Preserving Chocolate

[Wifezilla]

The local Bargain Mart had 62% coco chocolate bars for $1. The big 4oz ones. Of course I bought 10 So now I need to put some AWAY before my husband gets home and eats them all.

Some places say use the fridge. Some say use the freezer, but with caution. Others say room temp is fine if you can't use a wine fridge.

Now if I had 100 chocolate bars, I could see using the wine cooler, but not 10.

How does this sound....
Use the food saver to vacuum pack them and then freeze.

?

 

[Damummis]

I am. Vaccuum sealing and freezing. They can get bloom, but it doesn't affect the quality.

 

[patandchickens]

How long are you expecting to need to keep these things? (In my house, they would last *possibly* a week tops )

If it's less than 6 months, good heavens you needn't do anything at all. If it's up to a year, avoid storing them somewhere they'll get real hot. If it's going to be more than a year, you can try freezing them but IME it affects the texture of Fine Eating Chocolate somewhat, or you can just store them somewhere they won't get real hot and plan on cooking with them at some ponit in the next 3-5 years.

It sounds to me like your main thing is just to put them somewhere your husband won't look. With the vacuum cleaner?

JME, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[ORChick]

I keep my chocolate in a cookie tin in my cool storage area - this is under the stairs, but open to the garage (sort of; there is a half wall); our house is built against a hill, so the back of the garage is built into the hill, this keeps things relatively cool even in summer, though not like a full basement would. I have a number of these tins, with all sorts of things stored in them. It would never occur to DH to look in them, so the stash is safe. I've got chocolate in there that has been there for a couple of years, and it is fine.

 

[freemotion]

Like the credit card....vacuum seal, then freeze in a block of ice!

 

[KevsFarm]

Freeze the credit cards in a block of ice.....thats pretty funny Freemoion..!
I bought several lbs of bulk chocolate about 1 1/2 yrs ago,its down in the basement sealed in mylar bags.Dry ,cool and dark, i won't keep it there more than 4-5 yrs. Hope it will still be okay,,

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Preserve? Chocolate?

Somehow those two words don't GO together ...

Actually though I've kept it. Sealed in a container in a cool dark cupboard for a few years, I've gotten some bloom but basically ok.

Otoh, I had to throw away 2 half-ounce leftover squares of dark baking chocolate that actually grew mold. They were poorly re-wrapped in their wax paper, inside the box, which was in a ziploc bag that got pushed to the back of my baking-goodies drawer. I've had them less than 2 years at MOST ... Likely closer to 15-17 months. Best by date was Feb 2011.

I didn't know chocolate would mold? It was fuzzy gray stuff raised from the surface though.

 

[Damummis]

Preserve? Chocolate?

Somehow those two words don't GO together ...

Actually though I've kept it. Sealed in a container in a cool dark cupboard for a few years, I've gotten some bloom but basically ok.

Otoh, I had to throw away 2 half-ounce leftover squares of dark baking chocolate that actually grew mold. They were poorly re-wrapped in their wax paper, inside the box, which was in a ziploc bag that got pushed to the back of my baking-goodies drawer. I've had them less than 2 years at MOST ... Likely closer to 15-17 months. Best by date was Feb 2011.

I didn't know chocolate would mold? It was fuzzy gray stuff raised from the surface though.

That's not mold, silly, that is the oils seperating from the cocoa. It is called bloom. Unless it was green and fuzzy.

Chocolate Care

Storage And Care of Chocolate


Chocolate should be wrapped tightly and kept in a cool, dry place with a temperature ranging from 6075F.

If the storage temperature exceeds 75F, some of the cocoa butter may appear on the surface, causing the chocolate to develop a whitish cast, known as "bloom." The chocolate will still be fine to eat.

In hot climates or during the summer, chocolate can be stored in the refrigerator, although this isn't ideal as the chocolate may absorb odors from other foods. Dark chocolate actually improves with age, like a fine wine, if stored in an airtight container at 6065F.

Bloom


Blooming of chocolate products is the most common problem you will encounter in the world of chocolate. There are two forms of "bloom": fat bloom and sugar bloom.

Fat bloom is the visible accumulation of large cocoa butter crystals on the chocolate surface. It is often accompanied by numerous minute cracks that dull the appearance of the chocolate.
Sugar bloom is a crystallization of sugar that is often caused by high humidity and the formation of condensate ("sweating") when cold product is brought into a warm area.
To differentiate between fat and sugar blooms, fat bloom will feel oily and melt when touched, while sugar bloom will feel grainy to the touch.

Poor storage conditions cause fat bloom. To prevent bloom, it is important not to expose chocolate to wide fluctuations in temperature; instead, make all temperature changes gradually. Although it may look unpleasant, bloomed chocolate is fine to eat. Ghirardelli.com

 

[Wifezilla]

In summer I have no cool storage area. That is the big issue. No basement. No stairs to put it under and a crawl space that is almost impossible to get to.

If I put it in the fridge, Max or Ed will get to it. The freezer, however, has a lock

Plus this chocolate came from a bargain store, so it is already a bit "aged".

I vacuum packed it last night. 2 bars already disappeared

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Many people store chocolate on their hips.