Here’s How To Keep Chocolate From Melting Without a Refrigerator
It can be very hard to maintain chocolate‘s solid state over time. Although most of the chocolate bars are consumed right away, some people are also looking for a way to preserve the chocolate without a refrigerator.
Keeping the chocolate from melting without a refrigerator is possible only if the chocolate is kept at a cool, dry, and dark place, without any exposure to light or heat sources. Keeping the chocolate in an air-tight container will prevent it from picking up smells from its surroundings.
Stay with us to learn what is the best way to store the chocolate at room temperature, and how you can recover chocolate that has already melted (hint – don’t use the refrigerator for this cause!).
How do you prevent chocolate from melting?
If you really want to enjoy your favorite piece of chocolate, then you must be able to learn how to keep it the right way. Some of the studies have shown that keeping the chocolate in the refrigerator is not the best possible option for storing the chocolate, but we will discuss this later on.
First, let’s talk about ways you can store your chocolate in a melt-proof way. Since chocolate is a product that is very sensitive to heat and direct sunlight, we recommend the following storing methods you can try to keep your chocolate nice and fresh.
Keep it in a cool and dry place
This is the number one piece of advice you will receive for storing most foods on the market. No food is prone to the effects of being exposed to direct sunlight.
Even though some products don’t melt under the Sun, the heat generated will most likely induce bacterial growth, and if it is very humid, mold can even occur on the surface.
All of this is true with chocolate; however, the number one concern when exposing the chocolate to sunlight is melting. The chocolate is solid at room temperature, but even when you hold it with your fingers, it tends to melt. Imagine now keeping the chocolate bar under the sunlight.
To avoid ruining your chocolate in such a way, find a kitchen cabinet where you can store your chocolate safely. Also, make sure that the cabinet is not close to some heat source (like an AC unit, for example).
Keep it in an air-tight container
For sure you must have noticed that when the chocolate is being kept for too long near some smell sources, it picks up that distinguished smell, and the taste is altered (not to say ruined). This is because one of the main ingredients of chocolate is butter.
Butter in chocolate has the ability to pick up smells from the surroundings like a sponge. Of course, short-term exposure will not harm the chocolate, but over some time, the chocolate will start having the taste like the food you keep next to it.
Thankfully, this can be prevented by keeping the chocolate in an air-tight container. Storing your chocolate bars like this will prevent them from picking up smells from other foods, and it will keep them fresh for longer.
This is recommended especially when you open the bar. However, even the closed, unopened ones should be kept in this special vacuum container.
Eat it fast
One of the best chocolate-keeping advice may sound contradictory, but it is to eat the chocolate quickly after opening it. Storing the chocolate can be manageable, but the chocolate tends to lose its properties over time. Keeping it in a fridge won’t help this issue (in fact, it will only make it worse).
Because chocolate is so delicate and specific, the best thing to do is consume it very quickly after buying it. Storing it and keeping it for several weeks is fine, but keeping the chocolate fresh for months can pose a real challenge.
Does putting chocolate in the fridge ruin it?
Contrary to popular belief, keeping chocolate in the fridge won’t help you preserve the properties the chocolate has. This is because the phenomenon of chocolate blooming can happen if you choose to keep the chocolate in the fridge.
Chocolate blooming is a term for the white “flowers” that can appear on the surface of chocolate when it’s kept in the fridge. This happens because the sugar from the chocolate reacts with the moisture from the fridge and starts a chemical reaction.
Chocolate blooming is not dangerous, nor is it a sign that the chocolate is not usable. It only means that the sugar is separated and appears on the surface, which can alter the taste of the chocolate in some cases (depending on the quality of the chocolate).
Can homemade chocolate be kept at room temperature?
The answer to this question solely depends on the type of chocolate you have made. If you make chocolate with a high percentage of cream, it will most likely spoil very soon if you keep it at room temperature, and such chocolate needs to be refrigerated.
If you have made chocolate that is solid enough to resemble the one from the store, keeping it at room temperature for a few days will not harm it.
However, since these products are very specific, it is always better to consume them right away, after a few hours of making, to ensure that the product’s quality is at its maximum level.
Can you put melted chocolate in the fridge?
As we have already mentioned, getting chocolate from melted to solid-state again by using the fridge will most likely cause it to bloom. This will happen almost instantly because the chocolate needs to be solidified gradually to keep the sugar from “detaching” from the rest of the chocolate.
The best way to achieve this is to keep the melted chocolate in a dark, cool, and dry place where it can solidify on its own. In this case, the chocolate will most likely not bloom, and you can enjoy its full taste.
