Make Chocolate at Home with No Fancy Tools

chfstps.co/chocolate
Chef Nick Gavin shows us how chocolate is made, and a hack to whisking some up yourself at home with just three ingredients.
There are some sizeable barriers to making chocolate from scratch at home. Professional chocolatiers use a conche (and other high-end specialty equipment) to transform roasted cacao nibs into smooth chocolate. While there are conches available for at-home use (we even put one to work turning coffee beans into chocolate in our Dark Matter recipe), we wanted to find a way to make chocolate without expensive specialty equipment.
When it comes to chocolate, size does matter-micron size, that is. A micron is one-millionth of a meter, and it’s what determines/affects the overall mouthfeel of chocolate. Too big (about 35 μm) and that chocolate will be perceived as gritty on the palate. But if it’s too fine (around 10 μm), that perception switches to sticky. (This is where the conche shines, grinding cacao nibs to the perfect micron.)
We wondered if we could win the grinding game by skipping the conche and using already prepared professionally ground ingredients. The results were surprising. It turns out, you don’t need high-end specialty equipment to make a kick-ass chocolate bar at home that’s shiny, smooth, snappy, and super delicious.
0:00 Introduction
1:27 what's in chocolate?
2:09 the fine grind
2:46 conche vs blender
3:29 our ingredients
4:20 let's make chocolate
7:06 tempering
8:01 making the bars
9:51 a taste test

[@tom_something]

I'd recommend tasting the powdered sugar, either by itself or by making a simple icing, before using it to make chocolate. Some brands have some really unpleasant flavors that remind me of the smell a space heater makes when it hasn't been used in a while and starts burning dust. While the chocolate and the coca butter might mask it a little bit, it's best to just start with ingredients that already taste good.

[@TROY-MCCLURE-1991]

I'm glad Nick is back. Been a while!

[@Vegeta1088]

Ah man, you missed out on the “bean” pun!

[@codyjnelson]

Missed the guy

[@karu6111]

yesss, peking duck guy. Missed this dude

[@lightfighter540]

I learned something from this, I didn't realize you only need 3 ingredients to make chocolate ! I'm also really glad that Nick is back, I really enjoy the way he presents.

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1 ??

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on INSTAGRAM .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@ProHomeCooks]

so damn cool! love simplicity of the science animations. I finally understand tempering haha

[@supercooled]

You and Claire Saffitz, lol.

[@TheMetalRammus]

Tempering is easy tho

[@marvinsiemon3895]

Can somebody please help me with the ratio? :) Do you use the same amount of sugar and the cocoa powder?

[@BadYossa]

Great vid. As a Chef myself, I'm always come away with some little tidbits of knowledge from your vids. Explaining the science behind something, is synonymous with your channel and is a great educational tool. They're also beautifully shot/edited, with cool tuneage. Been lovin' these badboys for about six years. Keep 'em coming Nick! You guys rock 👍

[@janriedl1062]

That Grant impression was gold

[@bigbrain296]

Hope Nick makes it into more videos. I love him.

[@Ragnarok043]

this is actually prefect timing, my friend gave me a caocao pod and this home hack really helps

[@sundarpichai940]

Wow....a whole pod? I feel that this is not going to end up as something edible, but I'm excited for you to try!

[@lehuutunganh]

that mold is really perfect looking

[@srdjanvukovic]

I thought that the music was suppose to be in the background, but here the guys voice is definitely in the background.

[@inuyashaspet]

Really like Nick because of how meticulous and perfectionist he is. He nails every small step down to a science and that makes reproducing it much easier to follow.

[@CosmikGamer]

Seeing nick makes me so happy

[@MoshTheBull]

nick is back!!!! SO HAPPY!!!

[@mikehawk2148]

I love this man more than my friends combined

[@mash672]

I never knew .... The heavy machine in my home used to make dosa and idli batter is literally also used to make chocolate !!!!!! DAMN!!! 😭😭❤️❤️🤯🤯🤯

[@grimnirnacht]

Would you mind telling me the brand and model of yours if it's good? I've been looking for a melanger/conche machine for awhile but they're all expensive or have terrible reviews

[@Polymeowrs]

@@grimnirnacht Premier chocolate refiner on Amazon. I’ve used mine a few days a week for 6 months and it’s great.

[@mash672]

@@grimnirnacht the thing is ..... The companies in india differ from what you'd get... Where ever you are. Maybe find an industrial supplier and buy it.. sorry for the late reply !! 😁

[@aishwaryarosarin8612]

@Mahima have you tried using wet grinder for this.. I've heard that wet grinder might not work and the melanger comes with a heavy duty motor.. But do let me know if wet grinder works 😁

[@mash672]

@@aishwaryarosarin8612 nope haven't used it..... 😁

[@Will_JJHP]

Nick, my man! Welcome back!

[@felybulda7294]

I love your chocolate recipe! I want to try it. Thanks

[@lenochka225]

Can you provide a video on how you temper this type of chocolate during your process of making it from scratch? Website isn't very helpful.

