It’s Not Bad, It’s Bloom

What’s Wrong with my Chocolate?

You’re ready to bake a favorite dessert. You gather ingredients and line them up on the counter. But the morsels or baking bars you’ve taken from the cupboard or out of the refrigerator, just don’t look right. Instead of being smooth, glossy brown, and unblemished, the color is dull, and the chocolate is marked by a grayish white film. The discoloration may appear as streaks or speckles. Don’t worry. There’s no need to dash to the grocery store to buy more. Your chocolate is fine. The powdery residue, called bloom, does not affect the flavor and it will completely disappear when the chocolate melts.

What Causes Bloom?
There are two types of bloom. One is caused when the cocoa butter, reacting to heat, separates from the other ingredients. It rises to the surface of the chocolate forming pale irregular spots or blotches. This is known as fat bloom. It can be wiped off with a paper towel but it is not necessary to do so. Sugar bloom looks similar but has a slightly gritty texture. It is caused by damp, humid conditions that encourage moisture build up on the surface. This “sweat” dissolves some of the sugar in the chocolate. When it re-crystallizes, a dusty coating is produced that cannot be removed.

Bloom has nothing to do with the age of the product. It can happen to just purchased morsels that are left in a hot car. When the partially melted morsels reharden at home they are prone to get the characteristic white speckles of fat bloom. The same thing can occur when summertime temperatures soar up into the 90's. If you don’t have central air conditioning, your kitchen cupboards heat up, creating ideal conditions for bloom.

Putting a brand new partially used and loosely closed package of baking bars in the refrigerator can trigger sugar bloom because it’s such a moist environment. A long period of warm rainy days can have a similar effect on the chocolate in your pantry because the relative humidity in your home is likely to rise above 55%.

But bloom is only a change in appearance. It’s not a sign that chocolate is old or has gone bad. Now that you know there’s nothing wrong with chocolate that’s not picture perfect go ahead and use it to make something wonderful.

What’s the Best Way to Store Chocolate?
If your chocolate gets a bad case of the “blooms” it means that it has not been properly stored. To avoid bloom and maintain an optimal state of factory-freshness, chocolate must be kept in a cool, dry, dark, well ventilated place.

Keep chocolate in a cupboard or pantry that is a constant 60-70 degrees, the average home temperature. Avoid storing chocolate in cupboards near the stove or any other heat source such as a radiator or furnace vent, or in glass-fronted cabinets, especially those that get direct sunlight.

Chocolate should not be kept in the refrigerator or the freezer unless your kitchen is extremely hot or humid. If you must keep it chilled, wrap well and place in sealed plastic freezer bag. Before using, remove from plastic, leave wrapping on, and gradually allow chocolate to come to room temperature.

Once the original, manufacturer’s packaging has been opened, wrap chocolate tightly in aluminum foil. Nestlé experts suggest a second layer of plastic wrap over the foil. Others prefer a first layer of parchment or brown craft paper. Chocolate can also be kept in a sealed plastic container that is large enough so there’s space for air to circulate around it.

Wrapping chocolate well also protects it from absorbing the odors and flavors of other foods stored nearby.

When stored correctly, your morsels and baking bars have a long shelf life. Check the use-by date printed on every Nestlé package. That’s tells you whether your chocolate is still as good as the day it was made. If the date has passed, it’s time to discard and replace.

What is Scuffing?
Another alteration to chocolate’s appearance that also has no affect on its quality is “scuffing.” This term describes the marks that can mar the surface when pieces of chocolate bump up against each other during shipping and handling. These scrapes and scratches also appear on product that has been dropped or struck by a heavy object falling on it. One telltale sign of scuffing is the presence of a cocoa-colored powder at the bottom of the bag or in the product’s paper wrapping.

Scuffing is harmless and will just melt away when the chocolate is heated. Like bloom, scuffing makes the chocolate look different. But the great taste and dependable performance of morsels or baking bars are unchanged. The sweet treats you make with them will be as appealing and delicious as always.