A reader writes, asking, “Why does some chocolate have a “waxy” taste? The reasons for this are very simple on the surface, but far more complex on the chemical level …
The texture of a piece of chocolate is based on a large number of factors including the ingredients used and they way those ingredients are processed. The texture component you’re talking about, waxiness, is a result of the kinds of fat that get used. If you know anything about metallurgy and alloying metals (or even if you don’t), you might be aware that by adding different types of metals in different percentages you get very different properties, including the “hardness” of the metal. The technical term for this interaction is called “eutectics.” In chocolate, the same thing happens. When you mix fats together the results are not always predictable and this is most likely to be the case when adding non cocoa butter fats and/or oils. There is also a chemical property of cocoa butter known as hardness – some cocoa butters are not as brittle as others when they are tempered. The waxy texture you are referring to is when the cocoa butter in the chocolate reacts in a negative way with th
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