[@TanukiSC]

Nicky G - so great to see you! You have been missed!

[@onewheel3603]

Thank you. This was the exact video I was looking for....

[@ShalomDome]

glad to have nicky back

[@AMO17]

May have to try this one day.

[@MrLokilis]

Let your editor know they can scale the sound effects back a bit.

[@bigguix]

agreed. music to loud

[@wingedcoyote]

Personally I liked it as is, made the video feel a little more "fun" without being overwhelming

[@blob1010]

Great video, keep the quality up!

[@oisinm]

Nick! You absolute legend, great to have you back! I am super stoked to see you!!

[@kurtrayner3177]

Great idea😊 How would this recipe work in baking?

[@aniqairfan468]

Pure genius!

[@georgiivanov1902]

Science Nick. Great video. Thanks for the tips on the moulds. With flavouring such as essential oils when is the best time to add them in?

[@grimnirnacht]

What was the final micron size?

[@miniair]

Welcome back chef Nick

[@lauratempestini5719]

Is there any unrefined sugar that we could substitute???

[@radityaamandra7029]

30% came for the content, 70% came because Nick is back!!

[@rachel.guillermo0214]

Nick! I’m so happy to see you back on Chef’s Steps! I’ve missed your face🥰🥰

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@bahadrilgun3475]

Welcome back Nick.

[@covandenham]

Where is the recepi how much of each ingredient?

[@MrWnw]

So what is the final particle size of your chocolate (made using refined ingredients)?

[@edelyndungca2382]

This video is great, thanks for sharing! Appreciate sharing the ratio of cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar please..

[@cristinapatrasc7838]

Hi thank you for the informations What are the quantities pls ?

[@boon3086]

It took me 3mins to realize Nick is back ohmy

[@jasonjohnson2627]

My only constructive criticism is that it wasn't a fair comparison for the snap test. I think it should be from the same type of mold.

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@skylertot5026]

Nick is bacck!!!!

[@S2paRoTti]

Claire saffitz would love this future reference for tempering chocolate LOL

[@spykar87]

Nick dropping bars!

[@you2tooyou2too]

re 7:50 You seemed to say, "We use jule to temper', but what does that mean?

[@ryodark]

Great video. Loved how satisfying it was to hear the unique SNAPS of the three types of chocolate. The mold you used for yours was gorgeous, the angles of the top showed off that shine!

[@JordanSlash]

This is what ChefSteps is all about, more of THIS content please.

[@sundarpichai940]

It is, but it's this type of content that attracted all of the haters and trolls the first time around. KZbin is dominated by home "cooks" who want to watch videos on how to dice an onion or gush about how cracking an egg on a flat surface is the greatest cooking suggestion ever.

[@andrewtee]

Mouth watering while watching

[@hirondelle4036]

Thanks for this video😋

[@lookmun]

Good to see you back..... I love your old fashion donut video

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@thecakecountess]

Omg my year just got made. How i missed this. 🥰

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@marumisu9560]

Thank you for explaining tempering so well. I think I warmed up my chocolate too much and it was melting in my hand as I handled it.

[@brunodsozza]

Do you have a hint to make the same chocolate but using virgin coconut oil (solid)? I'm having a hard time with temperature, what's the temperature to form the best cristals using that oil?

[@bigfatdynamo246]

Coconut oil isn't capable of forming the same types of crystals as cacao butter, so it can't really be tempered in the same way or to the same result. You can try using a mixture of virgin coconut oil and cacao butter, but you'd have to experiment to find the right ratio. You'll probably require more cacao butter than coconut oil, since that would be the main structural ingredient in your chocolate, while the coconut oil would act more as flavoring.

[@fnhs90]

So, how do I combine this recipe and your Pistacio Spread-recipe to make Nutella?

[@thatsclassicher1149]

YOU BACK!!!!

[@henkjanssen1252]

As much as Im not a Alex French guy fan, he had a really solid video series about tempering chocolate a year ago, including using the sous-vide method.

[@Biblical_Hippie]

what are the proportions on the cacao butter and cacao powder? 1:1?

[@krisnathebalinese]

Nick is back working at ChefSteps?! 😍

[@Avslutarn]

Yaay more nick videos! Glad he's back!

[@TashJansson]

Chef Nick is baaack! I thought I'd never see the day

[@BlockyTheBlueBlock]

thanks

[@zhucookkitchen5172]

Interesting to know the whole process from cacao fruit turn into Chocolate. Thanks for sharing~~ I personally like eating dark chocolate

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@mochiiiaguilar7830]

Nick!!! So good to see you. Love this Chocolate video- so well done.

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@harnishkaur8568]

Can anyone pls tell me whats dis machine is n vch brand it is?

[@stacyhackney6100]

Thank you.

[@Midnight7762]

Super nice!

[@meloon5876]

Hi, is that sugar icing? Can i replace super fine sugar with sugar icing?

