Hi all,

the amount of open chocolate bars in my household is exceeding the
amount of chocolate I can finish ;-), and then there's always a few bars
in reserve.

Summer is approaching, and that means it will be too hot to store them
just anywhere. I keep storing them in the fridge, but I fear that may be
suboptimal. (In any case it takes too long for them to reach optimal
tasting temperature.)

So, how do you store your chocolates?

I've considered a small wine or cigar cooler / humidor. Any better
ideas?


--
http://lars.marowsky-bree.de/disclaimer.html
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/wis.../ref=wl_em_to/

In article >,
Lars Marowsky-Bree > wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> the amount of open chocolate bars in my household is exceeding the
> amount of chocolate I can finish ;-), and then there's always a few bars
> in reserve.
>
> Summer is approaching, and that means it will be too hot to store them
> just anywhere. I keep storing them in the fridge, but I fear that may be
> suboptimal. (In any case it takes too long for them to reach optimal
> tasting temperature.)
>
> So, how do you store your chocolates?
>
> I've considered a small wine or cigar cooler / humidor. Any better
> ideas?

I actually have a very large wine cellar (400+ bottle size) and keep my
chocolate in there -- both the bulk bars for cooking and the smaller
bars. Keeps them at 55F and doesn't take long for them to warm up at
all, if I even want to wait. It simply makes the bars a bit 'crisp' for
breaking. A wine cellar is a good idea.

Tamzen Cannoy wrote:

> I actually have a very large wine cellar (400+ bottle size) and keep my
> chocolate in there -- both the bulk bars for cooking and the smaller
> bars. Keeps them at 55F and doesn't take long for them to warm up at
> all, if I even want to wait. It simply makes the bars a bit 'crisp' for
> breaking. A wine cellar is a good idea.

I do very much the same thing. I keep it in the cellar, the same place
I age meat. No light, 55-60 F, 70% RH. It's a good environment for storage of
chocolate.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

How about just a small ice chest with no ice in it?Occassionallt, at night,
open the chest to get some cool temperature in there.. All u have to do is
keep it below 74 degrees or so.

"Lars Marowsky-Bree" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> the amount of open chocolate bars in my household is exceeding the
> amount of chocolate I can finish ;-), and then there's always a few bars
> in reserve.
>
> Summer is approaching, and that means it will be too hot to store them
> just anywhere. I keep storing them in the fridge, but I fear that may be
> suboptimal. (In any case it takes too long for them to reach optimal
> tasting temperature.)
>
> So, how do you store your chocolates?
>
> I've considered a small wine or cigar cooler / humidor. Any better
> ideas?
>
>
> --
> http://lars.marowsky-bree.de/disclaimer.html
> http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/wis.../ref=wl_em_to/

chocolate should avoid humity at all costs. It causes the crystals in
the chocolate to form permanite bonds that will not break..however, a
lot of commercial chocolate bars (such as hersey's) have emulsifiers
that allow chocolate to change temperatures without much of a problem.
The other problem is that it should stay below 86 degrees for milk
chocolate. (The beta crystals in chocolate start to break down at that
temperature.) My suggestion would be to store them in a place that
stays cool and dry but not too cool. Do you have a basement that you
could store them in a box or shelf?

Alan wrote:


> Who stores chocolate???? We eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>

Some of us buy it in 10 kg blocks

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Just keep it away from Alex. I've heard he can really pack it away. <wg>

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Reg" > wrote in message
. com...
> Alan wrote:
>
>
> > Who stores chocolate???? We eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >
>
> Some of us buy it in 10 kg blocks
>
> --
> Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com
>

Alan wrote:

> On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 16:47:53 GMT, Reg > wrote:
>
>
>>Alan wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Who stores chocolate???? We eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>>
>>
>>Some of us buy it in 10 kg blocks
>
>
> Oh. Well, then.
>
>
>

Minor correction: my usual order is 10 kg which comes in two 5 kg
blocks.

I made a cake this week that contained no less than 3 1/2 lbs of
chocolate (not including cocoa powder!). If I didn't buy in bulk I'd
go broke.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

frood wrote:

> Just keep it away from Alex. I've heard he can really pack it away. <wg>

I think that would depend on the quality.
If it's not a high cocoa solids dark chocolate,
it might be safe for a little while.

