You could argue that keeping chocolate bars in the fridge is purely a matter of personal preference, but there may be genuine reasons to favour one storage method over another
A food waste expert has finally settled the debate (stock)
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A food waste expert has finally settled the debate on whether you should store your chocolate bars in the fridge or not. An age-old debate, it could be said that placing your bars in the fridge was entirely down to personal preference, but it seems there could be a basis for one storage method over the other.
Kate Hall explains that factors like temperature, humidity and light can all impact food. She said that many refrigerate items unnecessarily, while leaving out foods that would actually serve better in the fridge.
Among the more polarising items are reportedly avocados, bananas and potatoes, with chocolate biscuits another apparent source of contention. Kate conceded they’re “lovely chilled”, but has a different opinion on bars.
She told The Mail: “While chocolate biscuits can be lovely chilled, full chocolate bars need a little more care. Moisture and temperature changes can affect their texture and appearance, causing a whitish bloom on the surface”.
Her advice echoes comments made by Private Yacht Chef and founder of Ocean Earth Chef, Barry D’Arcy. In April, Barry set the record straight about the best way to store Easter eggs.
He shared: “When you store Easter eggs in the fridge, the chocolate becomes much firmer, which to some might be appealing; however, it also means it loses some of its smooth texture. The flavour also becomes diluted as cold temperatures mute the cocoa notes.
“Chocolate is designed to melt gently at around 30 to 32 degrees Celsius, so eating it straight from the fridge essentially alters the entire experience and inevitably makes it less pleasurable.
“Like any food or product, if it’s consumed in a way it wasn’t intended to be, the result is often underwhelming.”
In the same report, Steve Russell, co-founder of chocolate brand Russell & Atwell, said we typically see two types of chocolate lovers: those who enjoy the ‘snap’ of chocolate from the fridge, and those who like the “quicker deeper flavour”.
He claims that high-quality chocolate will usually provide a “better” flavour from the fridge, whereas some cheaper easter eggs, which tend to have a lower cocoa content, can taste “rather plasticky and flat” at room temperature and even “worse” out of the fridge.
In other chocolate news, a solid silver Rowntree’s chocolate box is due to go under the hammer in Scarborough. Created for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, it could go for £1,000.
Holly Hammond, from auctioneers David Duggleby, told the BBC: “Along with all the country’s major chocolate manufacturers, Rowntree of York produced thousands of souvenir coronation tins of chocolate – painted tins decorated with portraits of the new King and Queen – that were distributed to the nation’s schoolchildren and many others.
“Rowntree also commissioned the Sheffield silversmiths Cooper Brothers and Sons to produce a small number of solid silver versions of the painted tins.”
