Are you thinking, why do I need to store my chocolate or refrigerate them? When I am just going to eat them all up. We agree with that, but someday you might have the necessity to keep your chocolate fresh for weeks without melting.
You don’t need a refrigerator to store your chocolate. In fact, there are many shortcomings and disadvantages to keeping your chocolate in the fridge.
So no fridge? Am I going to drink melted Chocolate or what? We are going to suggest you a few pointers to keep your chocolate fresh and to increase the shelf life of your gourmet chocolate without the need for a fridge.
Pointers for storing the chocolates
Don’t always refrigerate your chocolate
But why not? Isn’t it the best way to store chocolate and keep it from melting? Why is storing your chocolate in the fridge a bad idea? Chocolates have the tendency to absorb the odors of the items kept in the fridge. So basically, you don’t want your chocolate to taste like mozzarella cheese.
Another drawback is that it leads to sugar bloom-it is the process where the moisture in the fridge will make the sugar in the chocolate rise to the surface and lead to the discoloration of the chocolate.
Where else can you store your chocolate?
Read the label always; ideally, the temperature should be between 65 and 68°F. Chocolate is an amalgamation of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Make sure you store your chocolate at a place with less humidity, or else the cocoa butter will melt, affecting the taste and leading to deformation.
Not just any cool & dry place!
You can store your chocolate in your pantry along with spices and condiments. Why? It’s because chocolate is made of cocoa butter and vegetable fat. So unless you want your chocolate to taste like a cinnamon stick or garlic powder, don’t make this mistake.
Store it in a jar/air-tight container
Grab a glass jar or preferably an airtight container to store your chocolate in. You know oxygen also plays its fair role in meddling with the integrity of your chocolate and the end result — Nah! Not so sweet!
Please keep it away from direct sunlight/artificial light
It is the cardinal rule not to keep your chocolate anywhere near sunlight, but it’s not just sunlight, artificial light also casts a bad spell on your chocolate, and you will end up with a chocolate ganache or a fondue.
How to increase the shelf life of chocolate?
If you find the holy grail or perfect spot to store your chocolate, you can easily keep them fresh for almost a year. When you have filled chocolates such as caramel and truffles, they can be kept fresh for 5 to 6 months.
The fewer preservatives, the greater the shelf life of the chocolate. Solid dark chocolate can be preserved for two years when as white chocolate and other chocolates with a lot of preservatives can have a deadline of about 3 to 4 months.
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The final takeaway
We have come to the end game now, where we decide if storing the chocolates without a fridge is a good idea and does it increase the shelf life of the chocolates or not? Honestly, you don’t necessarily need to refrigerate your gourmet chocolates. You can store them in an airtight container, but there are a few certain predicaments where you must store them in a fridge because it might turn into a fondue if you store them outside during hot summer! You don’t want that, do you?
You can always store it in a cool, dry place to avoid making a ganache out of it. But it’s witty and smart to know some tricks up your sleeve in case of any emergencies, and these are ways to store your chocolates without a fridge.