Alan wrote:

> On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 20:31:44 GMT, Reg > wrote:

>>I made a cake this week that contained no less than 3 1/2 lbs of
>>chocolate (not including cocoa powder!). If I didn't buy in bulk I'd
>>go broke.
>
>
>
> How large a cake????

Marcel Desaulniers' "Death by Chocolate" cake from the book of the
same name. It's only a 9 inch cake and it uses up all that chocolate.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 18:36:17 GMT, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>frood wrote:
>
>> Just keep it away from Alex. I've heard he can really pack it away. <wg>
>
>I think that would depend on the quality.
>If it's not a high cocoa solids dark chocolate,
>it might be safe for a little while.
>
>
And if its Hershey's, its safe FOREVER!

--
Davida Chazan (The Chocolate Lady)
<davidac AT jdc DOT org DOT il>
~*~*~*~*~*~
"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of
chocolate."
--Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003)
~*~*~*~*~*~

(Davida Chazan - The Chocolate Lady) wrote:
> NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
> On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 18:36:17 GMT, Mark Thorson >
> wrote:
>
> >frood wrote:
> >
> >> Just keep it away from Alex. I've heard he can really pack it away. <wg>
> >
> >I think that would depend on the quality.
> >If it's not a high cocoa solids dark chocolate,
> >it might be safe for a little while.
> >
> >
> And if its Hershey's, its safe FOREVER!

So... you just have to wrap the good stuff in a thick layer of Hershey's?

-Dan

--
http://ChocoLocate.com/ - The Chocolate Lovers' Page, established 1994.

NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 07:41:17 -0000,
(Dan Birchall) wrote:

(Davida Chazan - The Chocolate Lady) wrote:
>> NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
>> On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 18:36:17 GMT, Mark Thorson >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >frood wrote:
>> >
>> >> Just keep it away from Alex. I've heard he can really pack it away. <wg>
>> >
>> >I think that would depend on the quality.
>> >If it's not a high cocoa solids dark chocolate,
>> >it might be safe for a little while.
>> >
>> >
>> And if its Hershey's, its safe FOREVER!
>
>So... you just have to wrap the good stuff in a thick layer of Hershey's?
>
Not if they're touching. Behind or under their wrappers will do.

--
Davida Chazan (The Chocolate Lady)
<davidac AT jdc DOT org DOT il>
~*~*~*~*~*~
"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of
chocolate."
--Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003)
~*~*~*~*~*~

at Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:30:18 GMT in
>, (Davida
Chazan) wrote :

>NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the spaces).
>On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 07:41:17 -0000,
(Dan Birchall) wrote:
>
(Davida Chazan - The Chocolate Lady) wrote:
>>> NOTE: My Correct Address is in my signature (just remove the
>>> spaces). On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 18:36:17 GMT, Mark Thorson
>>> > wrote:
>>> >frood wrote:
>>> >> Just keep it away from Alex. I've heard he can really pack it
>>> >> away. <wg>
>>> >I think that would depend on the quality.
>>> >If it's not a high cocoa solids dark chocolate,
>>> >it might be safe for a little while.
>>> And if its Hershey's, its safe FOREVER!
>>
>>So... you just have to wrap the good stuff in a thick layer of
>>Hershey's?
>>
>Not if they're touching. Behind or under their wrappers will do.
>

Not likely. I'd dig through a chocolate stack unmercifully - who knows what
buried treasure there might be hidden underneath? Besides, the aroma would
be a dead giveaway. :-)

On a related note (serious) - for shipping and even for storage, as long as
the chocolate is well-wrapped, the best way to store it is packed in cocoa.
This can get expensive but if you have access to cocoa in bulk bins, it's
easy to do. It's not especially vital to choose a high-quality cocoa - any
one will do.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

(Alex Rast) wrote:
> On a related note (serious) - for shipping and even for storage, as long as
> the chocolate is well-wrapped, the best way to store it is packed in cocoa.
> This can get expensive but if you have access to cocoa in bulk bins, it's
> easy to do. It's not especially vital to choose a high-quality cocoa - any
> one will do.

