How to store chocolate correctly: tips

Many people love to enjoy chocolate - both adults and children. Even men who often hide this little weakness of theirs allow themselves to eat a bar of chocolate from time to time with great pleasure, and they do the right thing, because due to the large amount of endorphins in it, it is also called the “hormone of joy.”

The main thing is not to overdo it, because good health requires moderation in everything, and you shouldn’t fill the refrigerator with your favorite dessert for future use, because its long-term storage can change the taste of the chocolate or contribute to the formation of a whitish coating on it. This sweet product is harmed by sunlight, high humidity and sudden temperature changes. In our article we will give you tips on the best way to preserve chocolate in hot weather, and whether you should use the refrigerator for this.

Why can't you store chocolate in the refrigerator?

If you want the chocolate not to lose its inherent glossy shine, then you can store the chocolate in the refrigerator for only a few hours - and then only if the packaging is intact.
If you put it there for a long time, then the cold will not do a very good job - it will contribute to the crystallization of cocoa butter , which is contained in chocolate, and the appearance of a white coating. This is not a sign of spoilage of the product, but will negatively affect its appearance.
Unwrapped sweets absorb the smell of food stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, before putting the bar in the refrigerator, wrap it in several layers using foil and paper - then nothing can spoil its taste or aroma.
If fish or cheeses are currently stored in your refrigerator, then store chocolate in the refrigerator as far as possible from them.

Storing in the refrigerator causes a white coating to appear.

How long does dessert last?

If the tiles are wrapped in branded packaging, then such questions should not arise. It must have release and storage dates. But they are not always indicated truthfully. Often artificially inflated. This is one moment. Second: they can be outbid at retail outlets. At the same time, storage conditions at different stages of implementation are far from ideal. And the candy wrappers don’t even indicate the shelf life. It is only on the box, which remains in the store. Let's define the terms that the buyer can focus on:

A bar of dark chocolate can be stored for up to a year.
High-quality milk can usually last for 6 months. But modern stabilizers allow it to “live” for up to 1 year.
If sesame seeds, nuts, raisins or cookies are added to the bar, the shelf life is reduced to 3 months.
Natural white chocolate can be stored for 30 days. But special supplements can extend this period to 12 months.

That is, you need to buy sweet bars in specialized departments, where you can be provided with quality certificates and documents on the delivery time of the goods to the retail outlet.

At what temperature should chocolate be stored?

If the air temperature ranges from 16°C to 21°C, then this chocolate storage temperature is simply ideal.
It is necessary to take into account, of course, the shelf life, during which it will not deteriorate at all and will not change its taste.
At what temperature does chocolate melt? It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, because this is influenced by many factors: the ingredients included in the chocolate, air humidity.
It is believed that chocolate begins to melt at 30-34°C. If the room is cooler, then it will not thaw - but this, of course, is if the product is of high quality and contains natural cocoa butter, and not a cheap fake with vegetable fats.

Chocolate storage

All the best for children

We often buy this delicacy specifically for children. This means that we must choose the highest quality product. First of all, you need to pay attention to the packaging, which should be neat and contain information about the manufacturer, release date, expiration date and other data. The tightness of the packaging is another important point. It is this that allows chocolate to retain its properties throughout its shelf life.

Where to store chocolate?

If it is possible to maintain such a temperature regime, as indicated above, then it is better to store chocolate in a kitchen cabinet, provided that spices and herbs are not stored .
A kitchen cabinet with chocolate should not be located in a place where there are heating appliances nearby - a stove, a radiator. Since the temperature in this place is unstable and this can lead to rapid spoilage or melting of the chocolate.

It is important to store chocolate correctly

Common Mistakes

Some people mistakenly think that products containing cocoa beans are not susceptible to external influences. For some time they can protect chocolate from spoilage, but after 1-2 years the product will begin to taste bitter and acquire a musty smell.

Tiles covered with mold should not be eaten, because... fungi and bacteria can cause stomach upset. Melted chocolate can be used to prepare liquid confectionery glaze, which is used to cover cakes, pastries, cookies, fruits, nuts and other homemade baked goods.

The pieces can be melted in a water bath and added to hot coffee. To avoid contact with water, it is better to heat chocolate in the microwave.

What is the shelf life of chocolate?

Manufacturers of chocolate sweets usually indicate the expiration date of the product on the packaging. It can be different, because the shelf life is influenced by various factors: recipe, additives, packaging.
The more natural cocoa in chocolate, the longer the shelf life will be. But if the chocolate is sealed in its original packaging, you won’t be able to store chocolate for long without packaging

So, the shelf life of chocolate:

Dark chocolate bars have a shelf life of about a year.
For dairy products - from six months to 10 months (dairy fats, after contact with air, contribute to rapid spoilage of the product; after unpacking it, you need to eat it quickly, and not store it for a long time). Due to the presence of soft additives - soufflé, fruit, puffed rice, the shelf life is also reduced.
Chocolate with nuts and raisins is stored for 90 days
60 days – chocolate by weight that does not have original packaging
White chocolate has a shelf life of 1 month
Store filled candies for no more than 14 days

Storing chocolate depending on composition and filling

Signs of a good product

The right chocolate bar makes a characteristic crunch when broken. It should not shine at the break. Shininess is a sign of excess fat presence. The break should be matte. If the chocolate is not porous, then there should be no bubbles in the thickness.

