Three Simple Steps to Making the Perfect Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is a drink that is known throughout the world as a drink that is wonderful. It has a rich taste, its warm and makes you feel great. Best of all the drink tastes amazing and will keep you feeling great for a long time after you have finished drinking it. People all over the world are now used to making the drink, but of course with any drink that is popular there are methods to make sure that you make the perfect cup every single time. There is nothing worse than sitting down after you have made what you thought was the perfect cup of hot chocolate only to realise that it tastes disgusting.

That is not something that you want to experience and of course if you do experience it then you may find that you will not try to make another cup again.

But rest assured, that after years of making this seemingly lovely drink have perfected the way that it should be made, and will reveal all today so that you too can join me and make the perfect cup of hot chocolate that both you and your friends can come to enjoy again and again and again.

The first step to making the perfect hot chocolate is to make sure that you have purchased the perfect and most tasteful hot chocolate available to you. I would recommend that you pick a brand that is known for producing high quality products. This may be a little more expensive but you need to understand that the quality of the chocolate must be outstanding if you want to be able to make best cup of hot chocolate. So go for the best brand, you will not regret it.

Next step is to make sure that you use four teaspoons of hot chocolate for each cup that you make. You want to make one cup at a time, and give each cup that you make your full attention. There is nothing worse than trying to make three cups at the same time, and all the three cups are of crap quality. So just focus on the one cup, and use four teaspoons of your high quality chocolate.

The third steps is to make sure that you boil milk and pour it over the hot chocolate nice and slowly. You really want the chocolate granules to melt and dissolve into the milk with ease. Do not rush this step. Once you have filled the cup to the top with milk let it stand for about 30 seconds and then mix with a teaspoon. Then voila you have your perfect cup of hot chocolate. Enjoy.

Leroy has been writing articles for nearly 3 years. Come visit his latest website over at Cosco Car Seats which helps people find the best Cosco Car Seat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leroy_Nicholson

How chocolate is made from the cacao bean?

Chocolate is produced from the seed of the evergreen cacao tree, native to tropical regions of the Americas. The seed of this tree is extraordinarily bitter, as anyone who has tasted unsweetened chocolate can attest to.

With high quality dark chocolate products, there is typically a percentage of cacao indicated on the label. The more cacao, the more bitter the treat. So what is the secret for transforming bitter beans into mouth-watering, rich chocolate?


How Chocolate Is Made

There is a lot more than you might think involved in the production of chocolate candy. It all starts with processing of the cacao bean.

In order for the cacao seed's flavor to be developed, it must first be extracted from the shell, and then fermented, dried, cleaned and roasted. After this process, the cacao bean is ultimately referred to as a cacao nib.

The nibs are usually ground, to release the oil within them. The heat of grinding transforms the nibs into chocolate liquor; a very dark, thick substance which, can be poured into molds. After hardening, the liquor becomes the solid bitter chocolate used for baking and candy-making.


Transforming Chocolate from Bitter to Sweet

To make chocolate sweet, other substances such as sugar, cocoa butter, a sometimes other flavorings are added. Cocoa butter is a byproduct of the cocoa making process, obtained by separating the fat from the rest of the ground nib. The butter of the cacao bean is what gives chocolate its rich, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.

Once the ingredients are blended, chocolate is often subjected to a process known as conching. Conching uses many small metal beads to grind up the chocolate, breaking it down into microscopic bits and removing the grittiness. The end product is smooth, rich chocolate. The longer the chocolate is conched, the smoother and higher quality it will be.

The final step of chocolate production is tempering. Crystals form when chocolate cools from a liquid to a solid, and tempering ensures that the chocolate crystals are uniform in size. This is important, because if the crystals vary widely, the chocolate will be crumbly, and not have that smooth sheen and crisp bite that is part of the chocolate eating experience.


What Is White Chocolate?

White chocolate is still chocolate, but made without the use of the dark chocolate liquor. The only component of white chocolate that comes from cacao is the cacao butter. Without the dark liquor, the chocolate product stays light in color. Sugars and other flavors are then added to sweeten it up.

How to make chocolate ?

It's easy to make chocolate but it's hard to make chocolate well. This is why there are so few excellent chocolate makers in the world and those who are very good at it retain their respective titles.

You can try making chocolate at home, but after a few attempts, unless you're a hobbyist, you'll probably resort to buying it from the store in the future.

The first thing you'll need to do is select your beans. The Forasteros bean has a slightly bitter taste and weak aroma but due to the fact that it grows in high yields, it's the most popular cocoa bean in the world, accounting for most of the world's chocolate production. The Criollo bean is of higher quality than the Forasteros but more expensive. The Trinitario is a hybrid of the Criollo and the Forasteros, while the Nacional has a nice aroma but it's hard to grow, making it one of the less popular cocoa beans.

After selecting your cocoa beans you'll need to roast them until the hulls crack. It can be anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour at a temperature range of 250 to 300 degrees. It's important to keep an eye on them so you know when the shells crack and you can take them out before they burn. Use the same method you might use to roast chestnuts and Christmas time.

Remove the husks. It's possible to do this with a hammer and a thick cutting board. Next you'll need to grind the beans to a powder and refine the powder by grinding them again. Since cocoa beans have a pulp and a moisture to them, don't grind them using a wheat grinder, as it will cause the wheat grinder to clog and create a paste rather than a powder.

Next, agitate the chocolate by folding it over and add sugar, lecithin, and milk if you want milk chocolate. This process takes quite a long time and you might need to use a machine that mixes automatically. Some bread mixers work quite well for this.

