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Monday, April 08, 2013

The Salt

Reduced Guilt? Chocolate Gets A Healthy, Fruity Makeover

You could cut up to half the fat from chocolate without sacrificing taste by infusing it with fruit juice, scientists say.

April 8, 2013 Scientists have developed a type of chocolate infused with micro-bubbles of fruit juice that they say can replace up to half of the fat found in normal chocolate. This hybrid treat, they say, provides a tasty, more healthful alternative to regular chocolate.

Summary

Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Salt

Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Makers Dare To Bare How It's Done

Askinosie buys beans directly from small farmers. The goal: better quality control, and more cash to the growers.

February 14, 2013 Chocolate entrepreneurs say their obsession with controlling every step of production, from the farm to the finished bar, makes for better tasting chocolate, and a more ethical, open relationship with farmers.

Summary

Monday, November 19, 2012

The Salt

Sandwich Monday: Breathable Chocolate

Whiffable.

November 19, 2012 For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try Le Whif breathable chocolate. It's a great way to get your chocolate fix without all the pesky chewing. It's also the perfect thing if you've been meaning to start smoking but want to ease your way in.

Summary

Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Salt

The Secret To Genius? It Might Be More Chocolate

A Swiss cardiologist plots a cheeky graph that shows a country's chocolate consumption may predict its chances of winning a Nobel.

October 11, 2012 A cardiologist has some fun plotting how a country's chocolate consumption may predict Nobel prizes. The outlier, he notes, is that Sweden, the home of the Nobel, seems to get more than its share of the prizes.

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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Salt

Daily Dose Of Dark Chocolate May Help Lower Blood Pressure

Dark chocolate — it's delicious, and it may be good for your blood pressure.

August 15, 2012 A little chocolate may lower your blood pressure, scientists say, but don't throw out the medicines just yet. The new study is the latest in a string of signs that some of the properties in chocolate might be good for you.

Summary

Friday, August 10, 2012

The Salt

Smoked Chocolate, For National S'More Day And More

Chocolate chips, fresh out of the smoker at Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery in Seattle.

August 10, 2012 KPLUIf you can't get to a campfire to roast s'mores today, check out some smoked chocolate. Smoking chocolate is a technique that takes time and precision, but has produced some tasty results for former Girl Scout Autumn Martin and her Seattle bakery.

Summary

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Salt

Estonia's Fake Chocolate: Born Of Necessity, Reborn In Nostalgia

kama bar

May 24, 2012 In tough economic times, people almost never cut out comfort foods like chocolate. But sometimes, when you just can't get the foods you love, deprivation can lead to a new food invention, like Estonia's faux chocolate bar, the Kama bar.

Summary

Friday, May 04, 2012

The Salt

Chocolate Maker Brings Joy Out Of The Basement

Ben Rassmusen's chocolate as it is cools in the tempering machine.

May 4, 2012 A hobby turned into an obsession caused Ben Rasmussen to turn his basement into a chocolate factory. See how Rasmussen rebuilds and re-purposes household items to create his award-winning confection.

Summary

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Salt

Does A Chocolate Habit Help Keep You Lean?

Researchers say some compounds in cocoa may help us fend off fat.

March 26, 2012 New research suggests that frequent chocolate consumption may favorably influence metabolism. It adds to the growing evidence that our bodies may not treat all calories the same way.

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Salt

Why The Best Chocolate Is The One You Eat Last

If that Hershey's Kiss is your last, researchers say it's likely to taste better.

February 14, 2012 In a recent study, people were three times more likely to favor the last chocolate when they were told no more were coming. Researchers say this built-in bias for endings might also have implications in the world of online dating.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

The Salt

DIY Willy Wonka Turns Home Into Chocolate Factory

Ben Rasmussen pours tempered chocolate into a tray, where it will harden into a finished bar.

February 14, 2012 When Ben Rasmussen started making chocolate as a hobby, he had trouble finding equipment, so he cobbled together his own. Now Potomac Chocolate is a business run out of his utility room, where he makes award-winning, single-origin chocolate bars.

Summary

Monday, December 05, 2011

The Salt

How Hot Chocolate Became More American Than Apple Pie

George Washington would approve of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day.

December 5, 2011 George Washington drank spiced hot chocolate for breakfast, according to a new cookbook. His version was often seasoned with new-world flavors like chili powder, vanilla, and allspice, creating a complex concoction — richer and less sweet than its modern day counterpart.

Summary

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Salt

Nestle To Investigate Child Labor On Its Cocoa Farms

A worker shovels cocoa beans drying in the sun for export, in Guiglo in western Ivory Coast.

November 29, 2011 Nestle, the world' largest food company, has hired an organization that specializes in accountability to investigate and document child labor on the cocoa farms that supply its chocolate in Côte d'Ivoire.

Summary

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Salt

In Peru, A Hunt For Chocolate Like You've Never Tasted It

Farmers dry cacao beans in Uchiza, Peru, a file photo from 2008. Researchers are exploring the wild cacao bounty of Peru's Amazon Basin, part of an effort to jump-start the country's premium cacao industry.

October 10, 2011 Some 500 years after Columbus first encountered cocoa beans, scientists are discovering new, wild cacao flavors in the Amazon rainforest. Turns out, we've barely begun to sample the many flavors nature has to offer.

Summary

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Blog Of The Nation

Hershey Says Dark Chocolate May Be Healthier Than Fruit Juice

February 8, 2011 Chocolate lovers have a new excuse to indulge: A study in the Chemistry Central Journal claims that dark chocolate can be healthier for the heart than fruit juices. Of course, the study was conducted by Hershey.

Summary

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