Any artisan pastry chef or chocolatier will tell you: working with quality ingredients is key for successful culinary creations! This is especially true for chocolate: a noble ingredient that must be handled delicately to preserve its organoleptic properties. To know how to store chocolate, one must distinguish between chocolate in its raw form (chocolate bars, baking chocolate...) and chocolate preparations (cakes, candies, ganache, pastries, mendiants, mousse...). In all cases, proper chocolate storage involves controlling temperature, humidity, and light exposure.
Table of contents
How to Store Chocolate Bars and Baking Chocolate? How Long Can Chocolate Be Stored? Dark Chocolate Shelf Life Milk or White Chocolate Conservation Artisan Chocolates Can you Store Chocolate in the Fridge? Chocolate getting white in the fridge What is Chocolate Blooming? Storin Valrhona Baking Chocolates Properly Storing Chocolate in a Wine Cellar: The Ideal Solution
How to Store Chocolate Bars and Baking Chocolate?
Cold, heat, humidity, and light are the main enemies of chocolate, whether it's dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate. Therefore, it's essential to always keep these factors in mind to properly store your chocolate, whether in the form of bars, chips, or feves.
How Long Can Chocolate Be Stored?
Dark Chocolate Shelf Life
Tasting chocolates and baking chocolates have a relatively long shelf life. For example, Valrhona baking chocolates have a best-before date of 14 months.
If you find dark chocolate forgotten in a cupboard and the best-before date has passed, don't throw it away: it remains consumable for several months (or even up to two years) after this date. If the chocolate shows some white spots, don't worry either: the taste and texture might be altered, but there is no health risk in consuming "expired" dark chocolate, and even less in using it for baking.
Milk or White Chocolate Conservation
On the other hand, you need to be more cautious with milk chocolate and white chocolate. Being less rich in cocoa, their shelf life is shorter.
Artisan Chocolates
Be cautious with festive chocolates and filled confections (like truffles). These should be consumed more quickly (ideally within about two weeks) because they contain water, milk, or cream, making them perishable. Chocolates filled with alcohol, however, have a longer shelf life.
Can you Store Chocolate in the Fridge?
Some people sometimes have the reflex to store their chocolate in the refrigerator. This solution might seem even more necessary in summer, during periods of high heat, to prevent the chocolate from melting. In reality, it's better not to put your chocolates in the fridge: the ideal storage temperature for chocolate is between 57°F and 64°F. However, the temperature of a fridge is usually between 32°F and 45°F.
Chocolate getting white in the fridge
If you've ever placed a chocolate in the fridge, you've probably noticed a white film forming on its surface. This is known as sugar bloom: moisture and cold affect the sugar in the chocolate, causing it to whiten. This blooming is harmless to health but will alter the taste qualities and aromas of the chocolate.
What is Chocolate Blooming?
A Little Reminder: Chocolate is composed of dry cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, and emulsifier (sunflower lecithin at Valrhona). Cocoa butter and sugar are the two culprits of chocolate blooming.
- Sugar Bloom: Chocolate that has bloomed presents a rough texture. This alteration is due to a variation in humidity. In a too humid environment, water condenses on the surface of the chocolate and dissolves some of the sugar it contains. As it dries, the sugar forms crystals irregularly, giving it a rough texture.
- Fat Bloom: Chocolate that has bloomed has a greasy surface. This alteration is due to a change in temperature, which disrupts the stability of the cocoa butter. It migrates to the surface and then solidifies.
Storing Valrhona Baking Chocolates Properly
Once opened, Valrhona baking chocolates can be stored in their original packaging, tightly sealed. Alternatively, you can use a tin box (well-sealed and odor-free).
Storing Chocolate in a Wine Cellar: The Ideal Solution
To ensure it is neither too hot nor too cold, the best solution to store chocolate is to place it in a wine cellar. This allows you to benefit from an ideal temperature for chocolate storage, as well as a good humidity level.
It is indeed recommended to store chocolate in a cool, dry place (50 to 55% humidity). Remember to wrap your chocolate well before storing it, as some wine cellars can be slightly more humid than this. This solution also keeps the chocolate protected from light.
