How To Store Your Chocolate

Chocolate is truly one of the closest things we have to magic in this day and age. It possesses the power to make the best of almost any situation, stir up nostalgic feelings of yesteryear, and its smell along can elicit happiness out of just about anyone.
Thats probably why its so dang frustrating when you break into your personal stash only to find its bloomed or turned grey. Sure it still tastes good, but you taste with your eyes before your mouth, right? Or worse yet, it looks perfectly fine but as soon as you bite into it you discover it's absorbed the smell and there for the taste of something in your fridge. Something bad...
I think I get asked how to properly store chocolate more than almost any other question so I figured I'd write up a quick simple set of tips to help you store it properly. Everything I have to tell you is easily accomplished and will make sure you never bite into a salted toffee bar that tastes like tuna casserole again.
Let's start with the obvious, shall well?
1.) Keep it in a cool dry place.
If you can keep it in the dark, that's even better. Now a lot of people want to refrigerate their chocolate and thats a terrible idea, but we'll talk about that in another bullet point. Chocolate should always be kept in a cool dry and preferably dark place. The optimum temperature for chocolate storage is somewhere between 58-65 degrees Fahrenheit. A fresh air tight Tupperware in your kitchen cabinet (away from smelly stuff like coffee and spices) is perfect.
2.) An air tight container is an absolute must.
Cocoa butter is that wonderful naturally occurring compound in chocolate that gives it that smooth silky texture European chocolate is famous for, but, its also going to absorb any strong smell its left around. So keep it away from the coffee and BBQ seasonings. Keeping it in a quality Tupperware will preserve its color, texture, and flavor.
3.) Keep it out of direct sunlight.
Also don't get it wet or feed it after midnight. This is very important. Honestly though, keep it out of the sunlight. It'll either melt or oxidize and neither of those options works out well for the consumer involved.
4.) Do. Not. Refrigerate. Chocolate.
A little louder for those in the back, DONT REFRIGERATE YOUR DANG CHOCOLATE! Like I said. It'll absorb all the smells. The good, the bad, and the Thanksgiving leftovers you're pretending aren't there. (No judgements, but seriously they've gotta go.) We discussed blooming earlier and when you store chocolate in the low temps of the fridge and then take it out to room temperature, causes condensation. That moisture will draw the sugar in the chocolate to the surface where it crystallizes and causes a sugar bloom creating a dusty chalky texture and flavor. So seriously, unless you've got a hankering for sticky chalky chocolate that tastes like left over green bean casserole, refrigerating it is an absolutely terrible idea.

To sum it all up, it keeps best in an air tight container in a cool dark place like your cabinets. But for those of you who are really serious about your chocolate, and willing to spend a little money to keep it perfect just a little longer, a wine cooler creates the perfect environment to store chocolate. Theyre like the Rick Astley of chocolate storage, they're never gonna let you down.

I know. My jokes are terrible. I'm a chocolatier, not a comedian.

Anyways, until next time y'all!