Finally, temper the chocolate by heating the mixture. This makes the chocolate smooth and shiny, though it's difficult to do it perfectly and if it doesn't temper properly your chocolate could either turn out burned or it might succumb to "bloom," which is when a white covering develops on the outside of the chocolate. Bloom doesn't ruin the chocolate but it does make it less attractive.

After all your hard work, enjoy your final product. Remember, after all, that chocolate contains alkaloids that are similar to the hormones your body produces when you're falling in love.

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How to Stop Craving For Chocolate?

Chocolate craving is a common occurrence among women. It can consume us especially when our period is about due. Most women simply give in to their craving and don't think that it is that big a deal, but for others the cravings are so intense that it becomes almost life consuming. If you are turning your house upside down to find chocolate or going out late to specifically get chocolate you are not alone! 90% of women experience chocolate cravings but often it is not taken seriously enough.

No matter whether you crave a little or a lot, chocolate is addicted and targets the same area of your brain as heroin does. On top of having an opiate like effect on your brain, chocolate also contains caffeine, theobromine (a stimulant similar to caffeine), phenylethylamine (an amphetamine-like substance) and also traces of compounds similar to THC (the active ingredient in Marijuana). So you are fighting a physically addictive substance here and it shouldn't be taken so light heartedly!

On top of physically craving chocolate, chocolate is also a comfort food used by many us. Of course it isn't the only one - other junk foods are also commonly used to emotional numb us, take away boredom and relieve us from stress. However the physical addiction of chocolate as well as the emotional addiction can lead to disaster and can make it almost impossible to overcome.

So what do you do when cravings hit? Here are 5 tips to help you overcome the physical cravings to chocolate.

1. Eat a nutritious satiating breakfast.

Eating a good breakfast will not only help you overcome cravings but if help you fight them off later in the day. I know if I don't have a good breakfast I can get intense cravings very easily in the afternoon. Be careful what you choose to eat also. Whole foods are the best type of food to eat in the morning as they will give you the energy you need and won't have been stripped from nutrients, so try to consume plenty of fresh fruit with your breakfast. Dr Neal Barnard in his book Breaking the Food Seduction, sites a study stating that when volunteers ate regular oatmeal over instant oatmeal they snacked 35% less during the day. This shows you how important it is to eat a less refined breakfast and one that is nutritious and will sustain you.

2. Eat regularly.

Try not to leave a huge gap between meals or leave time for you to start feeling too hungry. Being too hungry can lead to uncontrollable cravings.

Eat regularly to avoid getting overly hungry. Five mini-meals spaced out throughout the day may work best. But if that is too hard to accomplish go for three main meals with two healthy snacks.

3. Don't even have a little chocolate.

Many people advocate giving yourself a little "treat" now and then. I think that to have only a small treat of something you crave so much is dangerous and always leads to eating more. That has always been the case for me. I don't eat it now and haven't for a long time. I don't miss it either! So be strong. Your cravings will diminish completely after a few days or so.

4. Identify what triggers your cravings.

Do you crave chocolate when you are bored, stressed, angry? Find out what triggers your cravings and find something else to overcome the feelings you are having. This can be as easy as allowing yourself time alone to feel the emotion and let it pass, to going for a walk or talking to someone.

5. Wait it out.

Sometimes cravings only last a few minutes. So you can try waiting it out. If you find it doesn't subside and are still craving badly have some water or eat some fruit. Don't stock chocolate in your house either as this makes it easier for you to get a hold of and more likely you will cave.

These are only a few tips but can be very effective.

Kelly Aziz is an expert in the field of nutrition and addiction psychology. She is the author of the acclaimed "Free to Eat" Combat Your Cravings Ebook that helps you eat well and combat cravings for good. For more information please visit: http://www.CombatYourCravings.com

Stop Chocolate Cravings

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Aziz

Do You Like Chocolate Candies?

What do you think of when you hear the word "chocolate candies"?

Chocolate candies are excellent for when you need something to munch on. Come on, you have to admit it. You love chocolate. You like to stare at it, look at it, touch it, feel it... forget all that, you just like to eat it. Sometimes you even like to swallow it whole! Gulp it!

After all... that's why you're here, right? You know, on this page? You were searching for chocolate just a second ago, right? Chocolate candies, to be exact? That's how you landed on this page, right?

Chocolate is great for anyone with a sweet tooth.

What do you want when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep?

What do you want after a long hard day of work?

What do you want after a meal for desert?

Even if you don't like chocolate candies, chances are exceptionally high that you know someone who does. If you're wondering what to get someone, get chocolate candies. They're the perfect diverse gift because you can never have enough and virtually everyone likes them.

If you're going somewhere and you hate to show up empty-handed without a gift, consider getting some chocolate candies. You can get any kind you want because they're the perfect gift-it doesn't matter what kind because everyone loves chocolate.

On a first day in a new job, consider getting some chocolate candies to pass around in the office. This will make you very popular and will help "break the ice", so to speak.

If you can't decide what to get your BFFL on her birthday, consider getting her some chocolate. After all, chances are that nobody else will have thought of that-so it's a unique gift, and one that will make her shriek in delight.

What about for that impossible person to shop for on the list? You know they hate gift cards, right? Try getting chocolate. They'll melt. After all, you can never have too many. And even if that person is getting a ton of chocolate already, there is so much chocolate on the market that yours are almost guaranteed to be different.

By the way, it's perfectly acceptable to get some chocolate candies as a gift to yourself, just for you to eat. You know you like-no-love them.

Ken Smith 1676 Ala Moana Blvd Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 http://www.dans-chocolates.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenji_Smith

How to make home mad chocolate?

