Everyone likes to have a stash of chocolate handy in case they feel like giving themselves a little treat. This is entirely understandable as chocolate is perhaps one of the most desired foodstuffs on the face of the planet. the last thing you would want to happen is to get to your chocolate supply to find that they have all melted and simply become inedible. You will definitely benefit from knowing how to correctly store chocolate. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that this is a trivial task as it is not as simple as it sounds. This delicious food is fairly demanding in terms of storage and there are special considerations to be made if you want the chocolate to keep – or even enhance – it’s original flavour.

In an ideal situation your chocolate and fudge should be stored in a place which is dry, dark and slightly cool. An absolutely perfect environment would be one which has a temperature of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also important to take other environmental factors into consideration. Any storage needs to been in a place of low humidity and it should go without saying that it needs to be in an area where there is no danger of direct sunlight. If you are storing it in a cupboard along with other types of food then it is important that it isn’t sat alongside other food or substances which emit strong odours. The taste of the chocolate would be compromised entirely if it were to absorb the surrounding smells.

There are different things which can happen to chocolate if it is not stored properly, each of which depends on the type of storage that is used and how the chocolate has been handled. In the case where some chocolate has been exposed on a regular basis to high temperatures the cocoa butter may simply rise up to the surface. This will cause the chocolate to take on a slightly unpleasant, cloudy, greyish colour. This is referred to by chocolatiers as ‘bloom’ and is easily rectified by melting and appropriately tempering the chocolate, although obviously this would be more trouble than it’s worth for you to do!

This can also happen with white chocolate, however the problem can be much worse as it will experience not just bloom but also it can become slightly rancid when exposed to strong lighting for a protracted amount of time. This will of course affect the flavour of the chocolate as well as the quality.

If is for these reasons that you might want to freeze your chocolate. If this is the case then place it into an air-tight container or zip lock bag and make sure that it is not removed until is is being brought into an area that is at room temperature. This is important as it will prevent any condensation from forming anywhere on the chocolate. Any water droplets may prevent the chocolate from melting smoothly which could then go on to compromise the texture and overall quality of the melted chocolate.

Author Bio: Trevor Richards is writing on behalf of American Soda, a leading UK supplier of American Candy.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: candy, food, sweets. soda, drink, party, event, chocolate, fudge