Baking Chocolate Reviews

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Baking Chocolate Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Baking Chocolate Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Tasting Dark Chocolate Editors of Cook's Illustrated Jan. 2008		Cook's Illustrated staffers sample 12 dark chocolate bars, each of which contain about 60 percent cacao. Although the chocolate with the lowest amount of fat wins and the chocolate with the highest amount of fat comes in dead last, editors conclude that the best chocolates offer a balance of fat, cocoa solids and sugar. Editors strongly prefer chocolate with around 60 percent cacao to higher-cacao chocolate. Callebaut Intense Dark wins the day, followed by Ghirardelli and Dagoba. Supermarket staples Nestlé and Hershey's fare poorly, as does Lindt Mild.
2. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Tasting Unsweetened Chocolate Editors of Cook's Illustrated Nov. 2002		Unsweetened chocolate is not eaten raw, so editors, with the help of four pastry chefs, bake it into brownies and prepare a chocolate sauce with it for this article. Editors explain that unsweetened chocolate is pure cacao, without sugar or milk solids. They also explain how beans are sourced, conched, blended, and roasted. Scharffen Berger and Callebaut come in first and second, respectively, followed by Ghirardelli and Valrhona, although Ghirardelli earns first place in the brownie test. Nestlé earns average reviews, while Baker's and Hershey's are not recommended.

Baking Chocolate Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Baking Chocolate Ratings Comments on Reviews

3. Cook's Country >> Details/Subscribe	Chocolate Chips Editors of Cook's Country Dec. 2005		Editors taste nine brands of chocolate chips, which contain less cocoa butter and more sugar than bar chocolate. They downgrade Mrs. Fields and Hershey's Special Dark for excessive sweetness; Guittard Classic Semi-Sweet Dark and Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Dark earn first and second place, respectively, for their moderate sweetness and mellow chocolate flavor. Guittard is praised for its "lovely, silky texture." Some tasters disliked the "rough" shape of the Toll House morsels.
4. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Chocolate Chips Editors of Cook's Illustrated Sept. 1998		Although dated, this is the most comprehensive and rigorous review of chocolate chips we have read. Twenty-two tasters, including several Boston-area pastry chefs, sample seven brands of semisweet chocolate chips plain and in a traditional chocolate-chip cookie. Tasters rated the chips on mouth feel, flavor and overall appeal. The top-rated chip, Tropical Source, is somewhat difficult to find and contains a small percentage of tofu. Unrefined cane juice crystals replace white sugar in this chip, tempering its sweetness. Guittard and Ghirardelli earn second- and third-place rankings, respectively. Toll House was a middling performer. Baker's and Hershey's fare poorly, with Baker's being judged "extremely waxy" and "hideously sweet."
5. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Dark Chocolate Editors of Consumer Reports Sept. 2007		Testers sample 14 chocolate bars that cost between $2 and $5, finding that price is not a reliable indicator of quality. Editors prefer bars with complex flavors that melt smoothly, but, unfortunately, they do not discuss the characteristics of each chocolate bar. Bars are separated by ratings, ranging from excellent to fair, and information on cacao content, cost, calories and fat are provided.
6. The L.A. Times >> Details/Subscribe	We Tasted Chocolate -- So You Don't Have To Betty Hallock Dec. 5, 2007		Six panelists sample 23 chocolate bars with 70 to 75 percent cacao content. Michel Cluizel Noir de Cacao 72-percent is the overall winner, followed closely by Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71 percent. The Cluizel bar is said to have a "pure dark chocolate flavor" with an espresso note, while the Valrhona bar has a strong "raisiny-chocolate" aroma. Rounding out the top five are Chocovic Unique Origin Varietal Chocolates Ocumare, El Rey Apamate Carnero Superior Dark Chocolate, and Green & Black's Organic Dark 70-percent cacao. In a surprise upset, the Ivory Coast 75-percent bar from boutique brand Theo finishes last: it's said to taste of "straw mats" and have a chalky texture.
7. San Francisco Gate	Panel deems Dagoba best dark chocolate Carol Ness Jan. 7, 2004		Testers sample 14 widely available dark chocolate bars and taste each one raw. Dagoba Dark earns top marks from tasters, who like its deep chocolate flavor. Scharffen Berger bittersweet earns second place, followed by Valrhona Le Noir. Lindt and Ghirardelli figure among the unranked chocolates tasted.
8. SeriousEats.com	Baking with Dorie: Les Brownies Dorie Greenspan Aug. 23, 2007		Dorie Greenspan, one of the world's foremost baking experts, provides a brownie recipe and tips. She says that she prefers bittersweet to semisweet and keeps Scharffen Berger, E. Guittard, and Valrhona chocolates on hand for baking. There's no formal testing here, but Greenspan's recommendations have value due to her reputation and experience.
9. Food & Wine Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Chefs' Advice for Home Cooks Ratha Tep July 2007		Food & Wine polled 100 chefs on their favorite ingredients and essential tools. The majority (53 percent) use Valrhona chocolate, including the Manjari variety, which has a fruity character. The others are divided between Scharffen Berger and Guittard.
10. Gourmet >> Details/Subscribe	The Incredible Lightness of Being Jane Daniels Lear Feb. 2002		Jane Daniels Lear, a longtime food editor, discusses the Gourmet test kitchen's favorite chocolate in this brief primer on making chocolate soufflé. She enlists the help of chocolate expert Maricel Presilla, who explains that Valrhona (the chocolate editors prefer for this recipe) has a high cacao content (60 to 70 percent) and is a blend of the best beans. Callebaut's chocolate is less assertive. Baker's Chocolate worked surprisingly well because it is overroasted to mask flaws. It had robust flavor but lacked Valrhona's nuances.

