With the season of Summer approaching, people tend to ask us, "How do I care for my chocolate in the heat?" Most people believe that putting the box in the refrigerator is the way to go. Sadly, it is not. When you put chocolate directly in the refrigerator, the process of 'fat bloom' occurs. This is when a grey, dusty looking film is on top of the chocolate. Many people then deem the chocolate inedible. It is, in fact, edible, but it may not look as good as you would like it to be. If your house is at a good room temperature (preferably 60-74 degrees), with a low humidity (below 50 degrees), you may not need to take these steps, but with the heat of Summer, it is expensive to keep your house cool.

In order to keep your chocolate from blooming while in the fridge or freezer, we recommend using these steps:

1. Place the chocolate in airtight, plastic freezer bag with a paper towel placed over top of the chocolate.

2. Place the bag in the refridgerattior for about 15 minutes, then check the bag.

3. If any condensation occurred, replace the paper towels and place it in the refrigerator for one hour.

4. After the hour, remove the paper towels, and do not replace it!

5. Place each bag you are going to freeze into a second bag for double protection.

6. When the time comes to enjoy them, remove them from the freezer a few hours ahead and place them into the refrigerator to thaw them. Eventually, place them in a cool odor-less, dark cabinet to let them cool to room temperature.

Those are all the tips for keeping your chocolate cool for this summer!

Any questions? Feel free to ask in a comments and see if it's answered in a later blog.