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JimL
 
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Default semi-sweet chocolate - any differences?

"Brian Macke" > wrote in message et>...
> On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 22:26:53 +0000, Alex Rast wrote:
>
> > Basically, unless you're dedicated to making your chocolate baking
> > project the subject of your total focus the entire time you're doing it,
> > the risk is large it's not going to be any better if you use quality
> > chocolate. Hence my term "finest possible quality". I literally meant
> > the best possible, in other words a level even above what quality
> > professional bakers produce for sale.

>
> I can understand your quest for optimal quality. However, in the job that
> I do to pay for my kitchen obsession we have this thing called a
> "cost-benefit analysis" for determing an idea's inherent worth. If you are
> making truffles, the cost-benefit ratio is high for using quality
> ingredients. Brownies, which for some people is something made from a box,
> the cost-benefit for using high quality chocolate is rather low. If the
> brownies taste 2% better because you're using Guittard, then the 200%
> difference in price is not worth it.
>
> I understand your point about optimal quality - please don't feed the urge
> to try and explain it again. I just think that there's better uses for
> high quality chocolate than throwing them into brownies.


Original poster here. --

I agree with Brian, both times. I never mentioned the "quality" or
brand of the product; I was simply curious as to whether there was any
difference in the product, say all the same brand, but just between
the different shape of the same semi-sweet. If the chips are more
convenient for a fast impulse desire to mmake a small pan of brownies,
and I sat looking at a bag of chips, versus a box of squares, and I
didn't want to take the time to chop, slice, break, pulverize, etc.
For the same recipe I have usually used the bag of "chunks" rather
than the "chips" (round bottoms, pointy tops). But all I had on
hand were the chips and the squares. If I felt had to out to the
store for the chunks, or do the labor of breaking up the squares, I
would not have done either int he late evening.

I went ahead - it worked just fine for me. And I won't even reveal
what brand I used ;-Q