TASTING CHOCOLATE CHIPS For our blind taste test we selected seven brands of semisweet chocolate all liking. The panel of 22 tasters consisted of professional pastry chefs (list- chips that are available nationwide in stores or by mail order. The chips were ed below) and Cook’s Illustrated staff members. The chips are listed in tasted plain and in a traditional Toll House cookie (cooled to room temper- order of preference based on each brand’s combined scores from the two ature). Tasters rated the chips for flavor (degree of chocolatiness, sweet- tastings. Prices were for purchases made from supermarkets in the Boston ness, off flavors, and overall flavor), mouthfeel (gritty or smooth), and over- area.

R E CO M M E N D E D Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels G L E N DALE, CALIFORNIA Tropical Source Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY ( 12-ounce bag for $2.75 ( 10-ounce bag for $2.99 The nation’s first and best-selling chocolate chip car- This natural food store brand ranked well above ried a straightforward, “decent” chocolate flavor all the chips for its “velvety” smooth mouthfeel along with a relatively smooth mouthfeel. Some and its complex, slightly bitter chocolate flavor. tasters did find it more sweet than they preferred. Some tasters described it as “s m o k y.” “Best “Got milk?” commented one taster. Many tasters described the chip’s flavor as “p e r- mouthfeel yet, combined with deep, complex flavor makes for a good chip,” fumey” or fruity. A reassuring solid finish for the brand of chocolate chips most likely one taster commented. A slight percentage of tofu is used in this chip to lend to be found in cupboards across the country. Available at supermarkets nationwide. creaminess, according to the manufacturer. And the use of unrefined cane juice c rystals (instead of refined white sugar) seems to have contributed an agreeably N OT RECOMMENDED mellow sweetness. Available in natural food stores and by mail order from Merckens Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips MANSFIELD, MASSACH U S E T TS Natural Resources catalog (6680 Harvard Drive, Sebastopol, CA 95472; 800- ( 16-ounce bag for $3.25 74 7 - 0 3 9 0 ) . There was little consensus as to this chip’s flavor. Many found i t full-flavored and pleasant, while oth- Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Super Cookie Chips BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA ers found the flavor lacking. The primary demise of ( 10-ounce bag for $1.8 5 this chip, however, was a strong aftertaste that one This chip shared some of the winning chip’s taster described as “c e l e ry - l i k e .” The plain chip was also grainy, “like melting sandpa- strengths. Tasters described Guittard chips as p e r” in the mouth. In the cookie it melted smoothly, almost to the point of losing its creamy with noticeable coffee subtleties, a “good shape. Available in gourmet stores. bitter quality in front,” “slightly fruity” notes, and an overall assertive chocolate flavor. A technician at Guittard attributed these quali- Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips H E R S H E Y, PENNSY LVA N I A ties to a refined manufacturing process that is similar to that of a coating choco- ( 12-ounce bag for $2.19 late. The consequence of this, however, is that the chocolate is too fluid to stand This famous candy bar brand was “ok but...” it tasted upright in the shape of most commercial chips. Instead, these chips look more like artificial, “a c i d i c ,” “s a c c h a r i n e y,” “a little like sweet a deflated chip about the size of a nickel. Super Chips are sold in supermarkets cough syrup,” “flat,” and “of cardboard box.” Even nationwide, though they can be hard to find. Call 800-468-2462 for further infor- more to its disadvantage was a “waxy” and “c h a l k y ” mation on availability. mouthfeel. It held up possibly too well under heat. Many tasters expressed the wish for more melting in the cookie. Available in supermarkets nationwide. Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA ( 12-ounce bag for $2.89 Baker’s Semi-Sweet Real Chocolate Chips WHITE PLAINS, NEW YO R K This semisweet chip was more reminiscent of a bit- ( 12-ounce bag for $1.9 9 tersweet chip. “Strong chocolate flavor without The bottom of the bags. “Hideously sweet” and killer sweetness.” Tasters found the chips to be “extremely waxy” were the major complaints. “It was grainy when plain, yet they melted more rapidly in like a sugar cube, with a chalky shortening quality to the mouth than many of the chips. The gritty, chalky character also smoothed out i t ,” wrote one taster. Another likened it to the taste significantly when the chips were baked in a cookie. Some tasters noted a fruity of cola. Like Hershey’s, it proved too firm and waxy in a cookie. Available at super- essence. Sold in most supermarkets. markets nationwide.