How to Keep Your Chocolate From “Losing Its Cool”
The heat is high during these steamy July days. The last thing we want is for our chocolate to melt. So how can we store our candies so that they don’t lose their cool? Here are some helpful tips and tricks to keeping your chocolate in tip-top shape.
Environmental conditions can negatively impact the freshness and taste of your candies, and therefore must be carefully controlled to ensure your candy stays just as delicious as the day it was purchased! Extreme fluctuations in temperature and humidity can accelerate aging and reduce the shelf life of candy products. You should avoided this whenever possible.
Storing Chocolate
Candy should always be stored in a cool and dry place. That being said, when transporting and storing your chocolate, it should never be in areas that are prone to wide variations in temperature and/or humidity. If you want to be technical, chocolate should be stored in a space maintained at a temperature of 55°- 56° Fahrenheit and a humidity level of 50%.
High temperatures and humidity can cause heat damage in chocolate, resulting in what we call “bloom”. Fat bloom is the seepage of fat in sugar-shell candies and melting and fusing of other confections. This essentially means your chocolate melts and resets improperly. Additionally, keeping candies at high humidity levels of over 69% can cause moisture damage to occur. This can cause sugar bloom and mushiness, limpness, and discoloration.
Transportation
Most difficultly, you should consider temperatures and humidity when transporting your confections. For example, after you purchase candy at the store, you need to consider the fluctuations in temperature and humidity on your way home. If left in the car for too long, your chocolate will melt and re-set, causing bloom. Therefore, you should always do your best to maintain a steady environment to best preserve the state of your chocolate.
Even further, you should take care to limit exposure of candy to excessive light, heat, and air. Be it in the car, or in the home, you should store chocolate away from sources of heat. This includes lights, windows, heaters, hot pipes, and direct sunlight.
When wanting to enjoy sweet treats this summer, it’s important to take this high heat into account. Ultimately, avoiding spiking temperatures and humidity is the best way to ensure that your candy stays fresh, tasty, and cool. To stock up on all of your favorites this summer, be sure to visit us online or call us at 855-8-ASHERS today!