Unsweetened Chocolate

Best for baking: Unsweetened chocolate

A key ingredient in many dessert recipes, unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor with no sugar or flavorings added. Experts say that some mass-market chocolate manufacturers use lower-quality beans in their unsweetened bars. According to Cook's Illustrated, "The really big players in unsweetened chocolate business use a more limited mix of beans, [which] may make the flavor profile of their product less interesting."

Baker's is perhaps the best known brand of unsweetened chocolate, but according to reviews it's not a standout for flavor. In chocolate-sauce and brownie tests at Cook's Illustrated, Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate earned a rating of "not recommended" and was called "acidic," "bitter," "dry" and "mealy." In a head-to-head brownie test at SeriousEats.com, it fell flat, according to the tester. The chocolate flavor was short-lived, and the brownies were somewhat dull.

Scharffen Berger unsweetened baking chocolate (*est. $9 for 9.7 ounces), on the other hand, is "fruity" and "nutty" with a "deep, caramelized flavor," according to Cook's Illustrated. At SeriousEats.com, Scharffen Berger easily bested Baker's in a brownie bake-off. Testers found the flavor of the Scharffen Berger brownies "out of this world," with intense, lasting flavor.

Ghirardelli Unsweetened (*Est. $2.25 for 4 ounces) and Callebaut Unsweetened (*est. $17.75 for 2.2 pounds) also fare well in reviews. Ghirardelli bested all other baking chocolates in the brownie test at Cook's Illustrated, and testers called it "rich and earthy." Cook's testers detected cinnamon and cherry notes in the Callebaut baking chocolate, which they said has deep flavor.