January 18th, 2022
While chocolate might have better and longer shelf life than other foods, you will notice something different about its appearance and texture after a certain period. These changes, however, can point to one question – whether or not your ingredient cannot be revived, i.e. is it unusable chocolate?
Therefore, the expert chocolatiers at Melt have come up with today’s blog – a compilation of everything related to gone off chocolate.
We have laid a base before getting into debunking certain perceptions about out of date chocolate, so read along!
It is highly unlikely for most to resist a bar of chocolate for too long, but if, for some reason, has been left for too long, you might start noticing differences in it. We have categorised them below for your convenience.
One way to check if you have bad chocolate is by inspecting its freshness and quality. Top chocolate-producing companies like Melt use fresh and quality sourced ingredients to serve the absolute best to their customers, so it’s advisable to eat high-quality chocolate within a few months of purchasing.
When a bar of chocolate is of high quality, milk or dark – it should smell rich in cocoa, whilst white chocolate should have a cocoa butter smell to it.
If your chocolate has a savoury whiff to it, you should consider it as unusable chocolate.
However, some chocolates last longer. The reason for this is that they often have additives (cheaper in prices). Dark chocolate also keeps very well; the flavonols (an antioxidant in cocoa) give it the necessary natural preservatives to last longer. For this reason, dark chocolate with its higher cocoa content lasts much longer than other kinds of chocolate.
Cocoa butter has the innate ability to absorb flavours and odours from its surroundings, something that can let you taste last night’s leftovers from the fridge when munching on a refrigerated chocolate bar. Cold temperatures also prevent your chocolate from releasing more subtle flavours, meaning you will probably miss out on all the nuanced notes of cocoa.
An unwrapped chocolate bar can easily absorb its surrounding taste and odour that can affect the overall taste of your chocolate. You can still eat it, but the taste of the profound richness coming from pure cocoa will get compromised. While this isn’t exactly a sign of a bad chocolate bar, it projects that you need better-storing processes.
The easiest and obvious giveaway of chocolate gone bad can be decided by the look of it. If you notice a white or grey hue appearing on your chocolate bar, then the chances are your chocolate had a fat bloom. While it is responsible for taking away the shine from your chocolate, it doesn’t affect the taste.
On the other hand, if your chocolate has a grainy and bitty texture upon eating, it might have experienced something known as a sugar bloom. The reason behind this bloom could be exposure to humidity or quickly shifting the chocolate from cold to hot temperatures. This doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot eat it, but it ruins the texture aspect of your chocolate that can compromise the overall appearance and eating experience.
We suggest you store your chocolate bars at a temperature between 10C-20C in cooler, shady parts of your house. A basement would be a perfect place that can match all the conditions, but if your house seems to be warming up relatively quickly, your last resort is to refrigerate it. Remember, you need to take a few precautions before refrigerating to ensure the quality of your chocolate isn’t lost.
Melt Chocolates is the chocolate heaven for everyone out there; with our endless range and creative combinations, you’re bound to find something that suits your palate. With Valentine’s on its way, we advise you to choose from our range of Valentine’s chocolates to make your day extra delicious- after all, chocolate is the most romantic gift out there!
We believe in the quality of our products which has led Melt to become what it is today – a place where all your chocolate dreams come true! Other than our chocolates, if you want to learn how to work with chocolate and create delicious desserts, enrol in our Melt experiences today!
To make your valentine’s celebration special, get in touch with us for more information!
Yes, dark chocolate rarely goes off. However bloomed, or sour tasting chocolate ruins the texture aspect of your chocolate that can compromise the overall appearance and eating experience.
1. Scent difference – if your chocolate has a savoury whiff to it, you should consider it as unusable chocolate. 2. Taste – Cocoa butter has the innate ability to absorb flavours and odours from its surroundings. 3. Look – f you notice a white or grey hue appearing on your chocolate bar, then the chances are your chocolate had a fat bloom.
Yes, your chocolate may have “bloomed”. While it is responsible for taking away the shine from your chocolate, it doesn’t affect the taste. A bloom is caused by changes in the fat crystals or sugar in the chocolate. .
Yes – if your chocolate has other ingredients such as milk powder, fresh products like fruits or nuts – it is advisable to eat within a few months of purchasing. No – if you have a bar of dark chocolate, this technically never goes off if stored in a dark, dry place, unless it has obvious mould.
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