21 votes

I tried making homemade Australian Tim Tams | Claire Recreates

12 comments

  1. [10]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [8]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      A lot of American chocolate tastes really vomity to me too, and I'm Canadian. IMO, the only major brand's chocolate that tastes like that up here in Canada is Hershey's stuff, which is an American...

      A lot of American chocolate tastes really vomity to me too, and I'm Canadian. IMO, the only major brand's chocolate that tastes like that up here in Canada is Hershey's stuff, which is an American company so that isn't surprising. It's fucking vile, and I don't understand how anyone eats it.

      7 votes
      1. [3]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. [2]
          zipf_slaw
          Link Parent
          Tony's has apparently been delisted from "Slave Free Chocolate" ethical chocolate list (due to associations with another problematic chocolatier) and also had a big recall a couple weeks ago due...

          A friend in the US put me on to Tony's Chocoloney, which is and always has been Fair Trade Certified, and tastes a lot better than Cadbury anyway

          Tony's has apparently been delisted from "Slave Free Chocolate" ethical chocolate list (due to associations with another problematic chocolatier) and also had a big recall a couple weeks ago due to stones in their products. Just some recent historical FYI.

          3 votes
          1. [2]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. MimicSquid
              Link Parent
              Specifically, they pay Barry Callebaut (a company with a terrible reputation for their chocolate-production practices) to do some of their chocolate manufacturing, using the chocolate that Tony's...

              Specifically, they pay Barry Callebaut (a company with a terrible reputation for their chocolate-production practices) to do some of their chocolate manufacturing, using the chocolate that Tony's acquires and can verify is entirely slavery-free. So they're using a manufacturer for a part of the production process that fails to show good practices, but can prove that the beans that go in and the chocolate that comes out are part of a completely separate supply chain than Barry Callebaut's chocolate.

              It's still association with them, and I can see why it would taint their "100% slavery-free" stance, but Tony's product is still produced without slavery.

              5 votes
      2. Englerdy
        Link Parent
        To be fair, as an American, I don't think I know anyone that actually thinks Hershey chocolate is any good. I'm not sure how they're so successful other than being really cheap chocolate. It's...

        To be fair, as an American, I don't think I know anyone that actually thinks Hershey chocolate is any good. I'm not sure how they're so successful other than being really cheap chocolate. It's possible they entirely survive on being the most abundant option for holiday candy (because I feel like their stuff everywhere on shelves for every holiday). But it's probable that my own social circle and the potentially big circle of "people who genuinely like Hershey" just don't overlap.

        4 votes
      3. [3]
        daychilde
        Link Parent
        I think it comes down to what you're used to. For example, citrus things can be flavored by (or to match) the fruit, or the rind ie like using the citrus oil. Very very different thing from same...

        I think it comes down to what you're used to. For example, citrus things can be flavored by (or to match) the fruit, or the rind ie like using the citrus oil. Very very different thing from same fruit.

        Not how chocolate works, just IMHO similar principle. If someone grows up with citrus oil, they're used to it. Someone who hasn't may find it nasty.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          cfabbro
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I don't think that's really comparable. Triglycerides of butyric acid are naturally found in milk fats, and they're what give dairy its mild tang. However, when unbound from the triglyceride form,...

          I don't think that's really comparable. Triglycerides of butyric acid are naturally found in milk fats, and they're what give dairy its mild tang. However, when unbound from the triglyceride form, butryic acid is quite literally the chemical that makes rancid milk/butter and vomit smell and taste the way it does. So why any American chocolate makers thought it was a good idea to add it to their chocolate, I will never understand.

          I get that people can get used to the taste of anything, and sharp cheeses like Parmesan are also naturally high in butryic acid, but Americans have gotten used to eating what essentially amounts to sharp cheese/vomit flavored chocolate. So y'all probably shouldn't be surprised that the rest of the world thinks it tastes absolutely disgusting, especially compared to what we're used to... which is just ordinary milk chocolate flavored chocolate with no bizarre, puke flavored food additives in them. ;)

          2 votes
          1. DefinitelyNotAFae
            Link Parent
            We know, it's just that again, we're used to it, and having both vomited and eaten plenty of sharp cheese - two vastly different experiences in the amount of enjoyment involved - neither tastes...

            We know, it's just that again, we're used to it, and having both vomited and eaten plenty of sharp cheese - two vastly different experiences in the amount of enjoyment involved - neither tastes like Hershey's to me. Or I wouldn't eat it.

            Daychilde's point is still valid, if you grow up with it, you're used to it. Rose flavor tastes like my Nonna's bathroom.(Soap, potpourri, etc), so I don't eat it. We're not surprised you don't like it. I'm personally just eye rolling mostly? I like European white chocolate but I'm not a fan of the richness of most European chocolates. So I don't eat them. There's real weirdness in food superiority stuff.

            3 votes
    2. RoyalHenOil
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I'm an American-Australian dual citizen, and I have been living in Australia for the last 13 years. I still quite like American chocolate, particularly dark chocolate. I do see why many people...

      I'm an American-Australian dual citizen, and I have been living in Australia for the last 13 years.

      I still quite like American chocolate, particularly dark chocolate. I do see why many people don't like it, but I personally like chocolate that has an edge to it.

      I quite dislike Cadbury chocolate (both in the US and here) because it just tastes like sugary nothingness with just a hint of chocolate flavoring.

      My favorite chocolate by far tends to be chocolate made in mainland European, even though I have never been to Europe and did not grow up eating European chocolate. From the gentlest milk chocolate to the deepest dark chocolate, it is very delicious and flavorful to me.

      I am not really a fan of Tim Tams in Australia (I've never had the American version). I don't hate them like I hate Cadbury; they are OK, and I'll eat one of two. But the sugar-to-flavor ratio is still too high me. That being said, there are other Australian bikkies I can't get enough of, such as Mint Slice — but they all rely on other flavors besides chocolate to carry them through.

      Even when I try to make homemade chocolate chip cookies, I can't find chocolate chips that are chocolatey enough. I have to tone down the sugar a whole lot to ensure the cookies actually taste like there's chocolate in them. (Maybe I should just buy European dark chocolate bars and chop then up?)

      At the end of the day, I just really don't share Australian tastes in chocolate — and I suspect many Americans might not. When I've brought Tim Tams to the US for friends and family, they have not really been a hit (they go nuts for Pods instead, which have a strong caramel flavor to back up the chocolate). So perhaps they changed the formula in American Tim Tams to better match American tastes for an edgier flavor profile.

      The Australian thing Americans really need to try is ice cream. Even Peter's ice cream (which, for Americans reading this, is the cheap stuff a la Mayfield) blows most high-end American ice cream out of the water. And high-end Australian ice cream? Oh my god.

      5 votes
  2. [3]
    updawg
    Link
    I can't watch this. If it's possible, my stomach will literally explode.

    I can't watch this. If it's possible, my stomach will literally explode.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      streblo
      Link Parent
      From all the Tim Tam Slams you’d be doing?

      From all the Tim Tam Slams you’d be doing?

      6 votes
      1. updawg
        Link Parent
        They've never worked very well for me. I just eat them one sleeve at a time.

        They've never worked very well for me. I just eat them one sleeve at a time.

        6 votes