Store in a cool & dry place The temperature should be between 15-20ºC with low humidity. Avoiding heat and moisture will prevent the chocolate from melting and help prevent blooming or other problems that can ruin its taste or texture.
Meet chocolate's archenemies: heat and humidity. To protect chocolate's texture, flavor, and appearance, store it at a constant 65-68°F, and at low humidity. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity (like when taken in and out of the refrigerator) create the perfect storm to produce the dreaded… chocolate bloom.
The best place to store chocolate is in a cool, dry, and dark environment, like a pantry or cupboard. You'll want to store it away from heat, moisture, and light. Chocolate thrives at room temperature and low humidity levels, ideally between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and less than 55 percent humidity.
Chocolate easily absorbs odors of whatever's in the refrigerator (Roquefort cheese, lamb curry — you get the idea). Moisture in the fridge can also lead to “sugar bloom,” meaning the sugar rises to the surface and discolors the chocolate (which has no effect on flavor, but doesn't look too appealing).
Therefore when stored in a cool, dry place, chocolate can last for a decade or longer. So the real danger of chocolate “going bad” comes from four main sources: fat bloom, sugar bloom, expired or overheated milk, or being infused with flavors or ingredients which can expire. What is this?
Dark chocolate, with its higher cacao content, can be good to eat for as long as three years past the best before. Due to their high milk contents, milk and white chocolates might not last as long as dark, but their longevity is still nothing to sniff at — you can expect to get another 8 months or so out of it.
Can you eat chocolate that's bloomed? Chocolate bloom might look unappetizing, but it's completely safe to eat.
This occurs when it's chilled then exposed to warmer air. It causes condensation on the surface, dissolving some of the sugar, which recrystallises as a grainy, white coating. Chocolate also absorbs odours, so there's a risk it will end up smelling - and tasting - like last night's leftovers.
Foods with high fat/sugar content, such as chocolate (chocolate is occasionally responsible for salmonella outbreaks)
Chocolate. Sometimes we love the cold snap of refrigerated chocolate (especially KitKats), but apparently it's best to keep the world's favourite sweet treat in the cupboard. News.com.au confirmed that Cadbury's advice is to store chocolate in a “slightly cool, dry, dark place” at 21 degrees and under.
Do store chocolate in an airtight container. This serves two purposes. First, it helps protect the chocolate from moisture, which (as noted above) can cause a gross-looking (albeit harmless) “sugar bloom”.
Best before dates for dark chocolate products tend to be over 2 years, and you can normally eat the chocolate for up to 3 years past this if stored properly. Most resources state that milk chocolate can last approximately 1 year, but take this with a pinch of salt.
If you're planning on saving your chocolate covered strawberries for more than one day, yep, they'll need to be refrigerated. Unfortunately, this means that they will sweat a little bit. To minimize sweating, place a couple sheets of paper towels into the bottom of an airtight container.
As a fair warning, adding vegetable oil can make it so that the chocolate doesn't harden as quickly or as hard. It can make the chocolate a bit softer. So you will only want to use a touch of oil.
If you have air conditioning in your home, set your thermostat at 75 degrees or lower, and store your chocolate in a cool, dark place away from sunlight and artificial lights. The heat generated by both sunlight and artificial lights can melt your chocolate.
There are four types of food contamination: physical, biological, chemical and allergenic. This blog explains these categories and provides tips on how to avoid them.
However, many popular brands of dark chocolate contain potentially worrisome levels of lead and cadmium, according to a study by Consumer Reports published in December 2022.
No, there is no way to see the salmonella bacteria with the naked eye. Instead, you would need to use a microscope to see the tiny bacteria. Salmonella also doesn't taint or make the chocolate smell or look strange.
Can I store Lindt Chocolate in the fridge? The optimum temperature for chocolate to be stored at is between 57-61°F. Fridges are very high humidity environments, which is not suitable for chocolate due to the high moisture, which can result in sugar bloom.
To prevent blooming, avoid exposing your chocolate to extreme temperature changes—and this includes refrigeration. Store chocolate at a more moderate temperature, around 65° F. Because moisture and humidity also cause blooming, keep your chocolate well-wrapped or in an airtight container.
Refrigerate them instead to preserve their flavor. Purer types of chocolate hold up better when frozen. For instance, dark chocolate freezes better than milk or white chocolate since it has less fat and sugar in it. Some people like the taste of chocolate after it has been chilled.
If you see a white or grey hue to your chocolate then it's probably had a fat bloom – whilst it takes away from the glossy shine of your chocolate, it doesn't affect the taste. If your chocolate has a grainy and bitty texture then it will have experienced a sugar bloom.
Moldy chocolate has white fuzz growing above its surface and will feel fuzzy to the touch. Bloomed chocolate has a chalky layer or grey/white streaks on its surface and will feel slick to the touch.
The only way it can get moldy is if it was exposed to water/humidity. If your milk chocolate bar is wrapped well, this likely won't happen. So long story short, solid chocolate bars rarely ever go moldy, especially if still sealed in their original packaging. That's also what makes chocolate excellent for prepping.