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Experts Reveal Whether Chocolate Should Be Stored In The Fridge Or Not

Experts Reveal Whether Chocolate Should Be Stored In The Fridge Or Not

New Zealand chocolatier Owen Smith has given his definitive answer on how to store chocolate

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Even before Brexit, there were issues that divided families. Whose turn is it to do the washing up? What's an appropriate amount of time to spend in the bathroom? Match of the Day or literally anything else?

And then there's the age-old question - do you keep your chocolate in the fridge or not?

Well, we finally have a definitive answer and we have New Zealand chocolatier Luke Owen Smith to thank.

According to the connoisseur of cocoa, whatever you do with your chocolate of choice, you should NEVER put it in the fridge. Well, almost never.

Luke runs The Chocolate Bar, a company which specialises in sourcing the best chocolates, which, for those trying to develop a more discerning palate, offers tasting courses.

He told Stuff magazine that keeping bars in the fridge caused the chocolate to become 'dull' and stopped it from 'releasing the flavours'.

But those of you who like warm chocolate needn't congratulate yourselves just yet - Luke says it's all about finding a balance.

Pixabay

He said: "Extremely cold temperatures can mess with the temper as much as hot temperatures can."

Now here is why 'never' isn't quite applicable for keeping the sweet stuff in the fridge.

If it's so hot that you absolutely have to, then as a last resort Luke says is acceptable to put the chocolate in a small container and keep it in the fridge.

He added: "But if it's too hot, then your fridge is the only option... it's not great for chocolate."

Luke also says it should ALWAYS be left to return to room temperature before you eat it - as well as changing how your chocolate bar tastes, the temperature can alter how it looks. Ever wondered what in God's name that weird white stuff is you can get on your Fredo?

Luckily, food hygiene expert Belinda Stuart-Moonlight has the answer to that conundrum. I know, right? All your chocolate concerns put to bed in just one day - what a time to be alive.

She told the Mail Online that one of those weird white patches is actually called a 'sugar bloom', which is where cold chocolate reheats too quickly, creating condensation on the surface, which then re-crystallises as a grainy, white coating.

However, like Luke, she did suggest a reason why the fridge might be the right place to store certain items, and fans of Creme Eggs (i.e. all right-thinking people on Earth) might want to pay attention here.

Belinda said: "Chocolate with a creamy filling is likely to be at higher risk of going off and needs refrigeration."

So there you go, don't keep your chocolate in the fridge, apart from sometimes.

Bon appetit.

Featured Image Credit: PA / ITV

Topics: Food, UK News, Interesting, Chocolate