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Post by amateur on Aug 17, 2019 11:52:37 GMT -5
Hej,
why do nearly all upmarket Swiss supermarket chocolates (Lindt, Callier, etc.) show now fat bloom when stored in an average home's kitchen for many weeks or when stored in the supermarket's shelf? Particularly at home, it can get well over 20°C even in winter, when heated or when cooking larger meals. Do these companies add something specific preventing fat bloom?
Thanks for any secret industry hints ; )
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Post by Ben on Aug 19, 2019 9:26:31 GMT -5
If tempered correctly, chocolate can be stored at normal room temperature (68-75F/20-24C) for a long time (years) with no bloom issues. I haven't tried it, but you could probably store it as warm as 80F (26.6C) or even a bit warmer. This is because the melting point of type V crystals (the type you're trying to create when tempering) is 93F (34C).
Theoretically, a 'perfectly' tempered bar of chocolate (one with only type V crystals) could be stored just below the melting point without issue. Generally chocolate will start to become soft at a lower temperature than this, though. My guess is that this is because tempered chocolate actually contains crystal types other than just type V, which melt at much lower temperatures (82F/28C for type IV), but I don't know that for sure.
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Post by amateur on Aug 19, 2019 9:35:36 GMT -5
Thanks, no additives then.
To store them, should I wrap my rather chunky bars in aluminium kitchen foil and put them in the cellar at 18°C? I'm just afraid that my kitchen/larder may be too warm at 23°C for several weeks of storage.
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Post by Ben on Aug 19, 2019 10:37:44 GMT -5
Right, no additives are necessary. Foil is fine, but a ziploc is better. If you're just storing for several weeks, 23C is perfectly fine. 18C may be better long-term, but really, you shouldn't have any problem at 23C.
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Post by Brad on Aug 19, 2019 20:29:21 GMT -5
There is another much more prominent reason why particularly Swiss chocolate doesn't bloom as much as other chocolate, and that's because a LOT of Swiss chocolate contains anhydrous milk fat (also called clarified butter, or ghee). The addition of that does a few things to the chocolate for which Swiss milk chocolate is famous for: 1. It makes it more difficult for the cocoa butter to crystalize and bloom. 2. It makes the chocolate much softer. Some Swiss chocolate, you can almost bend it before it snaps. 3. It makes the chocolate much creamier and melts faster on the tongue, giving it a silkier mouth feel.
Cheers. Brad
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Post by mark on Aug 19, 2019 23:40:15 GMT -5
A cellar is the perfect place to store the chocolate, that's where we store all of ours. Just be sure to have it in an airtight container as it will take on any odours you have down there. The container will also prevent any visitors to the cellar from eating the chocolate (yes, mice even like 100% bars).
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