If you're ever wondering why your Nutella has little bumps, don't worry – it's normal. The hazelnuts cause these bumps in the spread, making the sauce creamier and smoother.
The hazelnut has always been the signature ingredient of Nutella®. It was during the post-war period that the creator of Nutella® had the brilliant idea to combine the delicious hazelnut, typical of the Italian region of Langhe, with cocoa, an ingredient that was hard to obtain at that time due to World War II.
Nutella is made from sugar, modified palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, soy lecithin, and vanillin. The process of making this spread begins with the extraction of cocoa powder from the cocoa bean.
Nutella will get chunky if it separates and solidifies too often. That often happens in the refrigerator or once it starts to get rancid. When you open a new Nutella jar, sometimes you will find that there will be a layer of oil at the top.
If chocolate is heated to a high temperature, the cocoa butter inside melts and separates from the rest of the ingredients. It settles on the surface in a white coating. If there's excess moisture, it causes the sugar in the chocolate to crystalize, which gives it a white, speckled or spotted coating.
If you touch the spots and they are dry and do not melt, it's sugar bloom. If they taste like sugar, it's a good indication, too.
Sugar bloom is caused by moisture. Condensation on to the surface of the chocolate or moisture in the chocolate coating causes the sugar to absorb the moisture and dissolve. When the moisture evaporates, the sugar forms larger crystals, leaving a dusty layer.
Nutella® should be stored at room temperature between 18-24 °C (between 64 and 75°F). Keep the container tightly closed and store in a cool, dry place to maintain maximum flavor. Do not refrigerate Nutella®, otherwise it will harden and become difficult to spread.
A common trait of Nutella going bad is a slow change in texture from soft and creamy to hard and dry. If the spread begins to smell rancid, then your nutella has gone bad and you must toss it.
Its addictiveness lies in its ingredients. Apart from sugar and fats, Nutella is rich in chocolate. Chocolate contains addictive substances; one of these substances is tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating moods.
Nutella is a hazelnut-chocolate spread similar to peanut butter but with a sweeter flavor. Though the spread contains saturated fat and sugar, it also supplies a good amount of key vitamins and minerals that you need for good health.
Fun fact: The chocolate layer that surrounds the hazelnut in the middle of each Ferrero Rocher is Nutella.
The hazelnuts used in Nutella® come from hazelnut orchards, which are mainly found in Mediterranean type climates. Our hazelnuts come from different parts of the world, our main origins are Turkey, Italy, Chile and the USA.
The hazelnuts are roasted in the oven first, then cooled before the skins are removed. Leaving the hazelnut skins on can cause your chocolate sauce to be bitter, so it's important to remove them. You could buy ready-blanched hazelnuts, but roasting them yourself adds an extra nutty-flavor.
Nearly three-quarters of the world's hazelnuts come from Turkey and the biggest buyer is Ferrero, maker of Nutella, the chocolate and hazelnut spread. But the nuts are picked mainly by migrants, including children, who work long hours for very low pay.
Can you eat expired Nutella? Most likely, yes. Nutella is generally safe to consume for a few weeks or even months past the listed date. As long as it was stored properly and there are no signs of spoilage, don't hesitate to get spreadin'!
But is Nutella vegan? Sorry to be the ones to break it to you, but no, Nutella is not vegan. This is because it contains skimmed milk powder which is an animal-derived ingredient, so is therefore not made solely from plants.
Nutella also slowly loses its flavor over time, so if it no longer quite hits the spot, it's time to open a new jar. Last but not least, if the jar of Nutella is open for a very long time, like 2+ years, it's better to discard it for safety reasons. It might seem to be perfectly fine, but there's no reason to risk it.
What is the shelf life of Nutella®? Nutella® has a 12 month shelf life even after opening for the portion packs (0.52oz), jars (26.5oz) and the tubs (6.6lb). Nutella® piping bag (35.2oz) has a 6 month shelf life.
Refrigerating Nutella makes it hard and difficult to spread
This concoction was called Giandujot, and it was hardly easy to use. But today's Nutella is meant to be smooth and spreadable — and to keep it that way, you'll want to store it at room temperature, away from sunlight or heat, and in an upright position.
Yep! According to one Reddit user, UD_Ramirez, it's all in the way you scoop your Nutella from the jar, and always going from the centre will stop you ever having to scrape dried bits of Nutella from the edge of the jar for good.
Bottom Line: Without hesitation, Peanut Butter is the 'healthier' alternative to Nutella. Peanut Butter is lower in sugar, higher in protein and often lower in your unhealthy fats. The Centre of Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) describes Nutella as “more sugar and modified palm oil than hazlenut“.
The truth: one 12-ounce can of coke contains 140 calories, and 39 grams of sugar (the equivalent of about 9 teaspoons). Contrast that with another very sweet treat: Nutella. Three tablespoons of the chocolate spread contains over 30 grams of sugar, and no phosphoric acid.
A jar of the Italian chocolate spread Nutella can reach 15,000 bolivares - $15 (£11) if you sell it on the black market.