[riahrite]

I purchased some colored chocolate baking discs/wafers for dipping cakeballs in back in April for Easter.  I stored the leftover unused discs in my kitchen pantry (in the container that I purchased them in - plastic air-tight).  Unfortunately, I don't have AC in my house and we had some horribly hot and humid weather the last two weeks.  I am concerned that the chocolate might have gone bad?  They didn't melt or anything, but are they still good for cooking?  Or should I just cut my losses and toss them out?  

Any insight is much appreciated!

Thanks

 

[john dt]

From everything I have read, and since you stored it in an airtight container, I believe that your chocolate should be fine. Shelf life should be about a year. If you see white spots on the chocolate, however, it's probably time to toss it.

 

[siduri]

The white that appears on the chocolate is supposed to be just some cocoa butter rising to the surface or something, which happens when it's been hot, but they say (everywhere i've read) that it's fine to use. I eat it all the time, since it's hot here.

But look for little tiny crumbs around the pieces or for tiny pinholes in the chocolate. In that case it got some sort of chocolate bug (what a life! being a chocolate bug!) and you probably don't want to eat it (though, if the bug eats only chocolate how bad can they be /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif )

 

[chefedb]

hould be ok but taste first. If it's rancid you will taste it.

 

[siduri]

hould be ok but taste first. If it's rancid you will taste it.

Ed, have you ever had rancid chocolate? I've eaten pretty old chocolate, but the worst it tastes is hard. (well, except for the bugs) but never rancid. i didn;t think chocolate could go rancid.

 

[chefedb]

SIDURI

Rancid chocolate is caused by the butterfat content going bad. IT CAN BE TASTED. It is usually caused by changes in temperature cold/hot  hot/cold. Down here in Florida it is fairly common. A lot of places have A/C running high all day and then turned down real low or even off nights when they close. This also causes condensation in many products in particular those wrapped in foil which increases sought of a mold. So In answer to your quandry''Yes chocolate goes rancid''  The taste to me is likened to flat butter taste or muddled.

 

[indygal]

There is such a thing as a chocolate bug?   I buy chocolate thinking I'll use it, but then I don't and I'm wondering if I should.  Unlike the baker above, mine (chips and bars) have been here so long I can't remember when I got them.

 

[foodpump]

Most chocolate mnfctrs guarantee "chocolate", that is, the real stuff with out any butterfat in it, for 2 years.  Chocolate has cooca fat,but not butterfat,which comes from milk powder.  Since chocolate has no water, I repeat, NO WATER in it, it doesn't go "bad" but will go stale if allowed to.  I've had and used chocolate over 5 years old, stored under decent condtions with no flavour or working compromises.

Milk chocolate, on the other hand, contains about 1/3 milk powder, which will go eventually rancid, and white chocolate, contains over 40% milk powder, so it goes rancid even faster.  Most mnfctrs, guarantee milk choc at 9 mths, and white at 6 mths.

"White stuff" will apppear on the surface of chocolate for two reasons, 

The  first is "fat bloom", where the chocolate was kept at temperatures over 30 C (90 something? F)  The cocoa butter is very temperature sensitive,and at temps over 30 will melt and recrystalize at unstable forms--gving you a white chalky/moldy appearance. This is by no means bad, it's perfectly fine to use or eat, but has a better "mouthfeel" if remelted and re-tempered 

The second is "sugar bloom" and looks almost like fat bloom. Sugar bloom indicates that moisture got into the chocolate, most likely from being stored in the fridge or freezer.  I told you that chocolate has no water in it, right?  But it has sugar in it.  When chocolate is stored in the fridge and the taken out, the surface gets wet.  Condensation,.  Same as morning dew on the grass.  This moisture dissolves the sugar in the chocolate,and when it dries, the sugar recrystalizes, giving you a chalky white surface.  Again, not bad, perfectly safe to eat, just looks gross.

Hope this helps  

 

[chefedb]

Down here we get no guarantee on chocolate. And Food Pump is right I call it butter fat but its actually cocoa fat.. On the other hand  White chocolate really is not chocolate cause it contains no cocoa fat, it's margarine of soughts.

 

[siduri]

so my understanding is that it may taste stale but not actually rancid? 

I never tasted a rancid chocolate, and i'm very sensitive to rancid flavors. 

I find that the old chocolate has a drier bite.  It loses the waxy texture. 

 

[chefedb]

Whatever you want to call it, it does not taste good.

 

[foodpump]

Ah-nope.  "white chocolate" is cocoa butter (anywhere from 15%-25%), milk powder, and sugar. 

 

[chefedb]

I have a slab of it, and it list margarine not cocoa butter/.?

 

[siduri]

I have a slab of it, and it list margarine not cocoa butter/.?

Then maybe that's why your chocolate tastes rancid when it gets old.

 

[chefedb]

The regular chocolate is what tasted rancid as was originaly talked about.(choco Wafers)

 

[siduri]

The regular chocolate is what tasted rancid as was originaly talked about.(choco Wafers)

that's strange then. I've had some old chocoate but never had the rancid taste - maybe less taste probably due to the change in texture, but not rancidity.

 

[chefedb]

Maybe the Florida heat, sometimes the kitchens hit 90=95. Then cool at night when closed.

 

[foodpump]

I dunno..... In Europe you can't call anything that doesn't have cocoa butter in it "chocolate", let alone white chocolate, chocoalte, becasue it doesn't contain any cocoa solids.

 

[chefedb]

FoodPump!  Have you ever heard of a slab chocolate both dark and white called cookie coating chocolate?

 

[foodpump]

Here again we have the "two solitudes" regarding chocolate.. EU and FDA

EU is pretty darn simple, if there is no cocoa butter, the word "chocolate" can not be used in packaging or advertising within Europe.  Period.

If there is milk powder in there, even in small amounts, it must be labled as "milk chocolate" within Europe.  Period.

White chocoalte can not be legally sold as "white chocolate" in Europe, since it contains no cocoa solids.  It is popular, so many reputable mnfctrs sell it under names like "Ivory", Edelweiss" etc. etc.  And many reputable mnftrs sell another type of chocolate that has no cocoa butter in it-suitable for hot climates and for shops with staff not experienced enough to temper real chocolate.  This can not be legally sold or advertised in Europe with the word "chocolate" attached to it. The Germans, Dutch, and Belgians call it "Fettglasur" or fat glaze.  

FDA?  Someone from New Jersey did a number on them 

Consider this:

By FDA standards, semi-sweet chocoalte must have a minimum of 35% cocoa content.  Or in other words, 65% (2/3) sugar is legal.

Bittersweet?  The same standard, 35% cocoa content.  No criteria for milk content.  Look at some of Hershey's stuff, what is labled as "pure dark chocolate has milk powder in there, and a lot of sugar

The only good thing about FDA is that they have the same rules pertaining  to "dutched" cocoa beans.  Beans that have been treated with alkalai must be declared on the label.

It's all there in the label....