How to properly store chocolate at home

For many years now, there has been a struggle on the Internet between supporters of traditional chocolate storage and innovators who prefer an alternative. Let's try to figure out which of them is right and find out the basics of the argumentation of both sides.

Manufacturers, as a rule, recommend storing dessert at a temperature of no lower than 16 degrees and no higher than 21. This can be explained logically - at a higher temperature, the cocoa butter in the product begins to soften and the product loses its shape. Is the storage temperature below recommended? Get an unpleasant surprise - the tiles become brittle and a white coating may form on them.

What to do if you were given not one, but several boxes of chocolates, and it’s hot in the apartment? How to ensure that the taste of the product does not change during long-term storage? This is discussed in our article.

How to store chocolate

The storage conditions of the final product always depend on the storage conditions of the ingredients included in its composition. What do we have in chocolate? Cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar (in the form of powder or regular sand). Cocoa and sugar require special storage conditions.

Humidity is especially important for these hygroscopic product components.

In fact, it is the cocoa and sugar content in the popular delicacy that determines the humidity requirements for the rooms and places where chocolate is stored. As it absorbs moisture, the product crystallizes sugar on the surface, turning into a dense, spotty substance.

The second important component in the dessert is cocoa butter. Like any oil, it does not like direct sunlight and even the usual level of light illumination, acquiring an unpleasant rancidity. Of course, in chocolate with a sufficient amount of cocoa liquor, this rancidity will be less noticeable than in regular butter, but you are guaranteed the feeling of “old butter” flavor.

We have identified two important conditions for storing chocolate: lack of bright light and high humidity. Let's talk about the temperature at which its taste and beneficial properties are preserved.

Common Mistakes

Many people believe that grated cocoa beans can be stored indefinitely. Yes, they protect the product from damage, but after a year and a half, the chocolates will begin to taste bitter and musty will appear. Still, fresh tiles are healthier for humans. If sweets covered with a whitish coating can be eaten, then those covered with mold cannot. Trying to clean up expired and spoiled chocolate, they try to include it in the menu. But this is dangerous; it is very easy to get poisoned by such a dessert.

But you shouldn’t throw away melted chocolate. You can use it to make icing for decorating cakes, pastries, and cookies. Pour the tempered mixture over pieces of fruit, nuts, and candied fruits. It is recommended to add pieces melted in a water bath to coffee. You can use a microwave oven to heat the tiles. There, the product components will not come into contact with water.

At what temperature should chocolate be stored?

Their shape and taste depend on the temperature at which the product itself and confectionery products made from it are stored. Each of us knows what failed pralines and marmalades with “bald patches” of flowing chocolate layer look like. The lack of attractive aesthetics does not cause appetite and desire to eat such sweets.

In addition, if the temperature regime recommended by state standards is violated, treat bars and sweets from it acquire an unpleasant plasticine viscosity. You've probably encountered chocolate that sticks to your teeth and is difficult to clean out. The temperature recommended by manufacturers differs slightly from each other. But in any case, it does not exceed 21 degrees and should not be lower than 16 degrees.

An important condition for maintaining quality is sealed packaging that does not allow foreign odors to penetrate.

That is why chocolate is not only wrapped in foil, but also sealed on all sides. This delicacy will preserve the pristine, unique aroma of cocoa and will delight lovers with the silky tenderness of its taste. When buying a product in bulk without packaging, carefully inspect its surface. The color should be as expected and uniform, without blemishes. Purchased tiles should be wrapped in foil if you do not plan to eat them immediately, and wrapped with thick paper on top.

Main life hack

In order not to think about how to store chocolate and consume only fresh confectionery products, it is recommended to buy sweets from suppliers who work with manufacturers. Such organizations often provide a pre-booking service. Thanks to this, you can order goods a week, a month or more in advance.

After completing the application, the supplier makes a request to the factory that produces the chocolate. The latter draws up a plan according to which the products are manufactured, i.e. the dessert will be produced a couple of days in advance or on the day the goods need to be delivered.

How to store chocolate at home

You can answer this question in one word: carefully, which means observing all the conditions mentioned above. Do not forget that the humidity during storage should not exceed 75%, otherwise the dessert will be covered with a white coating. The period during which sweets can be consumed is inversely proportional to the amount of cocoa butter in the product. The most tender, melt-in-your-mouth bars tend to be high in oil and may have a shorter shelf life than their lower-fat counterparts.

Storage conditions and periods depend on the presence of various preservative additives in the dessert. The pure product without additives can be stored for no more than four months. Various fillings also affect the shelf life - nuts, wafer crumbs, creamy fillings and fondants. Microorganisms and fungi multiply quite quickly in these sweets. Just follow the shelf life indicated on the packaging and store the candies in optimal conditions, and you will be able to fully enjoy the taste that is inherent in them during production.

Basic conditions that need to be provided for chocolate when storing it at home:

lack of bright light - store it in a dark place;
temperature within 16-21 degrees;
a dry place where the product will not absorb moisture.

