When you buy some delicious chocolate or if you receive a chocolate hamper, you need to do everything possible to prevent the warm weather from affecting the quality of this scrumptious treat. Proper chocolate storage will ensure that the texture and flavour of your chocolate remains unchanged and you don’t have to deal with a melty mess either. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Keep away from heat

The first thing you need to do is find a cool place. Your refrigerator might seem like a good idea but it is actually too cold for proper chocolate storage. If you place chocolate in the fridge, you will notice that it will start to change colour and it will affect the texture too. The chocolate will not have as much of a strong flavour and it will certainly not melt in your mouth. For this reason, you should choose a cupboard in a cool room and select a mid to low shelf since hot air rises.

Avoid humidity

Yet another reason why your fridge is not ideal for chocolate storage – it is far too humid. The higher the humidity in the room, the greater the chance of sugar rising to the surface of the chocolate bar. This will mostly affect the texture but the flavour can also take a knock.

Steer clear of potent odours

Chocolate can absorb odours from other foods so you should make sure you do not store it near any open foods or spices. Even sealed packages of herbs and spices can release a scent into the air. For this reason, keep chocolate away from your spice cupboard. Store it where you normally keep things like flour, pasta, sugar and other dry goods that do not have much or any odour.

Apart from these chocolate storage tips, you want to make sure that you keep your chocolate out of the sun and away from pets. Not only could your pet treat itself to something sweet but chocolate can actually make animals sick. So, no matter how much they beg, buy pet friendly chocolate instead.