Ghiradelli vs Guittard...

[Dailey]

i love the taste of ghiradelli chocolates and usually stock up when my grocery store puts them on sale. however, i can purchase guittards semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips for $59/ 25 pounds which would come out cheaper for me. i've never tried guittard chocolates and they only sell in bulk so i am not able to sample them. can someone who tried them tell me if they are a good tasting chocolate? or how they compare to ghiradelli? i'd really appreciate it, thanks

[SweetSide]

I've used both Guittard and Ghiradelli. Which ones in particular are you talking about? couveture? Chips (as in the stuff you use for cookies)? chocolate percentage?

Some of the Ghiradelli chocolate chips I find to be very "thick" if I let them melt in my mouth. I'm thinking the double chocolate chips. And the white chips I believe are not true white chocolate -- no cocoa butter.

The bars I like for Ghiradelli, but like the signature line of Guittard much better. Smoother, less bitter. The semisweet chips (as in cookies) were good too.

[McDuff]

I use both the 1m and the 4m chips. I prefer the 1m to make ganache as the 4m seem to be grainy.

[Dailey]

sweetside,

i'm talking about the chocolate chips, they carry semi-sweet and milk chocolate, they didn't mention anything about the chocolate %. i really love the double chocolate chips by ghiradelli but they switched over to 60% cocoa and i'm not liking that one as much.

mcduff,

i'm sorry but i'm confused. what does 1m and 4m mean? thanks again.

[dejaq]

This is a very interesting thread. I can only speak for Guittard, a few years ago while I exploratorily investigating alternate chocolates that were made stateside, I had an opportunity to sample and try first hand Guittard. I was in particular interested in what See's out of Cali was using, a rep at the Philly Confectionery show stated they used a "blend".

What troubled me at that time was this "large Company" with their great relatively priced premium "line" was no where to be found through any distributed local network. I checked with a rep at a local Company in Maryland, and found it to be a major prob. to get in a variety unless I was prepared to purchase an entired skid, I suppose it you're bigger than a guppy out there they will ship direct, but for Pastry Chefs in some areas, aside from intermediate players, European Companies only stock the usual.

Otherwise Guittard rules, it's a domestic that does not taste like one.

Michael

[McDuff]

sweetside, 

  i'm talking about the chocolate chips, they carry semi-sweet and milk chocolate, they didn't mention anything about the chocolate %.  i really love the double chocolate chips by ghiradelli but they switched over to 60% cocoa and i'm not liking that one as much. 

mcduff,

  i'm sorry but i'm confused.  what does 1m and 4m mean?  thanks again.

←

It's the size...1m is a mini choc chip, the 4m is a teeny bit bigger than a Nestle's.

[annachan]

Don't know about Guittard, but the E. Guittard is much better than Ghiradelli. I used Ghiradelli for while because the prices are reasonable. But since I'm able to get E. Guittard couverture wafers in bulk for about $3.50/lb in the 11 lb box, I've switched over. I've used the 38% milk, 61% semisweet and 72% bittersweet and love them all.

[Katie Nell]

i've never tried guittard chocolates and they only sell in bulk so i am not able to sample them. 

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Our Target's sell the guittard chocolate chips... are you near a Super Target?

[Desiderio]

I juat ordered lots of E guittard 58% and milk 38% from Assouline caviar , their prices are great , also for the valrhona .

My Webpage

I only tried the molding solitaire of the guittard , and it was very good ( for molding very very thin.

[Dailey]

thanks again everyone for the input. katie, i don't have a super target, just a regular one, gonna have to give them a call tomarro and see if they carry them.

mcduff, thanks for clarifying!

[alanamoana]

i love e.guittard and have never liked ghirardelli very much.

the only thing i don't like by guittard is their milk chocolate. it tastes very "malt-y" to me and that isn't my favorite flavor.

annachan, i'm located in the bay area, can you tell me who you buy your bulk chocolate from? i usually use the e.guittard 61% and white and am considering buying from chefswarehouse (dairyland) based in New York. they have started distribution on the west coast and are located in oakland. i spoke to a sales rep and i can buy from him and pick up at their warehouse.

maybe your supplier is better?

[Beanie]

sweetside, 

  i'm talking about the chocolate chips, they carry semi-sweet and milk chocolate, they didn't mention anything about the chocolate %.   i really love the double chocolate chips by ghiradelli but they switched over to 60% cocoa and i'm not liking that one as much. 

mcduff,

  i'm sorry but i'm confused.  what does 1m and 4m mean?  thanks again.

