Expert's Guide to White Chocolate

Testing expert Jack Bishop challenges hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia to a white chocolate chip tasting.
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[@sharontuckerlewis7325]

My friend and I saw Jack at Williams Sonoma in Kansas City some years ago. We got to participate in a taste test for white chocolate. Ghirardelli was the winner then as well. I have purchased no other white chocolate since. We loved seeing Jack and having him sign our cookbooks.

[@AKeNeN]

One format recommendation is to identify each option via _letter_ instead of _number_ because viewers can easily get lost while hearing how they rank against one another.

[@Pastadudde]

agreed.

[@cosmos9688]

I didn't really have a problem until they started putting Julia and Bridget on one tasting. It gets confusing real fast when they talk about who ranked what where.

[@sethzard]

I don't use it for candy so don't really care about the snap. I tend to bake with the Callebrut because it tastes great and integrates really well both in cookies and things like blondies.

[@fathom-c7o]

i tend to eat

[@virikameni]

I’m considering buying Callebaut, (I used to just bake for friends and family and used something like Lindt or other high quality chocolates) but now that I’m getting quite a lot into baking I wanted something more economical that was just as good. Does Callebaut really taste amazing?

[@sethzard]

@@virikameni Sorry for missing this, I realise it's really delayed but IMO it tastes really good. It has a more complex flavour than other things at least as far as I've found.

[@virikameni]

@@sethzard Haha, thanks so much for the reply! (Better late than never right?) i actually bought Callebaut the week after writing that and I really liked it!!! :))

[@sethzard]

@@virikameni brill, glad to hear it!

[@cisium1184]

I absolutely love white chocolate. I don't make candy or cookies with it though, I just eat it. Callebaut is great, but even better imho is Daskalides, which I think is also Belgian or maybe French. Even Nestle Galak is pretty good for the money, and easier to find in America.

[@kevinhullinger8743]

White chocolate is my favorite also. 👌🏻

[@cliftonmcnalley8469]

Thank you so much for this review. I'll have to try the Callebrut. I dislike every "white candy" that pretends to be chocolate. It's always just a chunk of nasty "way too sweet" for me. This taste testing clearly explains why. Thank you. When anything calls itself white chocolate - it should ALWAYS have a chocolate flavor. I grew up eating chocolate my Grandparents would send from Europe each Christmas - Belgian, Swiss and German chocolate. So I am picky. Though I've not been recently, I've only ever had actual delicious white chocolate from one source beginning 50 years ago. The Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It's a major "tourist trap" town. However, if you are there and you love chocolate I highly recommend you try it. It will never replace dark chocolate for me, but it has a unique flavor, a creamy texture and definitely deserves to call itself chocolate. Or - maybe they have online ordering - hadn't thought of that til now....hmmm.......need to check......

[@anhthynguyen9253]

You can check Valrhona chocolate, it’s even better than Callebaut as it has lighter taste. They have a product called framboise, white chocolate mixed with strong rasberry puree , it’s my absolute favorite cuz it doesn’t have artificial flavour.

[@laurao3274]

Valrhona and Callebaut are both good quality chocolates. My father is a pastry chef and he uses both. Although I have never tried their white chocolate, I have had their dark chocolate and it's a really good. I've had some decent white chocolate from Germany. Ritter Sport's white chocolate is ok, so long as it has nuts (Vollnuss) to cut the sweetness. But hands down the best white chocolate I've ever had was from a little chocolate shop in Frederick, MD called the Perfect Truffle. I don't know the brand, but it was a white chocolate bar with guava chunks in it. It was to die for.

[@dianacarney5588]

I use Ghirardelli’s chocolate and cocoa powder for baking. It’s the best!

[@lindatwyman8739]

These three geniuses together are wonderful!

[@janfelshaw8217]

Thank you for the information.

[@aaron74]

Ghirardelli is just a solid chocolate brand. The 60% are my favorite chocolate chips.

[@fluffylee]

Would have loved to see if they could tell if you snuck in some almond bark. Definitely prefer it over white “chocolate”.

[@philippapay4352]

So, we can successfully use actual white chocolate for the type of candy that is bark that breaks unevenly with things atop it, like dried apricots or sour cherries or cashew nuts and so on. It is with other types of candies that use of it is problematical?

[@ClayGordon]

It’s important to know that three of the four “chocolates” shown were not real chocolate. They were “compound” containing no real cocoa butter. It is completely possible to use *real* white chocolate to make barks - and any type of candy - but it requires knowing how to proper temper the chocolate (or knowing how to melt it without taking it out of temper) so it forms the right crystal structure as it cools down. Compound does not need to be tempered. That is why it was invented. Oh and because fractionated palm kernel oil is cheaper than cocoa butter.

[@philippapay4352]

@@ClayGordon Thank you for your reply. I was certain I had made bark from white chocolate some years ago and was considering doing it again, as it was a big hit with the nuts & fruits I put atop it. Needed clarification.

