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So, imagine my surprise while I'm in the kitchen, prepping to make a batch of blondies, annoyed that I am out of chocolate chips that are over 70% and have to settle for 55% because I don't feel like hand chopping the 80% chocolate blocks, and I see this topic pop up in my notifications (initially, I wondered if it was spam...) Since I'm waiting for my browned butter to cool before I make the blondies, I thought I would pop upstairs and form one of my sort-of-coherent posts. So, we want to talk about chocolate, eh? Just the general percent stuff and not the disgusting mass-produced stuff, right? (Although, I will admit, the only mass-produced chocolate I like is Lindt because they somehow kept their flavor, texture, and quality after being merged with Ghirardelli and the trash that is Russell Stovers) Let's get something straight (and I say this in the most friendly and not food snobby way possible), @GazzaGarratt and @Spacedeck ... White chocolate is not chocolate. It is the absence of chocolate. It is sugar, cocoa butter (which is a by-product from making all sort of other chocolate and cocoa things), milk stuff, and vanilla flavoring. You're basically saying you like vanilla lol. Which is something entirely different. And, if I were to make a vanilla ganache or vanilla anything else that involves something creamy, I would be reaching for "white chocolate". Percent-wise, I prefer anything between 70% and 85%. Below that is too sweet to just snack on. 55% is probably the lowest I would go and that would be used in different applications that require the sweetness to balance out whatever else I just put it in. Over 85% gets a bit too bitter and probably should be diluted in something/mixed into something else. For example, hot chocolate where you can add sugar accordingly. Chocolate, itself, has an interesting history in that the way that we generally know it now as a sweet... was not always the case. It was a spice. And various cultures use it as such like Mexico in their mole sauce. Chocolate being sweet was a result of Europeans taking the cacao back home and going "let's add some milk and sugar to it".. then chocolate as we know it was born. It's why Swiss and German chocolates are a thing, yet they don't have the climates to grow cacao. Now, if we want to get into the food snobberiness that I come very very close to, there's even single origin chocolates. And, I can tell you now that I love chocolate too much to actually write down which single-origin chocolates I like over the others. They all have different flavor notes. Some more fruity. Some more bitter. Some that have a tannin-like feel in the mouth. It really just depends on what I have bought and have on hand at the moment to enjoy, that I enjoy. As for what chocolate you will see me buying... it's going to be from an eco-friendly, fair trade company. Right now, I mostly buy Endangered Species chocolates because of what they do with their profits. I recognize that my love for chocolate and coffee can have a negative effect on the environment, and it fuels my anger towards the big producers, like Hershey's and Mars, because they produce shitty tasting chocolate and are destroying the world as they do it. Bottom-line. I like dark. And, I like it over 70% lol. And, it better be actually good quality. 😄

So what's your favourite type of chocolate? Maybe share what bar or slab of chocolate you enjoy the most too. I've loved White chocolate since i was a kid but milk is a very close second. Dark is always just too bitter for me, even though I still would have some if offered. The Crunch Bar was probably the best alongside when Cadbury's did the Dream bar. Obviously Milkybars were nice too. Outside of White, it has to be a Double Decker. Not in the fridge though, you animals. I love the Nougat chewy chocolate with the biscuit inside. Let me know if you want me to add more options to the poll!

Looks like this is coming next month

If I was getting a bar of chocolate to share, it would be milk. For myself it would be white, I can't stand dark chocolate. I think it started when I was younger and loved white magnums, ever since then it's always been white chocolate. Not that I eat chocolate very often anymore, unless it's on top of a biscuit.

I was supposed to post this a while back as it got me giddy excited as Robocop was one of kind of fictional heroes (because of the original film and the Amstrad CPC 464 game). If they get his HUD working in the way like the movies, I'd like to think its a must buy for me. Its also based on the original movies 35 years ago which definitely helps as the newer version just didn't hit me the way the old one does. Anyway, trailer for starters with some concept art. Still a way to go to wait for this one as it states 2023.

..When you spend £14,499,95 on this PC https://www.overclockers.co.uk/8pack-polaris-mk2-intel-core-i9-10920x-4.7ghz-extreme-overclocked-pc-fs-002-8p.html Great deal😎

@Diddums I just logged in to check mine as I too have Beyond Light but not deluxe. I'm unsure the purpose of the big symbol on the main map but I too get the same message when I click it. However if you go to the planet you will see the quest giver, go pick it up from him 👍.

It sounds more like you need to restore purchases of some kind as you do have Beyond Light @Diddums based on that picture. The season I imagine you bought it with was last season so if you want this season it is 1000 silver (£8.49 bundle with 100 extra silver). Also... this is how the game works. A bunch of free stuff to do and each 3 months theres some content you can pay for to play it. Other games you can pay up and you get your content and job done. This game has to make money to keep getting good new content so for 3ish quid a month (it usually works out like that), i think the seasons stuff works. I'll do a separate thread when I get chance on the cost of each part and what you get as I do know that it can be confusing what you pay for sometimes. I just see it as if you're playing it and enjoying then it should be worthwhile. Now go get that Beyond Light updated cos you've basically got a whole DLC you haven't played yet!

Brilliant game, I might replay it on PC now as I never played the DLC, and near the end of the game I felt like it was dragging on a bit. Back when I was younger, this game was pretty creepy and at times got me jumping.

That sounds like it could be a plan Phil

We have a 75" TV in the living room (where @TurboR56Mini plays as it is our main TV room). A nice surround sound system (Kef) that was gifted to us but is probably on its last legs (I think the system is 20+ years old now). Hoping to upgrade to a at least a 85" TV next year to make it even more of a movie theater in the house! 😄

Ooohh... I want to see this movie. It looks funny... and I'm hoping most people here know what "Free Guy" stands for lol. As for pushing Ready Player One off its perch, I don't think that was too difficult, eh? Perhaps, I just wanted more from it. I wanted to see more of the gritty part of the book about people getting killed and the torture when Watts gets captured. Loved all the references though. Once Free Guy is available for streaming, totally going to watch it!

Free Guy. This film is a love letter to gamers. It's the first gaming related film which has punted Ready: Player One off its perch. It's hands down one of the best films I've seen in ages, the way they pulled off some of the most difficult challenges in this kind of setting was unparalleled. If you're a gamer and know all the references, it's even better. It has fucktonnes of little cameos which take it to a higher level too, as well as portraying the bad guy extremely well, whilst also covering some other hot topics in the gaming world. I'd go watch it again tomorrow. Go see it, trust me. It's worth every penny.

Spain lost their first World Cup qualifier in 28 years last night with a 2-1 defeat to Sweden. 66 unbeaten in total.

A fairly reliable source says the beta will land on the 22nd this month which kinda sounds about right.

No beta date yet, but some more info around specialists