The easiest way to make chocolate is to buy cooking chocolate from your local supermarket, melt it down, and pour it into molds. Cooking chocolate usually comes in four different flavours: milk, white, dark, and caramel. You do not, however, have to restrict yourself to these flavours as any store bought chocolate can be melted down and used. Now, we will take a look at the different steps used in making your chocolate.


Break or chop up the chocolate and put it into a bowl; this makes it easier to melt. Next, place the bowl into a microwave oven and put it on high. Another method is to place the broken up chocolate into a ceramic or glass bowl, which is then placed over a pot of boiling water. The aim is to use the steam to melt the chocolate, so never let the bowl touch the boiling water.

If the chocolate retains its original shape - thereby slowing down the melting process - one can stir it, with a wooden spoon, halfway through the process. This will keep it from overcooking. Note: different kinds of chocolate melt at different rates. White chocolate melts the fastest, while dark chocolate takes twice as long. Cooking chocolate, on the other hand, is the slowest melting chocolate of all three.

If the melted chocolate is too thin to use for decorating, add glycerine, as this thickens its consistency.

Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into a mold and leave it to harden. Generally, molds can be brought at your local supermarket; for more variety, you might want to go to a catering supply store. Alternatively, you can make your own molds by using aluminium foil or hygienic non-toxic plastics. If you are on a budget, ice trays can make good mold. You should not, however, use copper as it releases a poisonous residue that can be harmful.

For variety, one can melt two or three different types of chocolate and pour them into the different sections of the same mold. For example, if you have a mold of the Easter bunny, you could pour white chocolate into the mold of his head, milk chocolate into his body, and dark chocolate into his legs. Mixing different kinds of chocolates into the same mold will give you a unique looking chocolates and a variety of tastes. Another idea is to fill the mold almost to the brim with milk chocolate then, while it is still in liquid form, pour white chocolate in a spiral into the same mold, creating a beautiful whirl effect. The possibilities are endless! Bon appetite!



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ant_Coe

How To Read The Chocolate Bar Wrapper?

The non-stop good news about the health benefits of dark chocolate has top quality chocolate sales increasing while commercial grade bars sit idle on the shelf awaiting their expiration date. But all dark chocolate is not the same. In fact it's not even close. But don’t worry, guides below will have you on top of your bar trek in just a few minutes.

1. Top quality chocolate contains only three to five ingredients at most. Also, focus on pure chocolate bars with infusions like nuts, spices and dried fruits as opposed to sugar-laden filled chocolates. Bar chocolate is the new boxed chocolate.

2. The first ingredient should be chocolate or some rendition there of such as cocoa, cocoa beans, cocoa liquor (this isn't alcohol-just pure cacao), cocoa solids, cocoa mass.

3. Look for non-alkali cocoa, or non-dutched. Dutching darkens chocolate and mellows its naturally acidic flavor, but unfortunately it also removes many of the antioxidants and health benefits of chocolate. Non-dutched is healthier.

4. Cocoa butter. You won't have cocoa butter if cocoa liquor is on the wrapper (as it's included in the liquor), but you'll see it when the ingredients list unsweetened cocoa or cocoa powder. Animal products like milk fat and regular butter are not as healthy as cocoa butter.

5. Sugars are up next-organic or raw sugar cane, pure cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, beat sugar, sugar, raw sugar cane. Not as healthly-corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, maltose and other things that end with "ose."
6. Soy lecithin. Most bars contain this ingredient as an emulsifier-it helps chocolate maintain its form and consistency. However, a number of companies don't put lecithin in their bars, so it isn't absolutely necessary.

7. Vanilla. Look for vanilla beans, vanilla, organic vanilla. Vanillin (with the "n" on the end) is an artificial flavoring, so look for the "a" on the end for the real deal.

8. Fair trade: This means the manufacturer has paid higher-than-market price for the cocoa beans to help support the indigenous farmers who grow it. Always a good choice when available-invest in the future of quality chocolate.

9. Sugar-free chocolates...not recommended as most sugar-free sweeteners are unhealthy. Many contain aspartame, surcralose, saccharin and maltitol, products that tend to upset the stomach and cause gas. Eating dark chocolate with nuts (only 33 on the glycemic index, raising blood sugar less than a handful of grapes) is healthier than eating sugar-free chocolates. Diabetics should look for evaporated cane juice, a low-glycemic sweetener.

10. Shop for 70%+ dark chocolate. All the health benefits of chocolate (antioxidants, vitamins, mineral, protein, fiber, etc) are in the cocoa powder. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more value to your health.

Best Chocolate Dessert?

What may possibly be measured as the best chocolate dessert?
How does a person reply that question?
Maybe, the way we do it is by analyzing what we mean when we say best chocolate dessert.

The main key here is chocolate. A lot of desserts may contain chocolate in them, but it is a secondary flavor. A true chocolate dessert has chocolate at the heart of the whole thing. It is the base item from which the rest of the dessert is built.

We have to reduce desserts that do not feature the chocolate as the main ingredient. Chocolate is used as flavor in desserts, but is not the main source. Ice creams, donuts, unless completely chocolate, sauces, fruit dishes with chocolate sauces, cakes with the frosting, etc, would not be considered as best chocolate desserts. I have one for you, though, I think I only finished one whole piece in one setting, it was so rich.

I know there are many desserts that could jump and say they are the best chocolate dessert, but find themselves voted out of the contest, because chocolate is not the main ingredient. It has to be chocolate in its origin, and through the whole creative process, and stand alone as a chocolate heavyweight contender.

Ok, so here is my choice. It is called Chocolate Suicide. If we want to consider the chocolate of all, for me, it is Chocolate Suicide. It is a triple layer deep chocolate cake, with chocolate cream, like fudge, but creamier, between each layer, and topped with the same, and, if that's not enough, a wedge of chocolate bar in the top of each piece. The text messaging people would now write OMG!