[@podsavechocolate]

@@philippapay4352 - I have been working in cocoa and chocolate for more than 20 years and I work on a lot of fronts to clarify things when people get it partially right - or demonstrably wrong. In this case, the tasting panel was comparing apples (couverture chocolate callets) with oranges (compound “chocolate” chips). There is way too much nuance on these topics to cover in five minutes and I think the team did a bad job of communicating what they were actually comparing. Chocolate is a complex topic so it’s hard to make subtle differences clear in a few seconds in a video. The first think I would do is compare real white chocolates with real white chocolates, and compound (a chocolate-like or chocolate-adjacent substance) against compound, And that discussion involving the real chocolates would have to discuss the formulation differences between couverture chocolate and chips, which are formulated to hold their shape when they get hot. Ever wonder how they can do that when you can melt them using warm milk?

[@DaveIngle1]

Nice review... you talked about the difference between the Barks... I'd love to see you make some that snap!

[@jeff__w]

So, wait, the winner of the “white chocolate” taste test turns out _not_ to be white chocolate?

[@remy.o.french]

Pretty odd that they tested 4 white chocolates and only one was a white chocolate. I have bought the Ghirardelli white baking chips before and they don’t melt well at all! I have to buy chocolate bars to get to white chocolate to melt.

[@sethzard]

@@remy.o.french The Callebaut melt really well.

[@animeboitiddies6146]

one has to doubt ameican tastebuds here

[@anhthynguyen9253]

@@remy.o.french Actually in professional baking, they would usually use couventure chocolate buttons from Callebaut or Valrhona,… Chips is used for topping only as it has vegetable fat instead of cocao butter so it will not melt as good.

[@laurao3274]

@@animeboitiddies6146 As a supertaster, who is also American, I always doubt American taste buds. The problem is that when it comes to our senses, we tend to enjoy what we grew up with. I was raised in my family's European-style bakery, so I grew up eating quality chocolate from importers. Your average American was raised on the cheap stuff, like Hershey's, so that's what their taste buds prefer.

[@michaeledwards8051]

It's a guide to white chocolate. Then, the winner isn't white chocolate. 🤔😅😆🤣

[@zaria5785]

I always use the Ghirardelli’s white chocolate bar with the white baking chips…makes my white chocolate icing brighter as opposed to the off-white color in the bar.

[@lindatwyman8739]

I have a white chocolate cake recipe from my Mother. She used white chocolate baking squares. I wonder which of these chips might replace the squares.?

[@anhthynguyen9253]

well from my knowledge, french chef would use either Valrhona for its exquisite light taste or Callebaut for richness common taste. Don’t use chips as they usually are chocolate compound that is usually used as toppping, use chocolate buttons instead.

[@jesusislord2457]

Thank you for sharing this! I'd like to see what you think about almond bark and chocolate bark. A true opinion about fake candy coatings and is there a best one out there. Buckeyes are my quest but, most brands of bark leave the mouth feel like eating crisco.🤢

[@pjacobsen1000]

So people prefer the ones that are NOT chocolate, and they dislike those that ARE chocolate, doesn't that say something about the whole premise? If people prefer the non-chocolate, they're not really looking for chocolate in the first place, but for something else. And likewise, if they dislike the white chocolate, it would mean they still haven't found a product (cake, candy, cookie, whatever) that requires white chocolate.

[@ladyflimflam]

It’s like when they downgraded kerrygold butter because it naturally has the flavor compound that is added to movie theater popcorn butter so it tasted artificial to them . Instead they liked bland american butters.

[@Woodlawn22]

Mmmm a review of one of my favorite things.

[@EricsonHerbas]

Where was the Toblerone White Chocolate? I've had a lot of white chocolates in my life and the Toblerone is one of the best. Or are we just limiting to white chocolate "chip"?

[@sandrah7512]

Just chips, morsels wafers, etc. Bits.

[@aarond1508]

Is it possible that Jack was separated at birth with Angel Di Maria on the Argentina World Cup team?

[@memphissong3701]

👍🏻

[@KarenSmith-sv9xc]

I think Guittard is better quality than Ghirardelli but I buy both brands

[@XzTS-Roostro]

Imma go out and purchase a bag of that stuff

[@XzTS-Roostro]

The first time I ate white chocolate was when I ate the Hersey's Cookies & Cream bar for the first time; I was six at the time.

[@ClayGordon]

So, there was only one actual chocolate in the lineup, the rest were what in the industry is called compound. And the chocolate was knocked down because it required tempering and so not as easy to use. Not a good look ATK. For people interested in great white chocolate (to eat, not just in chip form) look for mention of undeodorized (or natural) cocoa butter. This means the flavors of the cocoa beans have not been deliberately stripped out during manufacturing. So, more cocoa flavor. Also, the most flavorful ingredient in most great white chocolate is not vanilla - it’s the milk that’s used. Skim milk powder is not going to be as flavorful as full cream powder. (Aside: Hannah reached out to me years ago for assistance on a CI article about cocoa powder.)

