Chocolate dipping is the act of dipping a piece of food into melted chocolate, then letting the confection cool so that it coats the item. When the food is dipped, part of it is usually left exposed; glazed oranges, for example, are dipped only halfway into heated chocolate.
Tempering
The process of preparing chocolate for dipping is called tempering. Tempering involves heating the chocolate to a certain temperature, cooling it, then heating and cooling it again so that it has the right consistency for dipping.
Presentation
Presentation is very important with chocolate-dipped items since you want them to look appetizing. For instance, dipped strawberries shouldn't have their stems covered in chocolate, and you want the confection to dry in an even coat without drizzles hanging off.
Types
Dipping can be done with dark, milk and white chocolate. However, each has a unique tempering process in which they are heated and cooled to different temperatures.
Time Frame
How long it takes to dip items in chocolate depends on how many of them you want to cover; the act itself only takes a few seconds. Preparing the chocolate is the most time consuming part of the process; it can take about 45 minutes to prepare it.
Potential
The sky is the limit on what you can dip into chocolate. Kiwis, bananas, cherries, crackers, cookies, pretzels, croissants and potato chips are a few examples.
Function
The purpose of dipping food into chocolate is to add another taste and texture to enjoy, or to bring out its flavor. It can also make the item more visually appealing.
Tags: food into, into chocolate