Have you ever wonder what the “% cocoa” meant on chocolate labels? That number actually refers to the total percentage of cocoa solids in that product (including the chocolate liquor (chocolate mass), cocoa butter and also cocoa powder).

Percentage of cocoa can be deemed as a guide to specific flavour intensity. The lower the number indicates a milder chocolate taste while the higher the number means the product has a deeper chocolate flavour.  This number would be able to help you choose the chocolate that matches your taste preference and palate or your recipe’s needs

Greater Flavor Intensity:

In general, a higher “% cocoa” meant a more intense chocolate flavor. For example, under Codex Regulations require a milk chocolate to contain not less than 25% cocoa solids whereas a dark chocolate contain not less than 35% total cocoa solids resulting in a higher “% cocoa” and a more intense chocolate flavor

Less Sweetness:

A higher “% cocoa” means less added sugar. For example, a 70 percent cocoa dark chocolate has roughly 12 percent less sugar than a 58 percent cocoa dark chocolate.

Varying Amounts of Flavanol Content:

Chocolate has received much positive news from health researchers because of its flavanols. While these compounds are present in chocolate liquor and cocoa powder, actual levels of flavanols in a particular product may fluctuate widely depending upon the recipe, cocoa beans used, processing practices, and storage and handling conditions. Therefore, “% cocoa” may not necessarily indicate a chocolate’s flavanol content.

Always remember to check % cocoa in order to correctly gauge the flavour and taste of the chocolates! Till next time.

1. Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate primarily contains cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. The amount of cocoa mass and butter decides the cocoa percentage of the chocolate and its origins contributes to its complex flavour profiles. Generally, a higher percentage chocolate has less sugar and more intense flavour profiles.

For example, our Artisan Dark Couverture 73 has a robust cocoa note that can potentially overpower other flavours in your dessert. However, if applied and paired properly, all flavours can be harmonised and brought out together.

2. Milk Chocolate

Milk Chocolate primarily consists of cocoa mass, cocoa butter, milk and sugar. Different chocolates have different composition but generally, milk chocolate contains a higher percentage of milk than cocoa content.

In milk chocolate, what we are focusing on is its creamy texture and milky notes. Milk aren’t just milk! The origins do affect the flavour profiles.

It is simpler when it comes to choosing milk chocolate for your dessert as it can be the star ingredient of the dessert itself or an ingredient to add creaminess to your dessert’s texture. Milk chocolate also matches well with most nuts, tea and coffee.

3. White Chocolate

Do you know? White chocolate is not exactly real chocolate as it is primarily made up of only cocoa butter, milk and sugar. They have no cocoa note due to the lack of cocoa mass but have a strong milky flavour, appealing more to people with a sweet tooth.

The milk flavours in white chocolates are more distinct and noticeable compared to milk chocolate. White chocolate is well loved by the industry not only because of the flavours but also of its flexibility. Different flavours, food dyes and colourings can be added to create your own distinct glaze or decorations.

In summary, different chocolates has its own unique characteristics and taste profiles. Depending on the dessert creations, I am sure our Pâtissier range of products can cater and match your needs.

Chocolate is divided into two distinct categories: real chocolate and compound chocolate. Both real chocolate and compound chocolate are chocolate – the difference is the type of lipid (fat) used in the production of the product.

1. Real Chocolate

Real chocolate contains cocoa butter which is extracted from cocoa bean.  Real chocolate requires tempering because of the nature of cocoa butter. This process re-establishes the cocoa butter crystals, giving the cooled and finished chocolate the proper sheen, snap and taste. Furthermore, tempering prevents bloom, ensuring that cocoa butter will not separate from the cocoa solids and turning the chocolate whitish or grayish in colour.

Real chocolate is subdivided into three categories based on the quality of the product (quality of the cocoa beans) and most importantly, the cocoa butter content:

1.1 Regular Chocolate

Regular chocolate is sweetened with sugar and is generally made from moderate quality cocoa beans. It has a very low cocoa butter content and a high viscosity (thickness when in a melted state).

1.2 Couverture Chocolate

Couverture Chocolate refers to the finest professional quality chocolate. It is produced with a high percentage of cocoa butter and uses premium cacao beans. It melts smoothly, making it ideal for specialty candy making and molding. When tempered and cooled, it forms an elegant glossy finish.