The broken piece of sweetness should quickly melt on the tongue. There is not a single person in the world who would not have tasted plasticine in childhood. So, if the taste of a cocoa treat is similar to plasticine, this means that it contains additives of extraneous fat.

To extend the shelf life of chocolate, manufacturers add E-200. This is sorbic acid. It is safe for human health. This preservative is widely used in the food industry.

Despite the health safety of preservatives in chocolate, it is worth choosing a bar with a shelf life of less than six months. This is a guarantee that it does not contain preservatives - that is, it is a priori safe for people prone to allergies.

Storing chocolate: how to transport chocolate in hot weather?

To prevent chocolate candies or bars from melting while you transport them from place to place in the heat, you should first cool them well.

To do this you can use:

Thermal bag. If you have to move chocolate over long distances in hot weather (train, bus, etc.), then a thermal bag will help you with this. To be on the safe side, you can use dry ice and place it inside your bag.
Thermos for food. Since this vessel has a wide neck, tiles can easily fit in it. If the chocolate is hermetically sealed, then you can pour cold water into it or pour ice into it.
By freezing. Keep the chocolate bar in the freezer for a couple of days, then take it out and carefully wrap it in a towel. Such measures will ensure the safety of the sweets for some time, even when it is very hot outside.

If everything happened spontaneously, and you did not have time to think through measures in advance to preserve the chocolate, do not put the sweet in your pocket, do not carry it in a dark bag or leave it in the sun. It’s better to place the chocolate bar in a light bag, where there will be a bottle of cold (or at least cool) water.

Features of storing chocolates

For long-term storage of glazed sweets, choose those made from dark chocolate with a solid filling. If the sweet ingredients include cream or milk powder, the sweets will spoil in 3-4 months. And with soufflé or whipped egg whites - after 2.

What is the best way to store gift chocolate?

If a corporation decides to give chocolate gifts to its employees, but the chocolate needs to be stored in the office for some time before the holiday, what to do in this case? If all this happens in the summer, then the gift boxes should be placed in a dark place where the sun's rays cannot reach.
Moreover, they need to be placed on the floor, since chocolate candies in cabinets may begin to melt or dry out. An important condition for such storage is that the temperature in the room does not exceed 30°C .
If chocolate gifts are planned for the winter, then you should not immediately open boxes with gifts brought from the cold. Let them stand in a warm place for several hours - in this case, condensation will not appear, which can spoil the taste and appearance of the chocolate.

It is very important to store chocolate correctly.
We hope that we have helped you understand how best to store chocolate so as not to harm your health with a low-quality product. Before consuming, do not forget to read the information on the packaging of the sweet product about the manufacturer’s recommended storage periods and conditions.

We advise you to read articles from which you will learn how to store:

Cheese in the refrigerator
Leek
Mushrooms
Fruit in the refrigerator
Vegetables in the refrigerator

Adviсe

As usual, people buy chocolate for children. In this regard, when purchasing, you need to choose the highest quality products. Here are the recommendations to follow when purchasing such products:

Always check the packaging. It should contain the following information - name of the manufacturer, date of manufacture, what the product consists of, expiration date.
Check the tightness of the wrapper. It should be neat, without damage. Air should not penetrate through it.
If you have chocolate and you don’t know how high quality it is, then you need to evaluate it yourself. Bring it home, put it in the closet. After a couple of hours, remove the product from the wrapper and try to break it. At the same time, high-quality chocolate will become crunchy. Its fracture should be matte, without shine or air bubbles.
Next, you need to taste the chocolate. If the product is natural, it will quickly melt in your mouth. If this does not happen, it means that some fats were used in the production of this product that should not have been present.
Having carried out such diagnostics and convinced of the high quality of the chocolate product, you can offer it to children for consumption.

Having studied all the features of chocolate and the rules for storing it, you can now buy your favorite dessert for future use and store it for a long time. If guests suddenly arrive, you will not need to urgently run to the store to buy dessert for tea. It will be enough to take a few steps to the refrigerator and remove from it the chocolate bars that have been stored there for several months. However, it is still better to eat this product fresh, when it has not lost any of its beneficial qualities.

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A white coating has appeared: what to do?

If a whitish coating is found on the product, do not worry that it is spoiled. This is an oil that concentrates on the surface and hardens into tiny droplets. This does not mean that the product has deteriorated, it has simply lost its original appearance, but you can eat it without fear. White plaque appears due to violation of storage rules: changes in temperature and humidity. It is formed when cocoa butter melts, and after being placed in the cold it crystallizes on the surface. You won’t be able to remove the plaque; it’s best to eat the tile or use it to make confectionery. The taste and aroma of the product will not change in any way.