Preservation of chocolate

HOW TO PRESERVE CHOCOLATE

Chocolate should be kept in it's original wrapping and in a suitable environment: fondent chocolate can be kept for up to 24 months whereas milk chocolate and white chocolate for 12 months.

Usually on the wrapping it is written "keep in a cool dry place". This expression says a lot but it's not enough therefore we will stress here the limits of the risk factors for the preservation of chocolate:

environmental temperature - this can range between 12°C and 18°C;
humidity - must not exceed 65%;
light and sources of heat (even if indirect) - must be avoided;
strong odours - must be avoided.

In order to best savour your chocolate, the first thing to do when buying, as well as looking for quality is to control the expiry date, and then a basic knowlegde of some of the rules of preservation is fundamental.