If you’ve found yourself swimming in a sea of Easter chocolate post-celebrations, there is one simple tip that could make them last much longer while you work through the pile.
One Thortons chocolate expert has shared the secret to keeping these sweet treats for months without affecting the properties that make them so delicious and enticing.
While the instinct might be to toss your eggs into the fridge, Thorntons’ expert Ian Clay advises against it. Instead, he suggests storing them at a ‘Goldilocks temperature’ – not too warm, not too cold.
Excessive chilling can lead to hardened chocolate and even a loss of flavour due to a phenomenon known as “bloom,” where fat rises to the surface and alters the texture.
Additionally, studies have shown that colder temperatures can dull our perception of sweetness and bitterness in chocolate, while sourness and saltiness remain unaffected.
Read more: Best place to store bananas to keep them fresh – never store them in fruit bowl
This is because the cold suppresses chocolate’s flavour, preventing us from fully enjoying its taste.
If you’ve ever left your Easter eggs basking in the sunlight for too long, you might find them melting away, which can result in chocolate that’s soft and sticky, far from ideal for indulging in.
“Refer to the storage instructions and store your chocolates in a cool, dry and dark place, away from heat sources,” the team at Thorntons told the Mirror.
“Around 18 degrees is the perfect temperature to ensure they maintain their optimal taste and texture.
“Your sense of taste alone offers a very one-dimensional experience – it can only detect sweet, sour, bitter or savoury. The rest of the flavour is picked up by your sense of smell.
“The all-important aromas which are released as you chew, combine with taste to make that unforgettable flavour.”
If you still prefer your chocolate on the cooler side despite the advice against refrigeration, you can opt to chill your Easter eggs for about 20 minutes before enjoying them.
Tim Kelly, a professional egg tester at Morrisons, recommended this approach, emphasising that egg chocolate should be treated differently than your everyday chocolate bars.
“Your sense of taste alone offers a very one-dimensional experience – it can only detect sweet, sour, bitter or savoury. The rest of the flavour is picked up by your sense of smell.
“The all-important aromas which are released as you chew, combine with taste to make that unforgettable flavour.”
If you still prefer your chocolate on the cooler side despite the advice against refrigeration, you can opt to chill your Easter eggs for about 20 minutes before enjoying them.
Tim Kelly, a professional egg tester at Morrisons, recommended this approach, emphasising that egg chocolate should be treated differently than your everyday chocolate bars.
