When buying a basket of chocolates for someone special, you may need to put it away for a day or two before delivering it yourself. It’s important to consider how to store your chocolate to ensure it arrives in perfect condition. The same can be said when you receive chocolate as a gift and want to enjoy it for several days instead of just a few hours. Correct chocolate storage will mean avoiding potentially harmful conditions such as heat, humidity and strong odours.

Heat

Chocolate is best kept between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. The heat slowly removes the aroma of the chocolate, so it needs to be kept cool. If you let the chocolate get too hot, it will obviously melt and become nothing more than a gooey mess. Chocolate storage in temperatures that are too cold, such as in the refrigerator or freezer, it will affect the texture, flavour, and may cause the chocolate to bloom (when that white coating forms on top).

Humidity

Humidity should be kept around 50%. Any higher and it could cause the sugar to rise to the top. This, like heat, will affect the texture more than anything else. The taste may also suffer. When it comes to chocolate storage, you should make sure that the space is dry and cool.

Powerful smells

Chocolate has a way of absorbing the flavours of nearby foods. Be careful not to store chocolate near anything like garlic, fish, or anything else that has a particularly strong smell. The smell will transfer to the sweet chocolate and impair the flavour to such an extent that it will no longer be pleasant.

 

Other things to keep in mind include avoiding sunlight, pets, and not worrying too much about the expiration date. While milk tends to go bad just in time based on its expiration date, chocolate doesn’t necessarily go bad on that specific day provided you follow the right chocolate storage tips.