This wins for me as the best chocolate dessert. I have tasted many chocolate desserts in my lifetime, believe me, but I am yet to find anything that represents pure, unadulterated chocolate to this day. Perhaps there is some lonely chocolate dessert waiting for me to discover it somewhere in thru frontiers of chocolate discovery, but until then...

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Young

Why Cook Gourmet Chocolate Centers in Copper Pots?

One of the distinct and tasty advantages to working in a chocolate factory is the opportunity to give tours to great people who love great gourmet chocolates. I wasn't raised making chocolate confections, so almost everything I've learned is new to me. I came on board at Lula's Chocolates as the business end of things but have found that I have a great interest in the production process.

I have had to learned the basics in order to conduct tours when nobody else was available but have taken it upon myself to learn the details of chocolate making. One of the questions I always get asked is why we cook our lush centers in huge, copper pots. This is one of those savory details I have loved investigating.

In my search for the answer, I first went to the source-the master chocolatier, Scott Lund. He explained that copper pots transfer the heat better so that the centers cook more evenly and the chances of their burning is reduced. That was a perfectly accurate answer, and one that would probably suffice for the average person coming through the factory for a tour, but the answer only fueled my curiosity. I wanted to know more.

These days it's easy to find out anything if you're willing to Google a topic and do some reading, so that is exactly what I did. I am now convinced that cooking in copper is the only way to go. Two of the most informative and easy-to-read articles are "Cooking with Copper" at rameria.com and "Understanding Pan Structure" at cookswares.com. Naturally these two websites are interested in selling copper pots, and they would like everybody to cook in copper so that their copper pots will sell. Yet sometimes the goal of selling becomes a great motivation for producing useful and even fascinating information.

So that you don't have to read all of the information given on these two sites, I will give you the lowdown on copper pot cooking in laymen's terms. Other than silver, copper is the best metal you can use if you want to conduct heat. For example, you can use a lower heat than you would with a stainless steel pot, and you can get a more consistent result. In addition, the copper disperses the heat better across the entire pot instead of just concentrating it where the heat is applied to the pot. This gives you more control over the cooking process. Finally, when you remove the pot from the heat, the heat disperses faster, allowing you to exercise more control over how long your items cook in the pot.

According to some websites, one of the down sides of using copper is what happens when you cook acidic foods. Acidic foods can actually leech some of the copper out of the pot, which is obviously poisonous. Fortunately for Lula's, the only tastiness being cooked are the candy centers of it's gourmet chocolate-which means perfectly created cremes, caramels, and ganaches. Every single time.

Come and explore the final results of cooking gourmet chocolates in copper pots at http://www.lulas.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Davidson

Belgian Chocolate

Famous Belgian chocolate has pure cocoa flavour because no vegetable shortening is used. Most tourists know that Belgium is a chocolate paradise. Belgium produces 172,000 tons of chocolate per year in over 2,130 chocolate shops.

Internationally known Belgian chocolate brands are: Galler, Guylian, Godiva, Leonidas, Marcolini, Neuhaus.

You will probably find those in your home country as well. It's good chocolate but if you want something exceptional and typically from Antwerp - read on.

Burie

Lieven Burie of the Burie chocolate shop took over when his father died suddenly. Already at school, this young talented man showed creativity only artists have (I was sitting just a few desks further). He now designs everything in chocolate and his store displays are often as attractive to watch as to bite in to it.

Yes this is not cheap, but you get only the very best quality and the finest taste experience in this place.

Del Rey

The finest of the finest, the best of the very best! No superlative can describe the chocolate combinations they have. Recently they expanded to the country of the rising sun (Japan) where they are also extremely successful.

They have a nice tasting room where you can eat small dishes and delicious cakes and pastries. Del-Rey is more then a chocolate maker. He is an artist that would be top chef in every food category. We are lucky he choose chocolate and pastries.

Goossens

Mr. Gossens makes one of the best and Famous Chocolate in Belgium, he can make whatever you request. Last year, the American ambassador ordered 1500 chocolate American stamps of 1 kilo and a lot of them when strait to the White house.

As we have a tradition in Belgium of giving sugar beans for the birth of a child. Goossens made a giant white sugar bean for the birth of the crown princes of Belgium. It was worth a mention in the Guinness book of records!

He also invented the chocolate hands filled with Elixir of Antwerp you find everywhere in the city. They are delicious!

We love his chocolates and buy it every time we go to Canada. My brother in law, the little man is only eighth could not believe his eyes when I brought the Christmas chocolates from Belgium. It was not just the taste - the chocolates are so beautifully crafted it's a pity to eat them.

So which is the best chocolate in Belgium? Try them all and decide :)

http://www.antwerp-tourist-guide.com/Belgium-Chocolate.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_Luczynska

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - A Delicious Combination!

The dipping of lush red strawberries into chocolate for the making of different types of desserts has been a common practice for many years. As a matter of fact, no one can quite recall when this tempting dish was first created. However, the idea of mixing sweet and tart has led to this dish becoming a particular favorite of many people!

Since fruits are our top vitamin providers, dipping different fruits into chocolate has become a favorite method of creating a healthy, scrumptious dessert! The different types of fruits that can be covered with chocolate are: apples, apricots, cherries, strawberries, peaches, grapes, and a variety of other tropical fruits. In today's world, strange and exotic tasting chocolates are favored more than the normal chocolate bars. In fact, different chocolates are being tried out and released into the market every year, with claims of exotic tastes to tempt the jaded palate! Bearing this in mind, the makers of chocolate covered strawberries create new recipes, with a special flair used to bring out the tart sweetness of the berry, mixed with the melting scrumptiousness of the chocolate covering!

