Several of you wrote in to ask about that detail of the George Washington Carver Post below. I’ll admit I added that in just because it sounded weird. Carver created all sorts of imitation meats out of peanut protein, his own peanut-based version of seitan. I presume he make the imitation asparagus with the same […]
READ ONReader Wendi asks, given that peanut butter was central to last week’s project, where’s my tip of the hat to George Washington Carver?
Now Wendy, don’t get me wrong, I love George Washington Carver. He’s one of my all-time favorite food scientists, synonymous with peanuts and for many, peanut butter. But the truth is that he didn’t invent peanut butter. That was the brainchild of the Incas. They were the first people to cultivate peanuts, and were mashing them into butters and molés thousands of years before Carver ever came on the scene.
READ ONSeem to be having some intermittent server problems today. The site stays but the posts vanish. A little database trouble I guess. Stay with me…I haven’t forgotten to pay my bill (this time).
READ ONReader Katie asks:
Do you know anything about conching chocolate? I’d love to hear more of the science behind that process.
I know w a little bit, Katie, but not terribly much. For while conching is a very well-known step in chocolate processing, it’s something chocolate manufacturers don’t say much about. That’s partly because some believe that conching is the step in which the magic happens. Others, interestingly, think the supposed “mystery” of conching is just a bunch of baloney. I’ll leave that to you to decide.
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Here are a few things that don’t go together: impossibly delicate chocolate molds, outdoor photography and July. Fortunately I made a lot of cups and garnishes. Edible “balloon” cups are nothing new, but still a great way to wow guests at a dinner party. You can make them ahead and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to fill and present them.
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This mousse is a little rough looking, but what it lacks in appearance it more than makes up for in taste and texture. It’s like peanut butter, but in satin pillow form. Start by placing your soft butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle.
READ ONNope, sorry reader Jean. It’s glossier than chocolate that’s simply been melted and allowed to firm, but really shiny chocolate is a consequence of two things: good tempering and contact with a smooth surface. If you think about a chocolate bar, the shiny side is the top, the part that’s been in contact with the mold. The bottom is dull side, the part that was exposed to air as the bar cooled.
READ ONInteresting question, reader Leeza. It depends on the manufacturer. A bar of Hershey’s milk chocolate (which I’ll confess is still my favorite milk chocolate to simply eat) is about 11% cocoa solids (their dark chocolate is 15% if you were wondering). More expensive milk chocolates can contain up to 38% cocoa solids.
READ ONMy numbers on this are three years old, reader Maria, but in 2008 you could buy unrefined chocolate liquor — on an industrial scale — for about $1.60 per pound. Separating the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter is a necessary first step in manufacturing chocolate. But separated out, the cocoa would sell for $0.60 […]
READ ONThat question from reader Dennis. The answer is yes, it is. Steel tempering involves manipulating temperature to produce crystal structures that are stronger and more stable that they’d otherwise be. It’s a more complex process, but the principle is the same.
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