Nothing is worse than spending money on your favourite chocolate bar only for it to melt and become a sticky puddle of goo due to the summer heat. It may seem obvious to then try and store chocolate in the fridge to keep it solid, but the experts at Hotel Chocolat have warned that this can still ruin the taste and texture.
They said: “We believe that chocolate shouldn’t be chilled in the fridge, as it leads to something called ‘sugar bloom’. This happens when chocolate is chilled and then exposed to warmer temperatures.”
Sugar bloom is when the air in the fridge causes condensation and moisture reaches the sugar inside the chocolate.
This will cause the sugar to recrystallise when it is exposed to heat again when you take it out of the fridge, especially if you immediately begin eating it or dunk it in a cup of tea.
As a result, the chocolate develops a gritty texture and a chalky flavour, making it far less appealing than the silky, smooth sweet treat it is meant to be.
How to store chocolate properly in summer
It is really easy to keep chocolate solid and still tasty in summer, as all you need to do is store it in a container with a lid.
This might sound simple, but even brief exposure to fridge air can spoil chocolate due to the humidity, and because its ingredients make it highly absorbent.
Most chocolate contains cocoa butter, which readily absorbs surrounding flavours, and it can end up tasting meaty, eggy, or just unpleasant.
Using a sealed container helps protect the chocolate from moisture and strong-smelling foods, keeping it smooth, creamy, and enjoyable.
However, once you are ready to eat chocolate, then it is best to let it heat up gradually to avoid sugar bloom, so take the container out of the fridge and leave it alone.
The expert said: “To ward off the risk of dull flavour and a brittle texture, take your chocolate out of the fridge roughly 30 minutes before eating, although make sure you don’t leave it directly in the sunlight. This ensures your chocolate has time to warm up to room temperature without becoming a melted mess.”
Sugar bloom happens when chocolate is heated up quickly after being stored at a cold temperature, and even just the heat of your mouth or dunking it in a cup of tea can spoil it.
Keep chocolate in a container in the fridge, then wait for it to reach room temperature, and your chocolate will stay sweet and solid throughout the summer.