In some countries, chocolate covered strawberries are created using dried strawberries. Although these do taste wonderful, there is nothing quite like the taste of freshness! If you're ever on a tour to Malaysia, make sure you visit their chocolate industry. While the actual chocolate is rather standard, the fruits that are dipped in it are so varied, it boggles the mind! However, you ought to be prepared for dry, tart and spicy!

So where was this art of making chocolate dipped strawberries first born? Although it isn't exactly known, there are some wild theories that this practice first began with the Sultans in the Arab World. However, considering the fact that strawberries seem to be found mostly in wet climes, this theory doesn't seem to be valid!

Chocolate covered strawberries are a treat in any season and more so when they're out of season! When creating this wonderful dish, make sure that you've got the freshest strawberries in the market! Perfectly ripened ones have a taste that's out of this world, but ensure that there are no stragglers with green on them, or you might just be serving more tartness than sweetness!

What you need to create this wonderful dessert:

30-40 fresh, ripe strawberries (with the green stalks cut off)

250 g of Chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate bar whether dark or milk chocolate

Approx. 40 thin skewers of bamboo

How to make chocolate dipped strawberries:


First of all, wash the strawberries with warm water, to remove any dirt and germs. Let them dry out gently, but completely, or the chocolate won't take.
Place the chocolate chips or favorite chocolate bars in a small pan. Take a larger pan, and add some water, and then put it to boil.
Cover the smaller pan containing the chocolate to prevent any moisture from mixing with the chocolate, since this may cause it to seize. Place the smaller pan atop the larger one, but not so that the water from the larger one overlaps the smaller pan.
Alternatively, just place the chocolate chips or chocolate bars in a glass bowl, cover and use the microwave to melt it. A minute should be enough!
After the chocolate has melted, place each strawberry onto a skewer, and then dip into the melted chocolate. While removing the strawberry, rotate the skewer to form swirling patterns as well as to cover any nooks left with chocolate.
Turn the strawberry upwards by inverting your hand to let the chocolate settle with an extra bite at the tip!
Place the dipped strawberries on absorbent paper after the chocolate has hardened slightly.
And you're done!

For the ultimate chocolate sensation, chocolate dipped strawberries should be eaten the same day that they're dipped, for the ultimate decadent delight! Storing these in the fridge is done, but not advised since the chocolate may firm up in a haphazard manner.

Chocolate covered strawberries can be served as an elaborate dessert, normally set within a silvered tray, and eaten with a chilled glass of red! However, having chocolate dipped chocolates for high teas or during breakfast is also a wonderful idea (even if it isn't mother recommended)!

Ordering chocolate dipped strawberries is best done online, or from a delicatessen closest to you!

Colleen Maguire
Writer, Traveler and Chocolate Lover
For More Delicious Chocolate Ideas and Tastes:
http://www.UltimateChocolateShoppe.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colleen_Maguire

Eat Dark Chocolate the Luxurious Way

Put it in your mouth and chew? NOT!

Anybody can simply taste chocolate, but do you know how to experience chocolate? I'm going to describe how to create an experience that you will remember long after the chocolate has vanished.

Before you enjoy chocolate, it has to be ready to be enjoyed. Never eat chocolate that is still frozen (unless you're in the wilderness and it's a matter of survival). Chocolate is one of those foods best enjoyed at room temperature. So, while waiting for your treat to assume the ideal degree, savor the anticipation.

Next, create the time for the experience. One good rule for healthy eating is to focus on the food: don't allow any distractions to take away from the full enjoyment. I can attest to the increased enjoyment - and better digestion - I've experienced by creating this focus. So, carve out some time for your chocolate experience. Plan to focus on the chocolate; you'll enjoy the experience more (and maybe find yourself satisfied with less).

When you and your dark chocolate are ready, unwrap the bar or truffle or gift. Stop. Don't touch. Just look. See the chocolate: note its color, the shadows and the shape. Smell the cocoa. What other flavor-scents are strong or subtle? Anticipate what those scents will taste like. Are you salivating yet? Wipe your lip and let's proceed.

Divide your dark selection into sections or squares or small bites. Avoid thinking about your waistline. This experience is all about the taste experience in your mouth and enjoying something that can be good for you in moderation.

Pick up a piece in two fingers. Let your body warmth begin to soften and melt the cocoa butter. Yes, this is a little bit "messy", but nothing will go to waste. Once again, delight in the color, the smell, the shape...and then bite off a very small piece with your front teeth. Do not chew. Let it melt. [Note: self-control can be purchased at the end of this article.]

Our tongue is covered with taste buds. The front, the sides, the back - and each section of the tongue will give you different feedback. Let the chocolate melt and slide all over your tongue. Close your eyes. Focus on the sensation of melting in your mouth. Feel the texture change. Are there nuts or flavor chunks? Let that first small bite of chocolate melt entirely in your mouth. Don't forget to lick your fingers.

If you're left with little bits of nut or flavoring, nibble them into oblivion. Take your next bite. Experience it in like manner. Take it slow. Focus on the chocolate. When it's gone and reality resumes, remember the dark chocolate experience.

Love dark chocolate - for life!

