Dark chocolate: the benefits and harms, composition, calories, the best brands of dark chocolate in Russia

Dark chocolate is a brown product that consists of grated cocoa, butter and powdered sugar. For a more expressive taste, it is often added raisins, pieces of fruit, peanuts and other nuts.

Benefits and harm to the body

Dark chocolate is definitely much more useful than its white and milk analogues, since it contains a rather high percentage of cocoa. It is nutritious, it has a large amount of soluble fiber. It is often called the best natural antidepressant.

Cocoa positively affects the condition of the body:

• strengthens blood vessels;
• slows down aging;
• reduces the risk of heart disease;
• improves digestion;
• reduces the amount of "bad" cholesterol in the blood;
• improves brain functioning;
• improves mood;
• saturates with energy;
• increases efficiency.

The benefits of dark chocolate are undeniable, but do not forget about the dangers of this product. When abused, it can lead to the appearance of extra pounds, and in advanced cases, even to obesity and diabetes.

You can eat a maximum of 30 grams of quality dark chocolate per day. It is better to feast on him in the morning, during breakfast. Before going to bed it is not worth it.

This product is not recommended for allergy sufferers and children under 3 years old. In addition, it can provoke an upset stomach and nausea due to the theophylline and caffeine in the composition. Excessive consumption can be highly addictive, reminiscent of addiction.

The composition, calorie content and nutritional value of the product

Dark chocolate contains many vitamins and mineral elements. It also contains polyphenols that prevent the oxidation of fatty substances on the walls of blood vessels. Flavonoids increase the body's resistance to adverse external factors, and increase muscle endurance.

The nutritional value of a product with a 60 percent content of cocoa beans is as follows:

• carbohydrates - 39%;
• fats - 37%;
• proteins - 8%.

The calorie content of a 100-gram chocolate is more than 520 kcal.

The best brands of dark chocolate in Russia

Different types of products are manufactured in Russia, so the assortment of chocolate is very large.

In form, it can be divided into two types:

• tiled - in the form of square or rectangular easily broken off tiles;
• monolithic - made in one piece.

Also, chocolate can be dessert or ordinary, with or without additional ingredients.

The most famous brands of chocolate brands in our country:

• "Fidelity to quality";
• "Russian chocolate";
• “Victory of taste”;
• "Babaevsky."

The surface of high-quality chocolate without additives is smooth or wavy, the structure is homogeneous. If the product has additional ingredients, they should be evenly distributed throughout the volume.

What is the difference between dark chocolate and bitter

The quantity and composition of ingredients in each type of chocolate is regulated by GOST.

The product's name	Cocoa	Oil	Sugar
Dark chocolate	from 40 to 55%	from 20%	from 25 to 40%
bitter chocolate	more than 55%	over 33%	no more than 12%

Dark chocolate tastes better, but is less healthy due to its high sugar content. Bitter in taste is not liked by everyone, but it is he who is considered less caloric and gives much more benefit.

Weight loss

For weight loss, it is better to use dark chocolate with a cocoa content of more than 60%. It has active substances that normalize metabolism and hormonal levels. In addition, such a confectionery product reduces appetite and helps to combat the indefatigable craving for food, because it contains slow carbohydrates. The body spends a lot of energy on their splitting.

It is believed that such chocolate reduces the production of "hunger hormones", so people who regularly use it have a lower body mass index compared to those who abstain from it.

How to make dark chocolate at home

To be sure of the quality of the product, you can try to make it yourself. The main thing is to purchase cocoa butter, which is rarely found on sale.

Ingredients:

• grated cocoa - 155 g;
• cocoa butter - 100 g;
• icing sugar - 100 g.

The amount of sweetener can be adjusted at your own discretion. To enrich the taste of the product, whole or chopped nuts are added to it.

Cooking:

1. Add oil to a small bowl and melt it in a water bath.
2. Gently mix the melted butter and add grated cocoa in small portions. Mix.
3. In a homogeneous mass, gradually add powder, constantly stirring. At the end, add nuts if desired.
4. Pour into molds. Place workpieces that have cooled down to room temperature in a cold place.

After 5 hours, you can take the first test.

Dark Chocolate Recipes

Based on dark chocolate, you can make French ganache.

Essential Ingredients:

• cream with a high percentage of fat content - 300 g;
• 3 100-gram tiles - 300 g;
• butter - 75 g;
• icing sugar - 1.5 tbsp. l

Cooking:

1. Remove the oil from the refrigerator in advance to make it soft.
2. Heat the cream in a water bath until warm.
3. Break the chocolate bar into small pieces. Add to warm creamy mass to make it liquid. If after 10 minutes the pieces have not yet melted, which means that the mass needs a little more time to be kept warm.
4. Stir and add the powder.
5. Add oil to the slightly cooled mass and mix gently until smooth.

Dark chocolate can also be used to decorate fruit salads and cocktails.

The chocolate smoothie recipe is very simple.

Ingredients:

• fat-free chocolate yogurt - 150 ml;
• cocoa powder - 2 tbsp. l .;
• almond milk - 100 ml;
• crushed dark chocolate - 3 tbsp. l

Mix all the ingredients in a blender, pour into a chilled glass and decorate with chocolate chips.

Chocolate "bombs" will decorate any holiday.

Ingredients:

• chocolate ice cream - 400 g;
• salted peanuts - 6 tbsp. l .;
• chocolate - 120 g.

Ice cream should be mixed with 5 tbsp. l peanuts and shift the mass into round tins. Put in the freezer to set. Melt the chocolate and cool, then pour the finished “bombs” and garnish with the rest of the peanuts. Before use, put in a cold place for 5 minutes.

One of the fastest recipes is fruit in a thin chocolate shell. To do this, melt the sweetness in a water bath and dip the prepared slices of bananas, kiwi, strawberries or berries into it.

Tempering Dark Chocolate: Rules and Secrets

By means of tempering, the product is given a solid but brittle structure and a glossy surface. There are several methods of tempering, but all consist of melting, cooling, and heating. Without a thermometer, it is very difficult to do all these manipulations, but it is possible. Previously, confectioners did not use thermometers at all, since they were not there, but this did not stop them from making amazing things from chocolate.

The process of working according to the classical scheme looks like this:

1. Break the chocolate bar into small slices and melt in a water bath, stirring continuously.
2. Cool to 34 ° C, stirring continuously. Add callets in a volume of 7 to 9% by weight of melted chocolate. Since they have already been tempered, in a matter of minutes they spread their stable crystal lattice to unstable molecules of molten chocolate mass. Callets instantly reduce the overall temperature of the mixture.
3. When the mass becomes completely smooth, it must be stirred for another 2 minutes, maintaining a temperature of about 30 ° C.
4. Conduct a test by dipping the tip of parchment paper into the melted mass. At room temperature 19 ° C, it should solidify for 5 minutes. You can put it in the refrigerator, where it should stabilize in 60-90 seconds. If this does not happen, repeat the previous steps again.

It is cocoa butter that crystallizes in chocolate. Many unscrupulous manufacturers replace it with cheaper counterparts.

Therefore, for the manufacture of decor by tempering it is better to take high-quality chocolate from well-known companies.

When working, you must adhere to such rules:

• avoid sharp temperature fluctuations above or below the indicated norms;
• do not forget to mix the mass on time;
• protect chocolate from moisture, it makes the product viscous;
• provide the ideal room temperature for work - 20 ° С.

Chocolate can be tempered many times.

Dark chocolate with moderate consumption is useful, so do not give up this delicacy for no reason.