When it comes to love, chocolate is definitely one of the spokesmen. It is said that chocolate has an aphrodisiac effect. It is said that chocolate is sweet and bitter and has the taste of [love]. It is said that chocolate can make people happy. It is said that…
No matter what effect chocolate has, it is definitely an important prop to show love on Valentine’s Day, a special day full of small couples and killing single Wang (provided you have one …).
Chocolate is good, but if you want to send out some chocolate sold all over the street, you still need to raise your posture, or if you want to satisfy your mouth with Ta’s (te) product (tiao) position (ti)! Knowing your lover’s taste is the first level: sweet? Bitter? Soft? Hard? Sandwich? Only when you choose according to your needs can you send it to somebody else’s heart!
There are so many kinds of chocolate, how to choose?
Even if you know Ta’s preferences, but you don’t know chocolate, it will merge … Don’t panic, this will give you the secret!
To become a senior chocolate eater, one must first understand several concepts:
Total cocoa solids: Also called [cocoa content]. We often say 70% dark chocolate, Which means 70% of cocoa solids, Includes cocoa nuggets, cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Cocoa nuggets: It means that after cocoa beans are processed, The product obtained by grinding, It has the aroma of cocoa, rich polyphenols and a large amount of cocoa butter. Cocoa butter: It is pure fat extracted from cocoa beans. The mellow taste of chocolate depends on it, but it is not of special benefit to health in what. Cocoa powder: refers to the powder made by partially defatted cocoa bean fragments and ground into which many healthy substances (such as cocoa flavanols, theobromine, polyphenols, etc.) are concentrated, which also mainly determines the bitter taste of chocolate.
These cocoa ingredients are mixed into various ingredients according to a specific proportion to form chocolate with various flavors and its products.
- Dark chocolate: The varieties with high popularity in the past two years, The content of total cocoa solids is high, at least 30 percent, So the color is usually darker, It has a heavy sour feeling. Milk chocolate: It is probably the chocolate that eats the most people. Cocoa content is not as good as dark chocolate, But more milk. White Chocolate: No cocoa powder, Chocolate contains more milk and sugar than milk. Basically, it has no unique flavor and color of cocoa. Leaving only its silky taste. This variety of chocolate is high in sugar, There is no healthy substance in cocoa powder yet… it is not recommended to eat it often. Truffle chocolate: This is a chocolate fancy, Looks like a truffle, Actually, it has nothing to do with truffles. Due to different techniques, This chocolate has a low melting point, Therefore, it often has the taste of melting in the mouth. Depending on the cocoa ingredients contained, It also has different varieties such as black Qiao, milk and white Qiao. It should be noted that, At present, the truffle chocolate on the market for tens of dollars in a large box is basically made of cocoa butter instead and is not recommended. Raw chocolate: This is a chocolate method developed by Japanese chocolate manufacturers. Different from traditional chocolate, the raw materials are added with more whipped cream and have unique flavor, but the shelf life is relatively short (usually only about 30 days).
From a health point of view, all kinds of dark chocolate are of course the best, and the higher the cocoa content, the better. However, dark chocolate with high cocoa content will taste sour. If you choose from a combination of health and taste:
This year’s best chocolate winner is dark chocolate with cocoa content between 65% and 75%!
Reason for winning the award: It tastes rich and not too bitter, and is healthier than milk chocolate and white chocolate.
Cocoa butter substitute chocolate is much cheaper, is it recommended?
Cocoa butter plays an important role in people’s love for chocolate and its taste that melts in the mouth.
But cocoa butter is so expensive! ! ! In order to reduce costs and increase production, chocolate manufacturers have found that chocolate made by processing other oils seems to be good either: similar taste, lower cost and possibly longer shelf life! These cocoa butter substitute fats have a broad general term in China: cocoa butter substitute.
Due to the lower cost, cocoa butter substitute chocolate is indeed much cheaper, but from a health point of view, it is not recommended for everyone to buy it.
Generally speaking, cocoa butter substitute chocolate does not taste as good as natural cocoa butter chocolate, and there may also be problems with trans fats. Especially for some small manufacturers, if the hydrogenation process (the processing steps that may be required in the production of cocoa butter substitute) is not good enough, it is easy to produce a by-product: trans fats.
It has obvious adverse effects on cardiovascular health. If it is good to eat it occasionally, but if you eat it frequently and like other processed cakes at the same time, you need to be alert to the intake of trans fat.
In a word, those who can buy natural cocoa butter should try not to buy cocoa butter substitutes. Especially for giving away, then don’t choose [cocoa butter substitute], which sounds not atmospheric.
However, is it necessarily true that the advertisement says [there is no cocoa butter substitute]?
The definition of cocoa butter substitute in China’s national standard is: [Can replace cocoa butter in whole or in part, Vegetable oils derived from non-cocoa butter.] That is to say, All other vegetable oils except cocoa butter (cream butter is not counted), no matter the name of what (e.g. Cocoa butter substitute, refined XX, refined XX, hydrogenated XX…), belong to the scope of cocoa butter substitute. As long as the addition amount exceeds 5%, it is cocoa butter substitute chocolate. So don’t be fooled (truffle chocolate is the hardest hit area)!
Look at the ingredient list! If it is really indicated that cocoa butter is used, then OK, but if [refined vegetable oil] is used and it is still at the top of the ingredient list, it is a change of concept.
Merchants said: XX chocolate does not gain weight after eating…?
The most common is the advertisement of dark chocolate.
First of all, it should be clear that if you eat too much food, you will get fat. This is a problem of energy conservation and has nothing to do with variety, sweetness, etc.
To be more rigorous, for chocolate, the fat content is usually about 30-50%, and the carbohydrate content is also above 50%. In other words, the total amount of sugar and oil is above 80%. Do you think eating too much will make you fat?
I’ll give you a list of ingredients. Hold your breath and watch for yourself!
Nutrient Content of Chocolate (100 g Edible Part)
Eating a 100 g chocolate is almost one-third of the calorie share of a day. Even dark chocolate with high healthy ingredients will gain weight if you eat too much.
So how much chocolate is appropriate? In fact, there is no absolute answer to this question. Generally speaking, there is no problem with 20 ~ 30g per day and eating less other snacks.
Of course, if you really can’t stop, scientific research says it is also feasible to eat a large plate at a time, but it is best not to think about the second time in a short time.
I received/bought a lot of chocolate. How can I save it?
Whether you are a heartthrob, you can’t send it out, or you are single and want to comfort yourself, resulting in a lot of chocolates in your home. How to preserve so many good things is difficult. People often open the package and find their chocolates [moldy] [frosty] [bug]… How should chocolates be preserved?
1. Be sure to seal the package.
Chocolate is very tasty, and it is fine when it is not opened. Once it is opened, it is better to put the chocolate that has not been eaten in a sealed container, otherwise you may get a piece of stinky tofu.
2. Appropriate temperature and humidity.
Chocolate is prone to fat precipitation (white frost). Although it does not affect the taste, it is not very good-looking. The most suitable temperature is 15 ~ 17 ℃, so generally do not refrigerate chocolate, especially freezing. Just put it in a cool and dry place.
3. Avoid the light! Avoid the light! Avoid the light!
Say the important things three times. Light not only affects the temperature, but also may cause fat oxidation. No packaging material can completely isolate air and light. To ensure good quality, stay away from the sun.
4. Special preservation of special varieties.
For special varieties such as raw chocolate, keep them honestly according to the requirements of merchants.
I wish everyone a happy Valentine’s Day. I’m going to buy chocolate!