←

It's the size...1m is a mini choc chip, the 4m is a teeny bit bigger than a Nestle's.

←

1m is 1,000 chips to a pound, 4m is 4,000 to a pound.

[jgarner53]

i love e.guittard and have never liked ghirardelli very much.

the only thing i don't like by guittard is their milk chocolate. it tastes very "malt-y" to me and that isn't my favorite flavor.

annachan, i'm located in the bay area, can you tell me who you buy your bulk chocolate from? i usually use the e.guittard 61% and white and am considering buying from chefswarehouse (dairyland) based in New York. they have started distribution on the west coast and are located in oakland. i spoke to a sales rep and i can buy from him and pick up at their warehouse.

maybe your supplier is better?

I'm in San Francisco and get my E. Guittard through Pacific Gourmet for about $3.50/lb. Their number is 888-652-9252. They will let you do pick-up orders, though I believe they have an order minimum (I usually get my cocoa powder there as well).

[alanamoana]

thanks for the reminder jgarner53, i used to buy from them a long time ago.

are you still working in the city? remind me which bakery? i followed that thread back when you started it.

[annachan]

i love e.guittard and have never liked ghirardelli very much.

the only thing i don't like by guittard is their milk chocolate.  it tastes very "malt-y" to me and that isn't my favorite flavor.

annachan, i'm located in the bay area, can you tell me who you buy your bulk chocolate from?  i usually use the e.guittard 61% and white and am considering buying from chefswarehouse (dairyland) based in New York.  they have started distribution on the west coast and are located in oakland.  i spoke to a sales rep and i can buy from him and pick up at their warehouse.

maybe your supplier is better?

←

I've been able to get them from Spun Sugar in Berkeley for reasonable prices. Someone also recommended to me to contact E.Guittard directly, since they're located in Burlingame. I haven't done that yet. but if you do, let me know how that goes.

[alanamoana]

i've contacted e.guittard before. their website has some stuff for sale on the home baker level with regard to quantity. their prices are pretty expensive. if you want to get better prices, you have to buy a minimum of 500 pounds...hehehe

[jgarner53]

are you still working in the city? remind me which bakery? i followed that thread back when you started it.

Yes, I work at Boulangerie Bay Bread (Pine @ Fillmore), part of Pascal Rigo's empire. Been there almost a year now.

[Saara]

If you have a 'health food' store or organic food co-op near you, it's worth checking there. Mine stocks cocoa powder, chips and chunks of Guittard chocolate in the bulk section.

[SweetSide]

Trader Joes sells Guittard, but it isn't the E.Guittard line. Just the regular Guittard. Haven't tried that, since I'm in a glut at the moment. Store near me had it for $3.50 / lb.

Ghirardelli bars in the grocery store are $10.96 / lb -- YOUCH!

[annachan]

Trader Joes sells Guittard, but it isn't the E.Guittard line.  Just the regular Guittard.  Haven't tried that, since I'm in a glut at the moment.  Store near me had it for $3.50 / lb.

Ghirardelli bars in the grocery store are $10.96 / lb -- YOUCH!

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Trader Joes also seel Ghiradelli blocks for about $3/lb. You can also get the 10 lb block for $20.

[foodie3]

"I'm in San Francisco and get my E. Guittard through Pacific Gourmet for about $3.50/lb. Their number is 888-652-9252. They will let you do pick-up orders, though I believe they have an order minimum (I usually get my cocoa powder there as well)"

i agree about pacific gourmet in sf, i bought some valrhona from them, good prices and no shipping costs.

[Patrick S]

Trader Joes sells Guittard, but it isn't the E.Guittard line.  Just the regular Guittard.  Haven't tried that, since I'm in a glut at the moment.  Store near me had it for $3.50 / lb.

Ghirardelli bars in the grocery store are $10.96 / lb -- YOUCH!

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Trader Joes also seel Ghiradelli blocks for about $3/lb. You can also get the 10 lb block for $20.

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I occasionally find Ghirardelli semisweet chips on sale at $3 for 2(12oz) bags at Wal-Mart, and stock up on them for cookies and such.

FWIW, I've only tried the E. Guittard milk 38% wafers and the L'Harmonie 64%. I actually thought the milk was fine, but I didn't like the taste of the L'Harmonie 64% and never bought it again.

[Dailey]

thanks again everyone for the input. i've been calling around to all the stores near me and cannot find the guittard chips anywhere! *sigh* i guess i'll be calling all the health food stores tomarro, thanks saara for the tip!