that you love.
Cocoa butter is critical to good chocolate. Usually, youll want to avoid any
chocolate product that has added fat, usually listed on the label as hydrogenated
fat. That means that they are substituting vegetable fat for the cocoa butter.
While other fat is sometimes added to coating chocolates to alter handling
characteristics, youll be happier with a pure product in your baking.
Is white chocolate really chocolate?
That depends on the product and your definition of chocolate. The FDA does not
recognize or regulate the term white chocolate as it does other chocolate
products. White chocolate does not contain cocoa solids. It should contain cocoa
butter along with sugar, flavors, and milk solids. Be aware of lesser products that
do not use cocoa butter. Even more so than in dark chocolate, there is a great
difference in quality in those products labeled white chocolate or vanilla chips.