How should I store my chocolate?

You will hear many different ways of storing your chocolate. Working in the industry for 15 years being both a chocolate sommelier and chocolatier, I know exactly what works and what doesn’t.

Solid chocolate bars

This is section is about how to store solid dark, milk, or flavoured chocolate bars as you would buy here at Chocolate With Geoseph or through my online shop at Bean To Bar World. This is not referring to bonbons, truffles, and chocolates with perishable ingredients such as cream or butter.

Keep them Cool, Dark, & Dry

Ideally, solid unopened chocolate should be kept in a way which resembles my sense of humour: cool, dark, and dry! That is:

• Ambient temperature should not exceed ~23 degrees Celsius (71+ degrees Fahrenheit). Be sure not to keep them in cupboards near areas or appliances that may warm them up like above a fridge or near a stove.

• Dark spaces with no direct sunlight, which may cause them to melt or bloom (bloom is where it partially melts, and when it solidifies leaves that white film on top often confused with mold).

• Dry areas with low humidity and moisture (a cellar is probably not a good place - especially due to strong odours as well).

This is true for dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate chips, chocolate blocks. Any solid chocolate essentially.

If opened?

If your bars or bags are opened, be sure to:

• Reduce any air around it. Wrap it back up in the original wrapper as tight as possible (releasing as much air as possible so the aromas don’t oxidise). You can use tap to seal it up if it was originally vacuum packed. If you don’t have it, wrap it in paper or plastic which as tight to the chocolate as possible (ideally you don’t want any air around it - or as little as possible). And place that in a airtight container.

• Eschew any strong odours. Don’t store in cabinets, cellars, or anywhere that may have strong odours in the air. Chocolate can absorb ambient odours very easily. Keep the wrapper tight, and also ensure what you wrap it with is odour free.

Can you keep chocolate in the fridge?

Contrary to what you may hear, yes, you can. It will not ruin your chocolate at all if done properly. In fact, if you do not have air-conditioning and your ambient temperatures are reaching low to mid 20’s Celsius, it’s probably a good idea to keep it somewhere cooler, such as the fridge. Here are points to remember if refrigerating your chocolate bars or solid chocolate:

1. Wrap it very well, air-tight, in the original packaging if possible.

2. Place this wrapped chocolate in another airtight container (preferably glass). This will ensure odours from foods in the fridge to not seep into the chocolate over time.

3. When removing your chocolate, ensure it reaches room temperature before unwrapping it! This is the key, and this is the reason may say not to put your chocolate in the fridge. The condensation that may accumulate will alter the texture and possibly the flavour as well. It’s not the end of the world if this happens, but it is not ideal.

If you follow these steps, you will not have issues with chocolate in the fridge. I normally do not keep them in the fridge unless I feel the ambient temperature may be an issue and may rise into the low 20’s (Celsius).

Other storage options

1. A small wine fridge with a temperature between 10-18 degrees Celsius (50-65 degrees Fahrenheit). Just ensure humidity is as low as possible.

2. Basement or cellars IF wrapped well and in a glass airtight container that will not allow ambient odours to seep into the bar. Glass tends to do a better job than plastic, but a thick airtight plastic container can work as well.

perishable chocolates

The information above is for solid chocolate. If you are purchasing bonbons and truffles with soft centres which include perishable ingredients such as cream and butter, then you should follow the instructions of the shop who sold it to you. Some of these can be left also in a cool dark place for a few days or a couple weeks. If you wish to keep them longer, you likely should refrigerate them. Again, keep them sealed in an air-tight container and don’t open the container until they have acclimated to room temperature.

Bonbons and truffles with ganaches can also be frozen if you wish to keep them for many months, but these have to be very air-tight, with the container also wrapped in plastic to ensure nothing enters where the chocolates are. To defrost, keep them in the fridge in the container for 24 hours, then after that, let them acclimate a few hours before opening the container.