Tempering Temperature

1.3 Ultra-Couverture Chocolate

This chocolate is equal in quality to couverture chocolate, but with an even higher cocoa butter content. Ultra-Couverture Chocolate is the perfect chocolate for dipping and enrobing as compared to other chocolate due to the higher cocoa butter content and low viscosity. Producing such chocolate is extremely difficult to balance the high cocoa butter content while retaining superb taste and texture.  When tempered and cooled, it forms a thin and elegant glossy shell.

2. Compound

Compound contains vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter and tempering is not required. Most people uses compound due to its ease of use and lower price.

With the advancement in current technologies and adding cocoa butter replacements, you are able to create a compound with the same characteristic and applications of couverture chocolate. Quality is still being sacrificed since no tempering is required.

Introducing our Pâtissier Artisan Chocolate and Couverture range:

For those who hold themselves to the highest standard of culinary artistry, the Artisan range offers the superb quality expert chefs demand to create the absolute taste sensation. Containing pure cocoa butter, ranging from strong, full bodied cocoa note to mid-range savor, the richness of Artisan chocolate offers precision to design the highly specific flavors and textures that impress and delight.

Introducing our Pâtissier Gourmand Compound range:

The Gourmand range is designed to offer ease and flexibility for the most inspired baker. Praised for its simple yet versatile composition, the Gourmand’s compound chocolates are easy to temper, fit for wide applications and possess longer shelf lives.

Its assorted range of textures and viscosity helps busy professionals like you save time so that the most delectable desserts and divine confections are created spontaneously.

Butter and cheese are made of the same ingredient: milk. The main difference, however, is that butter consists of mostly milk fat. In fact, according to FDA standards, it must contain no less than 80% milk fat. Cheese on the other hand, consists mainly of milk protein. Its manufacturing process requires adding rennet, an enzyme that causes milk proteins to coagulate, or curdle. This curd is then pressed and processed into the cheese that we see everyday.

Normally, cheese-making involves a curdling process using an enzyme. The two enzymes typically  used are either animal rennet and microbial/vegetable rennet. The latter is an enzyme from plants; hence cheese made with this kind of rennet is suitable for vegetarians. Most commodity cheeses such as Cheddar Cheese, Processed Cheddar Cheese, and Mozzarella Cheese are made using microbial or vegetable rennet, so vegetarians can safely consume them.

There are many kinds of cheese to choose from, each of them with different percentages of fat content. If you still want to get a high amount of calcium from cheese (1 kg. of cheese is produced from 10 liters of milk) but are afraid of getting fat, you can always choose low fat cheese. However, you should keep in mind that the amount of fat in cheese also determines its creamy, rich flavour.

Allowrie Zero Butter Blend Spread is a new, healthy recipe butter that has undergone a delicate and detailed production process, beginning with the selection raw materials and ending with the ready-to-eat finished product: a healthy butter that has 0% trans fat. Hence, it reduces risk of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. Allowrie Zero Butter Blend Spread is also fortified with Omega 3 and DHA, making it an even healthier choice.

Allowrie Processed Cheddar Cheese in yellow packaging are called “slice on slice”. This kind of cheese is recommended for hot sandwiches or recipes that require heating. Meanwhile, the blue packaging contains individually-wrapped cheese slices which are excellent for cold sandwiches or recipes that don’t require heating. “Slice on slice” cheese is especially produced to withstand a greater amount of heat and melt more slowly, so that when it is heated or baked, the cheese will melt to an appropriate texture, yielding better flavours. Both types of cheese, however, contain the same amount of protein and calcium.

Butter consists mainly of fat derived from milk whereas margarine, or imitation butter, is based on vegetable fat, or a combination of vegetable and milk fat. Butter and margarine can be used in place of each other. There are, however, 2 basic kinds of margarine: 1) shelf stable margarine, an inexpensive margarine that is easy to store and use, and 2) margarine that must be kept refrigerated. The latter is produced from unsaturated fatty acids such as sunflower oil, olive oil, cottonseed oil or canola oil and is healthier because it does not accumulate in the body and in fact, even helps reduce cholesterol.