How to select white chocolate?
For candy making and cookies, is there a better white chocolate or one of good value? or do you just go with a good chocolate maker's offering?
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For candy making and cookies, is there a better white chocolate or one of good value? or do you just go with a good chocolate maker's offering?
3 Comments
White chocolate / white chips is a tricky and not necessarily intuitive subject. First off, most of it is really bad; you can't go by brand name alone. Second, white chocolate, with sufficient cocoa butter to legally carry that label, may or may not be the best product for a particular job. White chips melt and crystallize at different temperatures so can be a better choice (as long as they don't contain partially hydrogenated oils). Simply put, they're engineered for easier use. White chocolate, however, has a far superior and luxurious mouthfeel due to its higher cocoa fat content and typically better taste.
I've tasted a lot of different varieties side by side; my clear choice is Guittard. They make four types but you'll probably only find two in the retail channel -- a 31% cocoa butter disc and their white baking chips which, unfortunately, contain an unhealthful dose of trans fats. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's (last time I checked) both market passable chips.
In any case, buy the product fresh, keep it in a cool dark place and use it quickly, it goes rancid faster than the "best by" dates, especially real white chocolate.
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