Valerie Simons is a wordsmith who loves dark chocolate - for life! Living in Korea and traveling in Asia gave her an expanded appreciation for our world and did nothing to quell the travel bug. Next stop: her Celtic ancestry and learning a new instrument. She Scuba'd the Great Barrier Reef, scaled Suicide Rock in southern California, and ran along The Great Wall of China. If money and time were no object, she'd get her pilot's license. For now, Valerie lives and works by the motto "Your point deserves to be well said" and enjoys editing as the Active Wordsmith.
http://www.valeriesimons.com

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Chocolate Lovers Rejoice - Healthy Reasons to Enjoy the Delicious Treat

To all the chocolate lovers out there, this could be the best thing you have heard in a long time. According to recent studies, there have been significant health benefits linked to chocolate. Now, before you grab that extra large candy bar out of the vending machine, there are some points that we need to understand. The types of chocolate that are best for health benefits include dark chocolate and cocoa. These types offer the most health promoting benefits, as long as they are consumed along with a healthy diet.

Now, it is important to emphasize here that quality, dark chocolate and cocoa are the kinds of chocolate that contain healthy polyphenols such as flavonoids. These polyphenols act as anti-oxidants in the body, which help, protect against disease. Dark chocolates offer up the best in value for nutritional benefits.

Drinking hot cocoa can be more than a comforting cold weather beverage to help warm us up after a chilly day outside, it can also help your body fight off disease. In addition to the protection cocoa offers, it also contains potassium and magnesium that help to regulate blood pressure. It also contains beta-carotene and vitamin E, folic acid and niacin. All of which are essential for a healthy system.

And if you needed another reason to enjoy your dark chocolate treat, it has also been shown to help with heart health. Of course with anything in life, moderation is key in consuming chocolate and this research does not give you the green light to go out and consume as much chocolate as you can, but it can improve your health when taken along with your healthy diet. But it is nice to have something so enjoyable as chocolate finally make the list of healthy food choices.

Saman Rashid is an experienced writer. She has been writing articles and web copies since 3 years. To contact her, kindly visit http://www.mscopywriters.com

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Chocolate - The One & Healthful Way it Should Be - Pure, Raw and Organic

As an American favorite food, chocolate has been consumed, and quite voraciously so, for many years. The extremely sweet, rich and melted treat has been savored by those young, old and in between. Yet, the chocolate they've been eating for such a long time isn't really 'true' chocolate. What America loves, craves and knows as chocolate is that of the 'toyed' with variety, meaning that it is not pure and in it's raw form. The chocolate that is sold in grocery checkout lines and candy stores alike is all chock full of sugar and various other additives. But, true chocolate is actually rather bitter.

Chocolate In It's Raw & Organic Form

Specifically, raw chocolate comes from and is only applicable to cocoa seeds that have not been heated or processed to retain all of the nutrients found within them. Organic Chocolate is a bit different - here, chemicals are non-existent through the process of growing and producing the cacao plants. Wait, plants? As in chocolate plants? Well, not quite.

The treat we know so well simply doesn't grown on trees. Actually, scratch that because, it does, in a sense, but it's not known as chocolate right off the bat, at least. Chocolate has to come from something or somewhere, right?

It Comes From Plants, Not Chocolate Factories

Yes, it most certainly does and it's taken off a plant known as the cacao tree in the tiny form of a few cocoa seeds. These seeds are the true and raw forms of chocolate, as they are used to produce the swet treats we are so accustomed to presently.

Cocoa seeds in their own form are extremely similar to authentic dark chocolate. The taste of both is bitter and not at all overly sweet on the palate. It's a much less-refined and natural taste to experience. Yet, with this said, the same fact that you parents told you about when you were younger still stands true - the food that tastes a bit unpleasant or off to what you're used to is without a doubt extremely healthy for you.

All The Healthful Perks With Chocolate That Is True

Chocolate that is either in it's pure or raw form is undoubtedly chock full of healthful promise. Despite the bitter and natural taste, within pure, true chocolate you can find a substantial amount of nutritious items such as a wide-range of minerals, antioxidants, and other many healthful things, which is why actual chocolate is one of the most healthful foods you can eat.

With the chocolate we're used to - that colorfully packaged stuff that can be found in candy shops and grocers alike - what's added in is nothing but poor, unhealthful and rather ill-needed items. Add in the typical amounts of dairy, sugar, and various amounts of chemicals to this treat and what happens is a natural blocking of all those good nutrient-rich and antioxidant qualities that raw, true chocolate possesses. The above additives are nothing but fillers thrown into a mixture with cocoa beans and they're nothing but unnecessary - all they do is make the chocolate you eat become unhealthy.

So, why not opt for some true chocolate that is not what you're accustomed to? It be odd, at first, but with time you'll get used to the taste and you might even see some improvements in your health as well.

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The Future of Chocolate - Will You Be a Part of It?

Chocolates future as a dessert choice, a treat or a snack food is assured. Sales can only continue to rise as popularity increases along with the increase in world wide population. As long as people have money to spend on treats, they will buy chocolate. Especially now that Xocai healthy chocolate is being produced around the world and in the UK. In a world where the population is getting unhealthier and more and more overweight then Xocai healthy chocolate is sure to be a popular choice.

But chocolate has another potential future as well. In medicine. The possibilities of using chocolate both as a medicine itself and combined with other medications has come under recent study.

The healthful chemicals in chocolate combined with its ability to induce the body to produce its own beneficial chemicals suggest the possibilities of using xocai chocolate as a medicine. Scientists believe it could be helpful in the treatment of many illnesses.

Many medications taste so bad it is hard to think about having to take them every day or even several times a day. Adding chocolate as a flavor enhancer could result in making some unpalatable medications easier to take. Childrenís medication especially would be easier to administer if it tasted more like chocolate and less like medicine. Also the mood enhancing benefits of chocolate would go a long way toward making patients feel better about their situation. Xocai chocolate is also high in antioxidants and suitable for diabetics so look no further for the next big thing.

