More expensive chocolate, and what contributes to both its cost and flavor is the simple ingredient list of pure cacao butter, cacao powder and a sweetener. Tempering is a tricky ‘trade-secret’ which produces shine and shelf-stability without the use of additives due to the properties of cacao butter. Yes, paraffin wax is a common chocolate and candy additive to inexpensive chocolates because it does not require the chocolate to be properly tempered. Many times there is just a bit of cacao butter, wax and palm oil – making up the ‘oil’ content of the chocolate. For this reason, much of what we buy labeled ‘chocolate’ has only the cocoa powder at best – and would more correctly be named ‘chocolate flavored.’ Many low end, inexpensive chocolate bars contain other oils as ‘fillers’ such as palm oil or canola oil and often times paraffin wax to make the chocolate sheen and increase the shelf life. In order to qualify chocolate as chocolate, it must contain the cacao butter (cocoa butter), the oil of the chocolate plant.
The truth is, most chocolate that you find in the grocery store is not pure chocolate in the natural sense. What is the difference between high quality and low quality chocolate? And does your chocolate have wax in it? Even if you choose fine, expensive chocolate, you have, no doubt – at one time or another – settled for a ‘lesser quality’ brand just to get your chocolate fix, or simply because it was all that was available. If you love chocolate you have probably enjoyed all different varieties of it, open to finding just the right flavor, consistency and texture as well as the richness you prefer.
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