Baking Chocolate Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Baking Chocolate Ratings Comments on Reviews

11. NPR	A Bittersweet Guide to the Best V-Day Chocolate Melody Joy Kramer Feb. 5, 2007		Melody Joy Kramer and a panel of NPR employees blind-tested 30 brands of chocolate and select ten favorites, which range from bars to bonbons. Testers' opinions diverge sharply on the subject of dark chocolate. Its complexity appeals to some, while others deem it bitter and unpleasant. Consequently, it's difficult to tell how various bars stack up against each other. Amano chocolate is deemed "almost perfect" by one tester and "weirdly sour" by another. Chocolove's Chili and Cherries bar is deemed bitter, with a "zesty kick." The darkest, bitterest chocolate tasters sampled came from DeVries. Some testers liked it, while others found it overpowering. Scharffen Berger chocolate bars, however, are universally liked, although testers couldn't decide whether to eat them or bake with them.
12. Prevention.com	We Test It: Dark Chocolate Denise Foley and Tanya Beers Dec. 19, 2005		Testers sample 45 chocolate bars from around the world, judging them on taste, richness, "mouth feel" and flavor. They select and briefly describe nine chocolate bars, many of which contain flavorings such as mint, cranberries and coconut. Among plain chocolate bars, Scharffen Berger's 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Bar, Vere Chocolate Bar, Small World Select Origin Dark Chocolate Squares from Lake Champlain, and Dove Rich Dark Chocolate all earn raves. Testers found Vere somewhat bitter, but lovers of dark chocolate "savored the intensity." Editors do not explain their testing methodology.
13. Today	Hot Chocolate Like You'd Never Tasted Before David Rosengarten Sept. 28, 2005		In this report on hot chocolate, connoisseur David Rosengarten reveals that El Rey is his favorite chocolate for baking and eating. He prefers the company's Apamate and Bucare chocolates, which vary in percentage of cacao.
14. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Tasting Dark Chocolate Editors of Cook's Illustrated Mar. 2004		Though rendered outdated by Cook's Illustrated's most recent test of dark chocolate, this older report, in which 20 editors taste nine chocolate bars raw, in chocolate sauce and baked into a cake, still is of some value. When scores are combined, Ghirardelli Bittersweet Premium Baking Bar emerges the winner for its excellent balance, "bursts of flavor" and creamy, smooth texture. Among the more bitter dark chocolates, Lindt fares relatively well. El Rey Gran Saman is considered "aggressively bitter," while Scharffen Berger Bittersweet is considered overly bitter and "astringent" in the sauce and cake. Although it is also considered bitter, Valrhona tastes of cherry, wine, and raisins in port wine. Tasters enjoyed the creamy texture and mild bitterness of Callebaut Bittersweet. Baker's Bittersweet is "chalky" and "gritty" when tasted raw, but fares slightly better in the sauce and cake tests.

Baking Chocolate Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Baking Chocolate Ratings Comments on Reviews

15. Chocolate in Context	Wisdom from Elizabeth Falker Emily Stone Oct. 29, 2007		Emily Stone interviews Elizabeth Falker, owner of San Francisco's Citizen Cake, about her favorite chocolates. Falker prefers Scharffen Berger for its intense flavor, but she also likes Ghirardelli and Guittard. It should be noted that Falker has served as executive chef for Scharffen Berger corporate events.
16. Seventypercent.com	Chocolate Bar Reviews Contributors to Seventypercent.com As of Dec. 2007		Seventypercent.com is an enthusiast website for those who enjoy their chocolate pure, with high cacao content and free of flavorings and additives. There are lots of detailed reviews of individual, unflavored chocolate bars from pastry professionals and chocolate lovers, as well as a forum where users can interactively share their opinions. This is a particularly good place to find chocolate for nibbling, but it's less helpful where baking chocolate is concerned.