Level: Novice
Read Time: 10 minutes
What is the ratio about using natural vanilla and using artificial? and the natural one, does it moisture affects?
There is no set ratio of vanilla. It is purely to taste to the point of being 100% optional. There is too much variation from bean to bean to really give guidelines over just starting with 1 bean in a 2-5 lb batch and going from there. I would never recommend using artificial. Yes, moisture can affect things and it is why I like adding the beans to hot cocoa butter to boil off any moisture.
About Lecithin, is the same using liquid and powder?
Same answer with lecithin. It varies per product. That said there is a rough guideline of 0.2% w/w for every EXTRA % of cocoa butter you add. It too is an optional ingredient.
About sugar, is it possible to use dry caramel?
It is really hard to use dry caramel as it is prone to pick up water super fast. I made Praline once with caramelized sugar and although it worked, it was really fussy due to how sticky the sugar got due to moisture in the air. I ended up getting it to work by grinding the sugar as soon as I could touch it and by including some nibs to help keep everything separate and coated. It basically set up a protective layer on the sugar so it could not adsorb water. When I didn’t do that it caked up in the melanger and failed.
Making any kind of chocolate, the fat proportion never have being less than 35% counting the fat in the bean?
The answer is yes in regards to the 35% minimum. You include the approximate 50% butter that is in the bean. You would also include the milk fat from milk powder or any other fat you use in that minimum. But do keep in mind it is only a guideline. Different fats have different flow properties.
Once I met a master chocolatier. I gave him to taste a chocolate bar I bought that he said that it didn't have flavor. He asked about what nut did i used. (i didn't do it , i bought it). I knew until today that not nuts (almond, peanut, etc) are added to the formulation but he said that crafts(chocolatiers) not declare it in the formulation. but some use nuts in it.
IT IS TRUE? SHOULD I ADD NUTS TO THE FORMULATION TO UPGRADE FLAVOR?
I really have no way to answer that except I find it hard to believe that makers would add nuts and not declare it. That is both unethical and illegal and opens them up to huge allergy issues. I would say that you should only add nuts if you want that flavor. It sounds like the same myth that large chocolate makers add wax to their chocolate. I've heard it for years and have not seen a single ingredient list with wax. Mostly I find people note a particular texture in some chocolates and because it reminds them of wax they then assume the big evil corporation is adding cheap wax to make more money. Sure, sometimes fillers are indeed added but to date I’ve not see it purely for the sake of money. Nearly every time it is because it is there to deal with some issue of consistency of product. The lecithin above is sometimes added for such a reason. It is cheaper than cocoa butter and can reduce viscosity at less expense then cocoa butter. I’ve likewise seen the addition of other oils. To date though when I’ve talked to people about it the real reason was not driven by price but as a way to affect the texture of the chocolate, either harder or softer. Could it be for price? Sure, just be careful about jumping to conclusions that you understand someone else’s motivation.
So, should you add nuts for more flavor? I would say no if phrased like that. Can you add nuts or anything else because you like the resulting flavor. Yes, of course. That in my not so humble opinion is why you are making your own chocolate – to make it the way YOU like it. If that includes nuts, or lavender or chicken livers, then I 100% support you doing it.
And likewise, if you like cocoa and sugar only, then I support and encourage that too. What I don’t support is doing something because someone told you it is the only way to do it. That said, and this is a soapbox moment for me, there is a line here between listening to the voice of experience (specifically failures) and testing things out on your own. How much vanilla or cocoa butter should you add? You need to experiment. Should you try and make chocolate with kitchen equipment that I’ve or someone else already tried and failed with? I personally think that is a time wasting endeavor and ego getting in your way.
One of my most controversial videos to date is why making chocolate with cocoa powder and sugar without a melanger will always be gritty. Lots of people think I didn’t try hard enough and was just going through the motions. What they seem to miss is that I DID try really hard for years, and also thoroughly understand the chemistry behind why an oil will never dissolve a sugar and that sifting or stirring or heating more won’t ever change that fact. Sure, maybe I could have dove into that in the video, and maybe we will at some point, but we were also making a short video and could not include every failed attempt.
Now, if you need to try something that is going to fail so you can better understand why it fails, then I get that, but not just because you think you know better or that if you try harder you will change the physical laws of universe. Ok, stepping off my soapbox.
Go make some chocolate. Add some vanilla and nuts different fats and see what you like. Tweak the recipe up and down. Learn for yourself what makes a difference and what doesn’t. I’m hear to answer questions, and guide you in the right direction when there is a wrong direction but you will probably come to learn over time that those are far and few between and that it mostly comes down to your own personal tastes.