Expiration dates according to GOST

The current GOST R31721-2012 does not establish exact shelf life for chocolate. Clause 3 of Part 8 states that the shelf life of products depends on the recipe or technical instructions for the products of a particular manufacturer.

The Soviet state standard 6534-89, now invalid, established the following storage periods depending on the type of chocolate product:

for white chocolate - 1 month;
for a product without packaging containing additives - 2 months;
for packaged with additives - 3 months;
for unpackaged without additives - 4 months;
for chocolate in original packaging that does not contain additives - 6 months.

Currently, due to changes in the recipe and manufacturing process, the shelf life of chocolate products has increased significantly.

Can chocolate be stored in the refrigerator?

So we come to the question of the myths of storing chocolate. Remember at the beginning of the article we mentioned innovators who are refuting traditional storage methods? Now let's talk about it.

Through repeated experimental tests, it has been proven that this capricious product can be stored in the refrigerator. At the same time, it is ideally preserved in the freezer at low temperatures for quite a long time and does not lose its qualities when defrosted. We are talking about pure chocolate, without filling or flavoring additives.

At the same time, if you need to store a large amount of chocolate, you can try the following options:

one or several treat bars can be stored in the refrigerator door, in a lockable compartment;
by wrapping the tiles in several layers of paper, you will limit the access of cold air to them and create a minimum storage temperature of 16 degrees;
An important condition when storing in the refrigerator is to limit the penetration of moisture into the product.

Indeed, by creating a kind of thermos made of foil and paper for chocolate, you can store it in the refrigerator.

Do not forget to periodically check the degree of its cooling. An excellent indicator is your tactile sensations from touching the product with your hand. If it is too cold, you can briefly remove it from the refrigerator and then put it back.

We can say that keeping the product in the refrigerator is not the best option. But in some cases it is impossible to do without it, especially in the hot summer.

Let's sum it up

Basic tips for those with a sweet tooth:

When buying your favorite sweet in a store, pay attention to the date of its manufacture.
Want to give a box of chocolates as a gift? Check to see if they will expire before the scheduled date.
Want to buy a treat from the display case? Estimate the time it spent there by the wrapper. A faded wrapper indicates, first of all, a violation of storage conditions - such a tile was stored in the light and the taste of the product can be hopelessly spoiled.

It becomes clear that the purest taste of chocolate products is guaranteed by recent production: fresh chocolates are the most delicious. Try not to buy a product for future use: this will require creating the necessary conditions for its preservation.

Features of storing chocolates

For long-term storage of glazed sweets, choose those made from dark chocolate with a solid filling. If the sweet ingredients include cream or milk powder, the sweets will spoil in 3-4 months. And with soufflé or whipped egg whites - after 2.

Freezer

Sucrose crystallizes on the chocolate surface. At a temperature of -10 -12 ° C, normal for the freezer, it turns into a whitish coating due to the fact that fats are present in the chocolate. When you take chocolate out of the freezer, you will immediately notice a white coating as soon as it warms up. Sucrose appears after moisture evaporates.

If you place warm chocolate in a quick-frozen environment, there will be no whitish coating. Tiles at room temperature can be placed in the freezer, where the temperature is -18°C. It can be stored there for several years. But it is better to freeze and defrost a chocolate bar no more than once.

Providing chocolate with normal storage conditions is a guarantee of its true taste and beautiful appearance. But usually you don’t have to store chocolate for a long time at home.

What are the dangers of eating stale sweets?

The shelf life of any goods has a reserve of 15-20%. If the shelf life of sweets is 6 months, then they are edible for 7 months. This rule does not apply to products stored improperly.

Eating spoiled candy can lead to food poisoning. Symptoms of intoxication include:

bad feeling;
dizziness and fainting;
cutting pain in the lower abdomen;
nausea and vomiting;
diarrhea;
change in body temperature;
blood pressure surges;
convulsions.

At the first signs of poisoning, it is enough to rinse the stomach with boiled water and drink sorbents. In case of severe intoxication, you should consult a doctor.

If you are poisoned by candies with a normal expiration date, it means that the conditions of their storage and transportation were violated. In this case, the buyer can file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor. For this:

save the remaining goods and their packaging;
contact a doctor or medical facility to document the fact of food poisoning;
write a written application to the territorial office of Rospotrebnadzor;
Attach to the document receipts for the purchase of damaged goods, a doctor’s report, prescriptions for medications and receipts for their payment.

After this, send the store a written statement requesting compensation for moral and material damage. If the results are unsatisfactory, file a claim in court.

Consequences of poisoning

Food poisoning can cause an intestinal infection, which is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, severe pain in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas. In addition, chills and fever appear with an increase in temperature.

During an allergic reaction, skin rashes appear on the body in the form of small or large red spots. Severe itching, runny nose, watery eyes appear, and asthma attacks may occur. Severe poisoning can cause convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Feeling worse may be a consequence of eating too much chocolate.