[@humanviolent]

YAY Nick.......he's backkkkkkmmm

[@zacharyswain7034]

what would you recommend if someone didnt want to use added sugar to chooclate but still have it taste a bit sweet?

[@Biblical_Hippie]

you can usr stevia or any other non caloric sweetener. keep in mind though you wont have the same results

[@1nilu1]

can u substitute with maple syrup?

[@CaneTheUnicorn]

i love nick

[@crlaosvloadr3870]

Nick! Glad to see more familiar faces joining again!

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1 ???

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on INSTAGRAM .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@peter6850]

Can there be done something like coffee chocolate? (Instead of cocoa with coffee beans?)

[@sundarpichai940]

I love the thinking here! I mean....when I think about it, why not? Why couldn't you mix coffee powder with cocoa butter and sugar and make bars? Aside the fact that eating a bar would be the equivalent of a quarter line of coke, it seems like it would work.

[@bigfatdynamo246]

Yes! You can do that by replacing the cacao solids with coffee and upping the amount of cacao butter (necessary because coffee actually does contain fat, just very little and it expresses as an oil). I actually learned how to do that from ChefSteps a few years ago, they have a recipe for it that they call "Dark Matter".

[@JML-fi8rf]

I’d like to see a chocolate covered Nick please

[@rohintanchristian4193]

I always like to watch please carry on guys 😅

[@kadrydawoud9085]

nice video but need to know the exactly ingredient percentage

[@crlaosvloadr3870]

I am a simple man, I see Nick, I click

[@dspinney28]

Unreal. 👌

[@phanthilanaphanat1093]

You back!! I'm glad

[@kaisarnatanael2405]

Um does the final product work the same as a couverture? Or is it just a straight casual chocolate bar?

[@bigfatdynamo246]

The actual recipe seems to be paywalled, but in theory you can make this a couverture-like chocolate by just increasing the amount of cacao butter.

[@zuheyr1]

Hi, how many % cacao is in this??

[@asyrafzahari219]

Welcome back nick !!!!

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@ShowDevant]

You guys are awesome! Just started my own cooking channel and you are definitely on the first place for inspiration !!

[@harrywilson945]

This is about as goofy - and fun - cooking video. I'll never do this but interesting for sure!!

[@zwithgol]

How would I make milk chocolate? I don't want to assume you just add milk to the mixture. Also, could I cut the amount of sugar without compromising texture? My issue with almost all chocolate from the store is that it is way too sweet.

[@bigfatdynamo246]

You shouldn't add actual milk, that has too much water in it and will cause the chocolate mixture to seize. Instead you could add some dry milk powder, but I'm not sure how well that would work in this specific recipe. The milk powder may contribute some extra grit to the chocolate (it's usually ground into the mixture along with the cacao nibs). Maybe try blending it into the melted cacao butter?

[@ljd1031]

Could you use a sous vide Bain Marie to do this ...I don't have a induction burner

[@mathusharao6864]

👌🏽perfection

[@isabelletran5907]

Glad to see Marou

[@leeanderson8773]

Same, I was so surprised to see it. Didn't realise it was available outside of Vietnam. It's the best chocolate ever

[@BrendanONeil]

Great video - keep em comin!

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@mr.cleveland2921]

But what would happen if you used Dutch process cocoa?

[@efa666]

The music volume while he's talking is astoundingly irritating.

[@boa1793]

Yep, too loud.

[@petelaupattarakasem2571]

Agreed.

[@timothy790110]

Hes irritating without the music

[@ronwhitfield8872]

Don’t understand why pple use backing music in a tutorial.

[@latchminsingh8835]

I use my little coffee grinder to gring the sugar to powder.

[@adventures.in.wonderland]

The animations at 7:15 😍😍😍😍😍

[@FlavorLab]

Ahh you guys totally beat me to the punch! I just started fermenting some cocao for a video :( Keep up the good work as always!

[@ziplepingouin1186]

Cocoa butter is in the nibs, you don't add extra cocoa butter...

[@WinseAndWepeat]

True about nibs, but he is using cocoa powder, which has all the cocoa butter removed from it, which is why he has to add cocoa butter back in.

[@AmberShah-ov9yw]

How do I make chocolate from cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar with a melanger/concher? cocoa nibs are not very accessible

[@lisahaler2324]

ty for video

[@kennethdiego3098]

@trippy_psyche1

[@kennethdiego3098]

They're on Instagram .....

[@kennethdiego3098]

They've got all kinds of psychedelic ship discreet 🙏

[@deepdude4719]

Can the cacao fat be substituted?

[@Biblical_Hippie]

you can use coconut oil or even regular butter but it wont have the some effect. you can find cacao butter online or in specialized patisseries if you have trouble finding it

[@colkellahan6676]

Can you please do a video using monk fruit or stevia instead of sugar, we are all wanting a more sugar free everything, love your work, keep it up, thank you

[@frsanchezb]

Hes totally quoting 50 cent "ill melt in your mouth girl, not in your hand" candy shop song xD