[@sandrah7512]

The actual taste test consisted of six products, including two others from Guittard. One was a true white chocolate while the other, unlike the Guittard product featured here, contained no cocoa butter. It finished second over all. The actual test was not just a plain, straight taste test, but also a performance test as well and the “faux” chocolate performed better. However, even the tasters were surprised the two true white chocolate samples finished at the bottom of the rankings in taste as well with some tasters noting citrusy or sour notes in both samples. One thing not mentioned in the current taste test that had been noted in an earlier one was the potential for true white chocolate to go rancid very quickly. Those sour notes tasters picked up on could have possibly been a bit of rancidity in the samples.🤷🏼‍♀ In the end though, all the products were recommended.

[@ClayGordon]

@@sandrah7512 - The title says “White Chocolate”. Compound (a chocolate-like or chocolate-adjacent substance) cannot legally be labeled chocolate. It’s that simple. And nuance not mentioned in the video that hit the cutting room floor or was mentioned in another video is irrelevant to this discussion for the 99.9% of viewers who will not read these comments and watch that other video.

[@sandrah7512]

@@ClayGordon Right. So "Expert's Guide to Compound" . That's totally self-explanatory. 🙃 I get what you're saying, but sometimes, it seems the only way to explain or introduce a product or concept to laypeople is to start with the wrong technical term, then explain the difference which is exactly how they introduced the segment and the taste test article it's based upon. As you're apparently an expert yourself, this teachable moment can't be unfamiliar territory, right?

[@podsavechocolate]

@@sandrah7512 - This is sadly familiar territory. A video published by Epicurius with the headline "Picking The Right Chocolate For Every Recipe | The Big Guide" says in the description there are over 15 types of chocolate. The video starting out with the assertion that cocoa beans are a form of chocolate - which they are most definitely not (they are an ingredient in chocolate). Last week Consumer Reports published an article on cadmium and lead in chocolate that was alarmist that got picked up my many major media outlets. I’ve spent hours explaining to people why they don’t have to panic over the chocolate they eat. In this video - the only real chocolate that made it into the top four was not in chip form, they were drops (the manufacturer calls them callets) of couverture chocolate. Limiting the discussion to white chocolate and compound in chip form would have been more instructive as chips are specifically engineered to hold their shape when heated and couverture is not. I think that doing this as a part of a series where topics could be introduced one at a time is the way to do this. I am super interested to know what the tasting panel would find if they did the same thing with real dark chocolate couverture drops and dark (semisweet or bittersweet) compound chips.

[@donquinn1343]

Hello

[@astatine0085]

Agreed. Ghirardelli is worth the price!

[@Face_Meat]

What's with the creeper in the background @3:23?

[@MivusComedy]

man in background at 3:23 👁👄👁

[@mariannejennisch9293]

Not a fan of white chocolate. But I like these vlogs.

[@laurababcock3950]

My granddaughter is allergic to chocolate. I’d there a white chocolate that she could use in cooking that she could tolerate

[@meinyukay]

Expert in what

[@crystalkirkman]

Ghirardelli knows chocolate. Be sure to have their sundaes at Disney Springs which are uh-mazing! 🤤

[@lemmykilmister873]

🤔

[@Gshkudnkfswhin]

I clicked because I thought this was Maury Povich 😂

[@ChurchladyHmm]

It almost is. Only this time, Ghirardelli *is* the father!!

[@kristinb5121]

I would have liked to see Lillys included in the test.

[@frankhughes001]

Sorry Jack, after your disastrous "scales" segment recently, you put a pin in your credibility ballon.

[@TRuth.T]

Did you recently hear that chocolate is toxic(with heavy metals & cadmium :(

[@marybaker8582]

No

[@QIKWIA]

The DARK chocolate is the culprit...and the DARKER it is the more toxic is what the article said.

[@AKeNeN]

I recommend reading a full article on the topic. Sounds like a claim started through a game of science telephone.

[@jtsholtod.79]

There is some legitimacy to the research. Dark chocolate has traces of heavy metals, although whether the levels are indeed of concern depends on whether you feel the regulations from California are appropriate, or not.

[@fordhouse8b]

@@jtsholtod.79 They are not.

[@Peter..Griffin]

I find white chocolate rather shallow and pedantic.

[@thelostone6981]

Oh, ok Mr. Griffin. But I find you’re epistemological presupposition is puerile and downright insensate in an irascible…um, er, thingy.

[@catherinemelnyk]

Good one!

[@GamesNTech]

the best "white chocolate" is not white chocolate. Checks out.

[@zunedog31]

Not chocolate

[@melissarey2973]

Agreed.

[@LoebRules]

Exactly

[@marilynsnider8183]

It's ok, not a fan.

[@awnb95]

Least useful review you've done should only one wad actually white chocolate. Should have titled this best white baking chips.

[@leenam.4578]

White chocolate: a big no. It tastes like wax.

[@gailmiller6333]

Leena M. Agree 100%, WAX!!

[@phillyjourney]

Ew No white chocolate please