COOKING WITH CHOCOLATE

The best chocolate to cook with is good quality eating chocolate . There are two ways to melt chocolate , the first is in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, but make sure no water gets onto the chocolate or it will seize, forming a clump and harden , which will see you having to throw it out and start again . Or you can melt chocolate in a microwave on low power , but remember that chocolate keeps it shape when heated in the microwave , so you need to heat it in 15 sec increments and stir . There are 4 main types of chocolate from which you can cook with . 1. Good quality bittersweet chocolate ( plain / dark chocolate ), which contains a high percentage of cocoa , anywhere from 35% to 77%. 2. Milk chocolate , contains milk powder or condensed milk and has a lower percentage of cocoa than bittersweet chocolate , but more sugar . 3. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter and milk , it contains no chocolate liquor, which explains why it is white in colour . 4. Compound chocolate is cheaper than other chocolate because some of he cocoa butter has been replaced with oil , which changes the taste and texture of the chocolate . Chocolate comes in various qualities from oversweet , cheap tasting easter chocolate to superb rich chocolate that has been kneaded to a smooth , creamy texture . The better the chocolate you use in your recipes , the better the result .