Possible applications for using chocolate as a treatment for many diseases are also being studied. Chocolate may be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of dementia, vascular ailments, strokes and other illnesses resulting from the aging process. Treatment of diabetes may also be possible with cocoa.

As scientist and nutritionist continue to study Xocai chocolate, more possibilities come to light.



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5 Chocolate Holidays

Easter: Easter heralds the arrival of the Easter bunny and his delicious bounty of chocolate eggs. Religiously, Easter is celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. The eggs are considered symbolic to the resurrection, where parallels are drawn with the baby chick hatching out of its shell. The egg shell represents the grave he was buried in, and the chick, the form of Christ.

While traditionally hard-boiled chicken eggs were painted and gifted to each other, chocolate has replaced this part of the holiday, and now chocolate eggs are given.

Valentine's Day: Valentine's Day falls on the 14th February of every year to celebrate love between two people. While popular culture focuses on a couple and the love that they share, most people use the day to tell all their loved ones how much they are valued. Chocolates are exchanged to symbolize the love that exists between two people.

A man gives the woman he loves a box of pralines; a child gives her mother chocolate candy, and so on.

Halloween: Trick or treating is an essential part of the celebration on All Hallow's Eve. Children dress up in costumes and knock on their neighbors' doors asking for candy treats. Celebrated on the 31st of October, Halloween was originally a Celtic festival known as Samhain. The Samhain festival was held to mark the end of the harvest season. Samhain held additional significance for the pagans, who believe the distinction between the world of the living and the world of the dead disappeared on that day, making the living world susceptible to the dangers of the other.

Hanukkah: Hanukkah is a Jewish festival held to celebrate the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees. The festival is held over a period of eight days, and a special candelabrum is lit up with eight candles, marking the significance of the 8 days. Children are gifted chocolate coins on Hanukkah, known as the Hanukkah gelt. The tradition calls for oil and therefore most of the recipes use a great deal of it. Chocolate based delights are made so that they can be fried in oil.

Mexico's Day of the Dead: This festival is celebrated as a remembrance to all the departed members of the family. It is a predominantly Mexican fete, although parallels can be drawn to All Soul's Day. Chocolate and sweets form an important aspect of the festival, where people gift each other skulls made of chocolate or sugar.

Paul Symonds writes about Chocolate and Cioccolata and Chocolate Holidays

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Making Chocolate From Molds

In the late 1800's, chocolate makers already used molds made from metal. This made it possible to shape them either as flat or three dimensional. Plastic soon replaced that as these were expensive to produce making it possible for amateur chocolatiers to make these at home.

When you buy chocolate molds from the craft store, make sure that this is made from strong plastic that has intricate designs so the finished product will come out beautifully after it comes out of the freezer.
Remember that this must never be washed using soap as this can mare the taste of the chocolate. You should simply use hot water and then dry it thoroughly using a dry cloth.

Each time you use the plastic mold, make sure to wipe it clean. Greasing, spraying or dusting is not needed as this will ruin the appearance of the finished candy.

But there is an exception to that rule. If you will be mixing your chocolate with some marshmallows, candy sprinkles, jellies or cooked candies, then you must first grease or spray the chocolate mold with oiling spray. This will make the chocolate easy to remove from the mold and if you are going to make another batch, the good news is that you only have to oil spray it once.

Next thing you need to learn is how to properly put chocolate filling into the plastic sheet. For that, you use a regular teaspoon and fill each cavity with chocolate. Some of the chocolate might spill out but don't worry because you can clean that up later on.

There may be some air bubbles trapped within the chocolate. To release it, tap the filled mold on the counter to settle the chocolate. Another way is to hold the mold horizontally then gently drop it on the counter. You will probably have to do this several times until there all the air bubbles have been removed.

When the chocolate is ready, this is the time that you put this in the freezer. This is because it is the coolest place in the house taking it less time for the chocolate to harden so you can reuse the mold if you are making another batch of chocolates.

You will know when the chocolates are ready by looking at the back side of the mold. If the cavity appears to be graying, this means that the second you turn this over, the chocolate will easily fall off to the tray.

If it doesn't fall off on its own, you can tap it firmly. If this does not work, perhaps it needs a little more cooling time in the freezer so put it back in for a few minutes and then try again.

If you happen to have some leftovers from filling the mold, don't throw it away because you can use it again in the future. Just wait for the chocolate to harden so you can scrape it off and then wrap it in waxed paper.

You don't always need to make chocolate creations from molds even if this is the conventional way of doing it. The other option is to dip it in with other things like cookies or fruits so you have your own chocolate fondue as part of your dessert.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_Montenegro

Tips For Making Chocolate

Making chocolate is challenging. To help you along the way, here are some tips you should know.
First, water is the enemy of chocolate so make sure that the two do not come into contact with one another otherwise, your chocolate will become grainy.

If you are using white colored chocolate and want to add coloring to it, never use regular food color or food color paste since this too contains water. You should only use powdered or gel varieties.

When you are adding color to chocolate, add this in small quantities and stir before adding more. This is because putting in might change the color of your chocolate making it too bright. If this happens, this can be remedied by diluting the shade using some more white chocolate.

Apart from powdered or gel varieties of color, you can also use artist brushes to paint designs into your mold. Another option is to use lollipop sticks or even toothpicks so you will have better control in making the finished product.

When you are done using the chocolate mold, never wash this with soap as this removes its stickiness. Just use water and after rinsing, dry this properly to prevent spots from appearing that will also make it difficult to release the chocolate from the mold.

But if it is already difficult to remove, the next time you use the mold, apply a light coating of vegetable oil as this always does the trick.