Probably works well for any kind of contraband. Everything makes it
through customs as "just a box of cocoa."

What are the benefits to packing chocolate in cocoa, Alex? I mean, I'm
sure there's some science behind it, osmosis or whatever...

-Dan

--
http://ChocoLocate.com/ - The Chocolate Lovers' Page, established 1994.

at Mon, 29 Mar 2004 23:55:19 GMT in
>,
(Dan Birchall) wrote :

(Alex Rast) wrote:
>> On a related note (serious) - for shipping and even for storage, as
>> long as the chocolate is well-wrapped, the best way to store it is
>> packed in cocoa. This can get expensive but if you have access to
>> cocoa in bulk bins, it's easy to do. It's not especially vital to
>> choose a high-quality cocoa - any one will do.
>
>Probably works well for any kind of contraband. Everything makes it
>through customs as "just a box of cocoa."
>
>What are the benefits to packing chocolate in cocoa, Alex? I mean, I'm
>sure there's some science behind it, osmosis or whatever...

1. The cocoa acts as an excellent cushion, so no broken or crushed bars.
2. It also acts as a good insulator, which means fewer problems with
melting.
3. It also supplies a good aroma barrier. First, it absorbs incoming
undesirable odours from the outside, and second, by virtue of its own cocoa
aroma, it minimises the loss of aroma volatiles from the chocolate (because
the air can contain only so much volatile concentration)

Other packing materials can achieve goals 1 and 2, but in goal 3, it's
simply unrivalled. In fact, other packing materials often *contribute*
their own undesirable odours (ever have a chocolate taste like plastic?)

>
>-Dan
>


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

This is very interesting information. (and thanks for being a good sport!
<G>) I'm not sure this is the right storage method for me, however. It would
make a cocoa mess when removing chocolate from storage, and I just don't
need one more thing to clean up in my life right now.

I'm getting ready (mentally) to make chocolate and melted confection candies
for my kids for Easter. I'm trying to weigh the desire to have the freshest
product possible vs. the amount of work in just one or two days it entails,
making enough for 5 kids and 2 adults.

I think I need some chocolate.

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...
>>
> 1. The cocoa acts as an excellent cushion, so no broken or crushed bars.
> 2. It also acts as a good insulator, which means fewer problems with
> melting.
> 3. It also supplies a good aroma barrier. First, it absorbs incoming
> undesirable odours from the outside, and second, by virtue of its own
cocoa
> aroma, it minimises the loss of aroma volatiles from the chocolate
(because
> the air can contain only so much volatile concentration)
>
> Other packing materials can achieve goals 1 and 2, but in goal 3, it's
> simply unrivalled. In fact, other packing materials often *contribute*
> their own undesirable odours (ever have a chocolate taste like plastic?)
>
> > --
> Alex Rast
>
> (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Wed, 31 Mar 2004 20:36:15 GMT in
> ,
(frood) wrote :

>This is very interesting information. (and thanks for being a good
>sport!
><G>) I'm not sure this is the right storage method for me, however. It
><would
>make a cocoa mess when removing chocolate from storage, and I just don't
>need one more thing to clean up in my life right now.
>
>I'm getting ready (mentally) to make chocolate and melted confection
>candies for my kids for Easter. I'm trying to weigh the desire to have
>the freshest product possible vs. the amount of work in just one or two
>days it entails, making enough for 5 kids and 2 adults.

Actually, it's better in any case if you make chocolate confections some
days in advance - virtually all chocolate confections improve after several
days. I generally make uncoated truffles at least 2 days before they are to
be served, and other things longer - up to a week beforehand. So if you
start relatively soon, your results will actually be better on the day
rather than worse.

Yeah, storing chocolate in cocoa can make a mess. A simple solution is to
take out your chocolate with the storage container set in the middle of a
jelly-roll pan. This contains the cocoa and makes for easy removable. Wear
a pair of thin rubber gloves and you have no messy hands. I generally
recommend the cocoa method more for long-term storage, and for risky
shipping, than for everyday use.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)