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Chocolate, Bitter,
Sweet
or Powdered
Equivalents & Emergency Recipe Substitutions
Help
Chocoholics in the Kitchen
It is always a good time to
make
something with chocolate. When
the mood seizes you, discovering you haven't got a crucial ingredient
can ruin the mood. Knowing its "equivalent" or substitution can
save the day.
Today, Mom helps cooks and chocoholics with tips on
chocolate and includes the world's easiest dipped strawberry recipe.
Chocolate is made from the bean of the tropical cacao tree. In
its purest baking form chocolate comes powdered, is usually sold in
tins and is called cocoa.
There are two types of cocoa in this
world; regular cocoa and Dutch cocoa. Dutch cocoa, or alkalized
cocoa has reduced the natural acidity of the cocoa bean resulting in a
darker, mellower, more chocolaty cocoa powder. For the most part,
these can be used interchangeably.
Cocoa powder is not to be
confused with those packaged hot cocoa drink mixes, which don't work
well in recipes.
Sugar and fat are usually added to cocoa powder for
sweetening and
consistency - and cake! In our kitchens, fat can be in the form
of cocoa butter, margarine, butter, vegetable shortening or vegetable
oil. Sugars, either powdered or granulated add sweetness and also
add to consistency. Powdered sugar will be smoother.
Once
we understand the basics of chocolate it makes substituting ingredients
much easier. Here are some more definitions and equivalents.
Cocoa: Powdered, chocolate in its
most basic form (beyond the bean).
Baking Chocolate: Generally sold in bars
and measured in squares of 1 ounce each. Normally has some fat
but no sugar content.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Sold in chips or
bars. Normally has some fat plus a small amount of sugar.
1 square (1 oz) of baking chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa + 1
tablespoon
butter or margarine
1 cup (or one 6 oz package) of semisweet chocolate = 6
tablespoons cocoa
+ 7 tablespoons granulated sugar + 1/4 cup shortening
1 cup (or one 6 oz package) of semisweet chocolate = 6 oz or (6
squares) of semi-sweet chocolate
Easy Chocolate Dipped
Strawberries
This will also work with
cherries or any other fruit with a skin.
Use about 18 large fresh strawberries, room temperature and patted dry
plus 1 pound semi sweet (or any type) chocolate pieces, coarsely
chopped.
1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate,
stirring occasionally until smooth. Or heat the chocolate at 50%
power for 30 second intervals in the microwave, carefully checking
temperature until it is smooth.
2. Using the berry stem or a toothpick, dip the strawberries into
the chocolate.
3. Cool the berries on wax paper, or put the toothpicks into
Styrofoam (or a potato).
More Chocolate Cooking Tips:
Make sure the
berries are completely dry. Even a drop of water in the melted
chocolate can cause it to "seize" and make the chocolate grainy.
This recipe will produce tempered chocolate, or chocolate that dries to
a hard shine. If the chocolate becomes too thick to work with, add
drops of vegetable oil, small amounts of vegetable shortening or cocoa
butter (butter and margarine contain water) stirring until it becomes
the right consistency.
Good
luck and
happy cooking!
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