Why has my chocolate gone white? Reading the clues without guessing
White streaks on solid chocolate often signal fat bloom or sugar bloom. Both mainly affect quality, but packaging, fillings and evidence of spoilage still matter.
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Chocolate and cocoa
Chocolate can be explored through cocoa origins, ingredients, processing, tasting and practical cooking techniques. Our articles cover artisan and bean-to-bar chocolate, storage, cocoa nibs and husks, and how to choose ingredients for baking. Related guides connect the topics, while relevant available products offer a route from learning to shopping. Always refer to individual product labels for ingredient and allergen information.
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30 articlesArticles about Chocolate and cocoa
Tempering Chocolate at Home: Why It Matters and How to Seed a Batch
Tempering encourages stable cocoa-butter crystals. It is what gives properly handled chocolate its shine, clean snap and ability to release from a mould.
Read the articleChoosing a chocolate gift when you don't know someone's exact tastes
The best chocolate gift reflects the person receiving it. A varied assortment is often a safer choice than one very intense bar when you don't…
Read the articleThick Hot Chocolate From Scratch: Cocoa, Cornflour and the Right Balance
For a thick Spanish-style drinking chocolate, the texture comes from the liquid-to-solids ratio and often a small amount of starch, not just adding more cocoa.
Read the articleChocolate turrón at Christmas: why one bar crunches and another melts
Not all Spanish chocolate turrón is alike. Some bars are crisp, some are built around nut praline and others have softer, truffle-style centres.
Read the articleDark Chocolate Olive Oil Brownies: A Moist Centre Without Butter
Olive oil makes a compelling brownie fat, but it changes flavor and texture. This recipe uses extra virgin olive oil from the beginning instead of…
Read the articleCraft vs industrial chocolate: what the label cannot tell you
Craft and industrial describe approaches to production, not guaranteed quality grades. Look at the process, the ingredients and the finished bar instead.
Read the articleWhite, milk and dark chocolate: different recipes, different pleasures
Dark chocolate foregrounds cocoa solids, milk chocolate combines cocoa with dairy ingredients, and white chocolate is made using cocoa butter without the dark non-fat cocoa…
Read the articleSingle-origin chocolate: what a place name can tell you about flavour
A cocoa origin offers a clue to flavour, not a guaranteed tasting note. Genetics, growing conditions, fermentation and the maker's process all shape the bar.
Read the articleOrganic and Fairtrade chocolate: two labels, two different questions
Organic certification concerns regulated farming and processing methods. Fairtrade concerns certified trading standards and supply chains. A chocolate product may carry both marks.
Read the articleGluten-free chocolate: why the ingredients list matters more than appearance
Plain cocoa ingredients do not naturally contain gluten, but chocolate recipes and manufacturing conditions vary. For coeliac disease, check the exact product's current label.
Read the articleVegan chocolate: why a dark wrapper doesn't tell the whole story
Cocoa is plant-based, but some chocolate recipes include dairy ingredients. Whether a bar suits a vegan diet depends on its full recipe and claims, not…
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