Hello, dear chocolate lovers! I decided to make a post about how we should actually store our beloved chocolate. Shocking- not in the fridge! Keep on reading to see how you can keep your chocolate fresh for a long period of time.
1. First things first: don’t keep your chocolate in the fridge
Although you might be tempted, resist any urges to keep your chocolate in the fridge! Here are two reasons why:
- Chocolate will absorb the aromas of the fridge. The cocoa butter in chocolate is great at soaking up any nearby odours. So if you’ve got cheese, fish, onions or really any other food items in your fridge, the smells will transfer. The result will be that your chocolate will taste of those other items in the fridge and lose its original aroma.
- Chocolate is sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Exposing the chocolate to warm temperatures after it has been refrigerated will cause sugar bloom. Why? Because the sugar in chocolate will be attracted to the moisture that collects on the bar as it’s warming up. This causes the sugar to rise to the top of the bar and dissolve. As the moisture evaporates the sugar crystals are left at the top. This is why your chocolate will have a white, dusty appearance. Sugar bloom affects both the texture and taste of the chocolate.
2.Do store it in a cool, dry place
The perfect place to store your chocolate is in a dry, cool, and dark place. Ideally, the temperature should be consistently around 15°C to 18°C (59°F – 64°F). The relative humidity needs to be below 55%.
If kept in these conditions, the state of chocolate can stay unchanged for months, sometimes even years. An ideal place for keeping chocolate is in an odourless tin or box within the pantry. This brings us onto point number 3.
3. Do keep it in an air-tight container
Keep your chocolate in an air-tight container to it from odours or moisture. Remember, the cocoa butter in chocolate takes on the aromas of nearby objects. That’s why it’s a bad idea to keep your chocolate where you keep your coffee.
Some chocolate bars come in resealable packaging. If it doesn’t, then we recommend using a ziplock bag to keep the chocolate fresh.
4. Don't keep it lying around in the light
When chocolate comes into contact with light and air, it undergoes a process known as oxidation. The oxidation of chocolate will cause it to bloom and impact the flavour and texture of the bar.
Keeping chocolate in the light may also cause it to heat up and melt. This in turn will alter the chemical structure of your chocolate and cause it to bloom.
Now, if you still have some chocolate left, which is a huge shock for me, you know how to store it and keep it fresh for a long time.