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Storage and shelf life of chocolate / couverture

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Store chocolate and couverture correctly

When storing chocolate | couverture, a number of things must be taken into account to ensure that it retains its quality for as long as possible.

Temperature

The chocolate or couverture is very sensitive to heat. The ideal storage temperature for chocolate is 18ºC. Moreover, this temperature should remain as constant as possible.

Humidity

As the chocolate | couverture is sensitive to moisture, it should always be stored in dry places.

Smell

The chocolate / couverture absorbs foreign odours very quickly, so it should never be stored near strong-smelling food.

White chocolate in particular is very susceptible to foreign odours. To avoid a change in odour, the chocolate should be stored as airtight as possible. Make sure that the packaging is odourless.

Light

Chocolate / couverture also does not tolerate light well and should be stored protected from it. If chocolate comes into contact with air and light, oxidation occurs. The fat contained in the chocolate dissolves and the consequences are changes in taste and an unpleasant smell. The cocoa components of chocolate contain natural substances that delay the oxidation process. Chocolate with a higher cocoa mass content is better protected than milk chocolate. White chocolate does not contain any cocoa mass components and therefore has no protection at all, so it is particularly susceptible. To avoid oxidation, the chocolate must be stored in a dark and airtight place

Refrigerator storage

For all those who prefer to enjoy their chocolate from the fridge: To each his own taste, but this preference has more to do with a reduced perception of sweetness due to the cold (perfect for cheap, sugary chocolate) than with good chocolate storage. An opened chocolate is exposed in the refrigerator to strong temperature fluctuations, a lot of moisture and the often strong smells of the rest of the refrigerator contents. Actually, there is no worse place to store chocolate! If you still prefer to enjoy your chocolate cold in the future, it is better to put it in just before eating it and avoid storing it in the fridge for a long time.

How do I store my leftover couverture?

Chocolate or couverture not quite used up yet? No problem! Pour the still liquid, tempered chocolate / couverture onto baking paper and spread it as thinly as possible with an angled spatula. Then place the baking paper in the fridge for about 10 minutes, or on the balcony in winter, until the chocolate has cooled down.

Once the chocolate or couverture has become nice and firm and shiny, it can be broken into small pieces and melted again for the next production or even used to inoculate the already liquid chocolate.

If the chocolate or couverture has become unevenly firm after cooling and has grey areas, this is not a bad thing at all. Break or cut the greyish chocolate into pieces and pack it in an airtight container until it melts again. This greyish chocolate should not be used for inoculation, but can be melted in a tempering device or over a water bath and inoculated with new couverture pieces.

The chocolate / couverture may also be stored immediately in the tempering unit, but as a block it takes much longer to melt.

Shelf life of chocolate | couverture

If the chocolate | couverture is stored in an airtight and light-protected container at a constant temperature of 18 ºC, the chocolate will keep for a very long time.

Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate has the longest shelf life, usually at least 2 years.

Milk chocolate

As milk chocolate contains a large proportion of milk powder, it can be enjoyed for a slightly shorter period than dark chocolate. Normally, milk chocolate has a shelf life of between 1 - 1 1/2 years.

White chocolate

White chocolate has the shortest shelf life, between 1/2 and 1 year depending on the manufacturer.

Chocolate with ingredients

The shelf life naturally shortens with the addition of other ingredients to the chocolate / couverture. For example, a milk chocolate with hazelnuts no longer has a shelf life of one year, but only half a year, as the nuts can become rancid. Thus, with every additional ingredient in the chocolate, its shelf life must first be checked. Suitable ingredients with a long shelf life are, for example:

Freeze-dried fruits (raspberries | strawberries | bananas | pineapple | mango etc.)

Nuts (hazelnuts | almonds | coconut | pistachios etc.)

Cocoa nibs

Dried fruits (cranberries | apricots | apples | berries etc.)

Caramel pieces

Nougat (Nougat Montélimar Nibs)

Popcorn flour

Granules (passion fruit, wild berry, caramel or blood orange granules)

Spices (chilli | pink pepper | fleur du sel etc.)

 
Posted in: Things to know, Chocolate

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