Should there be some chocolate on the edges of the mold, remove it using a butter knife. Remember this can be reused by simply melting it again and then pouring this to the next batch of whatever you are making.

If your melted chocolate is too thick to paint, add some parafinflakes until you get the right mixture. If you don't have this, you can also use vegetable shortening or cocoa butter.

Chocolate when melted and poured into the mold was immediately be placed inside the freezer for several minutes. To remove it, you simply have to turn this over onto a tray. If it does not come out on its own, you can tap it gently or pour some hot water in the back.

Some people paint the chocolate after it has been taken out of the freezer. To do this, you must hold the mold over you head so you can see it from the right side. If there are any air bubbles, tap the area where they are using your fingers until it pops.

If you happen to make a mistake while painting, don't worry. You should just put the mold back into the freezer so it will be easy to remove when it hardens and you can easily correct it. The rule of thumb when it comes to painting is to finish one color first before moving on to the others.

If you are not good painting all the details, do what many people do and that is to simply use just one solid color.

By following these chocolate making tips, you will be able to make chocolate for any occasion all year round. You can give this away as gifts or serve this as part of your dessert which will make you feel proud knowing that you made this yourself instead of buying this from the store.

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Making Chocolate Using Molds

These days, you don't have to go to the grocery to buy chocolate. Just like cookies, these can be home made as long as you have the ingredients and the materials. They most important to make chocolate are the molds.

Molds are usually made of plastic and these can be purchased from craft stores. Most of these cost about a dollar up so if you want to make these in different shapes and sizes, you have to buy a bunch.

Now that you have your mold, you should also buy the raw chocolate which is also available from the craft store. This is available in different flavors and colors so you can mix them up later on.

There are two ways to melt chocolate. The first is to cut the chocolate block into small pieces and then put this in a microwave safe bowl before sticking it in the oven. Since it is quite hard to see if all the chocolate has finally melted, we now come to the second option which is to melt it using a double boiler.

A double boiler consists of two pans. The first one has water while a smaller one is placed on top which is where the chocolate will be placed. You then stir the chocolate until melts. Once everything is now in liquid form, you then get your mold and pour the chocolate.

You should tap the bottom to take out air bubbles out of the chocolate otherwise there will be holes later on when they come out of the freezer. If you decide to put in candy sprinkles or marshmallows with your chocolate, it is best to pour them into the boiler.

After ten minutes or so, the chocolate mold inside the freezer is ready to be taken out. A good indicator is to check the bottom of the mold and see if the chocolate is still holding on to the mold.

If it is ready, then it is time to flip it over and tap it gently so it can land on a soft surface like a napkin to prevent it from breaking. Another method is to carefully pour water on the mold. But if it is not, then you should put the mold back into the freezer.

The nice thing about working with chocolate is that if is should crack or break, you can recycle it which prevents wastage. If you make a mistake when you are painting it, don't touch it and wait until it freezes so it is easy to remove and you can start over.

When it is ready, you can serve this as part of your dessert but if you are giving this away as a gift, make sure you find a nice box because it should look presentable to whoever will be receiving it.

Surely the molds you used to make chocolate will be used in the future. To maintain it, you must never wash this with soap as this removes its slickness. You should also carefully dry it after washing because it could cause spots to appear making it also difficult for the chocolate to be released from the mold.

But if your chocolate mold is sticky, perhaps you should coat it first lightly with some vegetable oil before you pour in the melted chocolate.

Making chocolate using molds is fun. You may not get it perfect the first time but as time goes by, you are sure to get better at it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_Montenegro

Making Chocolate

Ever wonder how chocolate is made? The short story is that these are made from bitter cacao beans and then molded into chocolate bars. If you were a chocolate company like Hershey's, you would need a lot of them and to give you an idea how it is made, here is a guide in the production process.

The first thing that needs to be done is to harvest the cacao beans. Large companies buy these from farmers or buy the farm and harvest these themselves. They then put these in an oven at a temperature between 120 to 163 degrees Celsius that is about 250 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 35 minutes.

Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.

There are two reasons why cacao beans stay in an oven at varying times.

First is to prevent them from burning. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.

Second, the cooking time of cacao beans varies depending on the type of bean that is being used.
Since companies produce chocolates in vast quantities, the cacao beans are stored in drums and then rotated over a gas grill. After they are roasted, the beans must be cracked into small bits better known as nibs while those that can't are removed.

The next step is to grind the nibs into a cacao liqueur. For that, you will need a machine to liquefy this and at the same time separate the remaining husks that were not removed after roasting.

You then conch and refine the chocolate so you are able to give the chocolate its distinct taste. This is what makes Hershey's chocolates different than for example M&M which can be achieved by using a powerful wet grinder.

You first have to melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter in the over at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You should then mix non fat dry milk powder, sugar, lecithin and a vanilla pod for about an hour. This mixture is then poured into a grinder together with some heat to keep the chocolate in liquid form. This should be refined for at least 10 hours but not more than 36 hours.

When it is ready, you then temper the chocolate so it looks shiny and soft enough to easily melt in your hand.

The second to the last part in making chocolate is to mold this into whatever shape or form that you would like. To produce these in vast quantities, chocolate companies but custom made molds. The chocolate is then poured there and after this is cooled, this is then packaged and ready for delivery to stores.

Some companies even sell these in the form of blocks so people can buy them, melt it and mold this to whatever shape they desire.

Making chocolate is easy as long as you have the equipment and all the ingredients needed. It doesn't matter if this is produced in large volumes or in small quantities because the principle behind it is the same. If you want to learn more about making chocolate, sign up for some classes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_Montenegro