The Reason You Should Never Keep Chocolate In The Fridge

Sometimes melted chocolate is exactly what you want. When it comes to making ganache, dipping strawberries, or baking a chocolate lava cake, a melted consistency is key. However, not all recipes require it. If you've already melted your chocolate and want to save it for a future recipe, your first thought might be to stick it in the fridge to let it harden up again. Unfortunately, while this is a quick and easy way to store chocolate, it's not necessarily the best, The Sun states. 

Just as very hot temperatures alter the structure of chocolate, so do very cold temperatures. When chocolate goes from one temperature extreme to another, it produces condensation. This condensation contains tiny sugar crystals that dissolve then re-crystalize, a phenomenon known as a sugar bloom (via Hotel Chocolat). As a result of a sugar bloom, the surface of the chocolate will form a grainy white layer. And even if the appearance of the chocolate doesn't bother you, the taste might. After all, because chocolate can be porous, it has the ability to absorb odors of everything else in your fridge, which can significantly alter the flavor.

According to Serious Eats, the shelf life of milk chocolate is one year and the shelf life of dark chocolate is two years — but only if you store if properly. Chocolate doesn't do well when exposed to any type of moisture, so it's best to keep it in a dry environment. Sunlight can also ruin chocolate, so anywhere that stays dark is ideal for this product.

Although the refrigerator isn't the best storage place for chocolate, expert Luke Owen Smith told The Sun that if temperatures reach 82 degrees, an exception could, and should, be made to prevent it from melting. However, if you are forced to move your chocolate into the fridge, you should do so only after first putting it into an airtight container, which will keep the chocolate from absorbing the other flavors and smells being kept in the cold storage unit.