The Well-Tempered Chocolatier

Debunking chocolate myths: #2

March 6, 2009 · 4 Comments

All chocolate is not the same.

I’ve been known to spend a ridiculous amount of money on artisan chocolate. While in New York City a few summers ago, I visited four chocolate shops. I wanted to try everything and couldn’t choose, so I ended up buying the largest box possible from each chocolatier. Let’s just say that it wasn’t cheap.

Why spend so much money on something so fleeting? Well, I’d like to turn the question around: wouldn’t you rather spend good money on good products, rather than spend little money on something bad?

Good chocolatiers will only use real ingredients that you can pronounce. Typically, that means cream, chocolate, butter, and whatever flavours they’re adding. The main concern is for richness, mouth feel, and the flavour profile. You’re paying for the time and care that went into developing the recipe, and for the expertise of the people making the chocolate.

On the other hand, cheap, mass-produced is full of fillers: fondant (sugar, sugar, and more sugar), corn syrup (blech), stabilizers, cheap oils, and goodness konws what else. The main concern is to extend shelf life. Flavour is non-existent. You’re more likely to notice that your teeth feeling like they’re rotting.

Just like with anything else, you get what you pay for. I choose to spend my money on high-quality, artisan chocolate - maybe a little less often than I’d like, but those are the breaks. Life is too short to eat cheap chocolate.

Categories: Food science
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4 responses so far ↓

  • Nancy // March 6, 2009 at 10:24 am

    Do you know why cheap chocolate bars usually have a waxy look /texture to them? They don’t literally add wax do they?? :S

  • Joseph Wu // March 6, 2009 at 3:42 pm

    Yes, I think they do add wax.

  • Daniel // March 7, 2009 at 7:02 am

    Hear, hear. I remember when I was a teenager discovering Lindt chocolate for the first time, and I actually was angry that I spent so many years thinking that Hershey’s was all there was!

    Dan
    Casual Kitchen

  • thewelltemperedchocolatier // March 7, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Sometimes they do add wax. Gross, eh? More often, companies add hydrogenated or modified vegetable oils to their chocolate. The combination of fats results in a waxy texture, and that gross feeling on your tongue. They will also add more sugar and less actual cocoa mass, in an attempt to fool your taste buds.

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