Please help me with how chocolate is sold

[CanadianBakin']

It's me again with yet another question. I'm sure I've used up my quota of questions for the last couple days but I have one more...

Here's a lsit of what my supplier sells:

CA13

Mi-Amare (Pistols)

5kg

IFF2

Callebaut - D811

5kg

IFF3

Callebaut - 811

5kg

IFF21

Semi-Calets (USA) Item#95842 D811

25lb

LIN3652

Lindt Surfin (Dark) Chocolate

2/1kg

LIN3673

Lindt Extra Bitter Chocolate

2/1kg

LIN2832

Lindt 70% Excellence (Bars) Couverture Bitter

10kg

KR7635

Semi Sweet Choc. Squares (GENIE)

10kg

KR7636

Unsweet Dark Squares (Bakerettes)

10kg

CC1

Schokinag Bitter Sweet Slab

2.5kg

CC5

Schokinag 55/45/35 Chips - 1000ct

10kg

BC501

Couverture Wafers - C501/J

10kg

I am not sure what would best serve my purposes. I'm not clear on the difference between "pistols" & "calets" and "semi-calets". I work for a higher-end coffee house but it's not a bakery so I have to choose good products but not neccessarily the best as cost is a bit of an issue. I use chocolate melted in cheesecake, melted with margarine to top some types of squares, melted in one of my frostings and chips in cookies.

Do I need to buy block chocolate or can I use calets or wafers? Are calets the same size as chocolate chips and can I use them in cookies or do I need proper chocolate chips for them to hold their shape? Or is there enough cocoa butter in the Schokinag chips that I could use them for the other purposes as well? My rep is very kind but I don't think he's a baker, just a salesman, so I'd like the opinion of someone who actually uses the products. Thanks again for all your help!

Edited December 1, 2004 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[aidensnd2]

I'm not clear on the difference between "pistols" & "calets" and "semi-calets"

Basically those are just the different manufacturers names for their chips/wafers/pieces of chocolate. The exact size and shape vary from one manufacturer to another.

Do I need to buy block chocolate or can I use calets or wafers?

Get the calets/wafers/chips. They are the same chocolate as the block just in a different form that is easier and quicker to melt. Perfect for what you need.

Are calets the same size as chocolate chips and can I use them in cookies or do I need proper chocolate chips for them to hold their shape?

The Callebaut calets are too big for cookies, imagine a flattened Hershey kiss.

The Schokinag chips are your typical "chip" size.

Yes, you coulduse the Schokinag for all your purposes, the Callebaut is a better quality chocolate though.

Hope this helps.

[KarenS]

You did not mention price. I have used all of those chocolates. I have never used margerine though. You need to give us your budget/ recipes. I would use Schokinag with butter before moving on to a better chocolate. You can use, calets, pistoles, or chips. I have not used block for standard production for over 15 years- it is not necessary.

[CanadianBakin']

Thanks for your help! With that in mind, I think I'll stick with the Callebaut calets for melting purposes and the Schokinag chips for cookies. That's the highest grade of chips they have and I imagine that they're still better than your standard "Foleys" chips. It would be wonderful if I could use butter in everything but I'm trying to be careful with pricing.

I have never used margerine though. You need to give us your budget/ recipes. I would use Schokinag with butter before moving on to a better chocolate.

I use margarine in places the average person wouldn't taste the difference. I've sampled the baking at most of the coffee houses and bakeries in this area and they don't have much to offer. So even using margarine in some items our product it is still WAY better than anywhere else. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when even our #1 bakery has poor tasting product.

Edited December 2, 2004 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[JeanneCake]

My experience with the Callebaut bittersweet calets is that they are very viscous - much thicker when melted than any other bittersweet "chip" I've used. I like this to flavor my chocolate buttercream, but I'm not crazy about it in my flourless chocolate cake, ganache or glaze. Buy the smallest bag you can and test it out before committing to the bigger bag.

[CanadianBakin']

Thanks for the caution, JeanneCake. I'll see if I can get a sample from my supplier.

[Just loafing]

CB: Have you tried the President's Choice decadent chocolate chips from SuperStore? Lot better than Foley's or the standard bulk chocolate chip, even Callebaut. Price point is probably an issue, for you, however. I do far more bread than sweets, so I haven't needed to buy chocolate chips from my supplier (SnowCap). I do get cocoa in bulk, though, since we go through a lot of brownies. Susan

[CanadianBakin']

Thanks Susan. As you probably guessed our supplier is SnowCap too. I haven't tried the PC chocolate chips in a long time but I'll price them out and maybe do a comparison with SuperStores's noname choc chips. That's what I usually use at home. Sounds wierd but they have more cocoa butter than most chips and have a nice feel in the mouth. I find some choc chips are chewy rather than melt-in-your-mouth. But if you like them better than Callebaut they might be worth looking into. It really sounds like we're going to need to do some taste-testing.