How to store chocolate
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- Clay Gordon , Author, Discover Chocolate
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- About this video
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Clay Gordon
Author, Discover Chocolate
You get a box of beautiful chocolates, but you can't eat them all at once. So how to store chocolate to maintain freshness? Here is advice from chocolate expert and author Clay Gordon.
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Instructions
How to store chocolate
- There is a direct correlation between freshness and the quality of chocolate.
- The best way to keep chocolate fresh is to eat it once you buy it. Always pay attention to the “Best if used by” date on the box to determine how long you can keep it.
- You can store your chocolate at room temperature between 68 and 72 degrees.
- Boxed chocolates that are bought at a grocery store are designed to be able to stay out at room temperature for long periods of time. This is due to the thickness of the chocolate shell and the preservatives that are added to the chocolate.
- If you buy chocolate from a chocolatier it may last anywhere from 3 days to a week.
- When chocolate has “bloomed” it means that it has gotten hot and then cold and some cocoa butter comes out of the chocolate, creating a grayish film.
- If you encounter “bloomed” chocolate it is probably okay to eat if it is a chocolate bar, but a truffle or bon bon will probably not taste its best. It is perfectly fine if you melt the chocolate.
- If you have to put chocolate in the freezer do it in stages:
- Portion out the chocolate (so that you only take out what you want to eat when you’re ready) and place each portion in a freezer-weight bag.
- Put the bag(s) in the refrigerator with a paper towel inside each bag. The paper towel will absorb any moisture.
- Once the chocolate has cooled to the refrigerator temperature, put it in another freezer bag and then put it in the freezer.
- Don’t expose the chocolate to moisture because that will pull the sugar out of the chocolate and change its texture.
- If you are buying chocolate as a gift it is best to buy it as close to the date that you will be giving the chocolate to someone.
- Chocolate at a specialty store will be much fresher than chocolate bought at a grocery or drug store.
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