How to store chocolate at home

Chocolate - since childhood, everyone's favorite treat. It can be bitter or sweet, black, milk or white, with any additives, of different shapes and sizes. As a rule, the favorite delicacy is eaten very quickly, however, there are cases when the chocolate has to lie long enough. How much chocolate can be stored and how to ensure that it does not lose its organoleptic properties? In order to answer these questions, you need to figure out what chocolate is and what it is made of.

Types and methods of cooking

Chocolate can be black, milk, white and combination. In addition, there are porous options, as well as with fillers and fillings. The methods of cooking different types of chocolate are different.

1. Dark chocolate. The most natural option of all. It is made from grated cocoa and cocoa butter. Most often also added powdered sugar.The more powder, the brighter and sweeter the tile will be. Real bitter chocolate does not have this ingredient at all, but it is very tart and not everyone will like it.
2. Lactic. In addition to the fact that there is a black tile, milk powder is added to milk powder or cream powder. As a rule, milk is skimmed, up to 2.5%.
3. White chocolate. It does not contain grated cocoa, but it has vanilla and powdered milk with caramel flavor.
4. Combined. Includes black and white or milk and white chocolate. The tile looks spotty.
5. Porous. May be black, milky or white. It differs from the usual fact that before hardening the tile is placed in a vacuum. Thus bubbles are formed.
6. Stuffing and additives. The chocolate recipe does not change, but before it hardens, nuts, raisins, crispy crisps, jam, pralines and other fillings are put into it.
7. Confectionery tile. This, in fact, is not chocolate at all. As part of such a tile, there is no cocoa butter, soybean or synthetic analogues are added instead. This tile is cheaper than regular chocolate and is used for making glaze.

Terms and rules for storing chocolate are directly dependent on its type.

The shelf life of chocolate products

If the chocolate bar is wrapped in the original packaging, then it must be the time of manufacture and storage. However, firstly, such periods are not always indicated truthfully, secondly, they can be changed in the store, thirdly, the conditions for storing chocolate at different stages of its implementation may be far from ideal. In addition, on the wrappers of chocolates and do not write any deadlines, they are only on the boxes that remain in the store.

Tip: when buying chocolate without packaging or in a wrapper, which does not indicate the date “use before”, ask the seller for the terms of its manufacture and receipt at the store. If you have doubts about the veracity of the answer, ask for a box or an invoice. The buyer has the right to know the time of manufacture and sale of goods.

So how much time to store different types of chocolate?
One year. Such a term can "live" tile of dark chocolate. It is the most stable of all products that are derived from cocoa.

1. Half a year. So much is stored milk chocolate. Powdered milk, which is part of it,significantly reduces the longevity of the product. However, modern stabilizers can prolong the life of milk chocolate to a year.
2. Three months. This is the age of chocolates with additives: nuts, crisps, raisins, sesame, biscuits.
3. Month. An ideal shelf life for white chocolate, but since it rarely does without stabilizers in its preparation, you can read on the packaging: “stored 12 months from the date of manufacture”.
4. Two weeks. The shortest time allotted for eating chocolate or candy with filling. It is again about natural products, without various preservatives.

Thanks to the addition of some chemicals, the chocolate bar stays fresh longer, so you should pay attention to the dates on the package.

Chocolate storage rules

Have you ever wondered why chocolate is sold in wrappers of foil, thick paper or cardboard, and sometimes all together? The answer is simple: it is adversely affected by direct sunlight, oxygen, high humidity and odors.

In direct sunlight the chocolate bar will melt faster without packaging than in it.Under the influence of oxygen, cocoa butter begins to oxidize, giving the favorite delicacy a bitter taste. It is worth noting that the more cocoa in the chocolate bar, the less oxidized oil in it. Therefore, bitter chocolate will last in the open air without consequences longer.

Also harmful to this delicacy is water, which contributes to the appearance of mold on the surface of the tile. In addition, chocolate has a great ability to absorb odors that surround it. It is very bad for the taste.

Tip: always buy chocolates that are packed tightly - a guarantee that they did not interact with the external environment during storage in a factory, warehouse or store.

There are a few general rules for storing any kind of chocolate:

1. The ideal temperature is 18 ° C - 20 ° C. When the ambient temperature is above 30 ° C, the chocolate starts to melt. That chocolate, in which there is less cocoa, is subject to faster melting.
2. Always keep chocolate packed. After opening the original wrapper, try to use the product for several days or repack, for example, in foil.
3. Never even put packed chocolate on the same shelf with spices, vanilla, cinnamon, perfume or any odorous substances. The smell can still get inside the tile.
4. Do not store chocolate in the refrigerator. Under the influence of low temperature, cocoa butter crystallizes and a white film appears on the chocolate bar. After being in a warm room, the chocolate will become softer, but an unpleasant taste will remain.

Hint: There is one exception to the last rule. It is proved that at a temperature of -18 ° C, which corresponds to the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, chocolate can survive for several years without consequences. This is on condition that it will be frozen and thawed only once.

It can be concluded that chocolate in a sealed package and at optimum temperature conditions retains its taste qualities much better. However, do not neglect the shelf life. The faster you use your favorite treat, the clearer its taste will be.

Video: how to make chocolate at home