The reason why you shouldn’t store chocolate in the fridge

CHOCOLATE lovers, beware. If you’re keeping your sweet treats in the fridge, you may be making a big mistake, according to a confectionery expert.

ARE you storing your chocolate bars in the fridge? If you are you should stop, straight away.

According to chocolate expert Luke Owen Smith, your sweet treats should NEVER be kept in the fridge, even when the weather is warm, reports The Sun.

Luke, who owns an online store called the Chocolate Bar, told Stuff in New Zealand that the lower temperature messes with the taste.

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Keeping chocolate in the fridge dulls the flavour. Picture: Supplied

He said that chilling chocolate in a fridge made it “dull”, and “doesn’t release the flavours”.

He added: “Extremely cold temperatures can mess with the temperature as much as hot temperatures can.

Instead, chocolate should be stored in a cool, dark cupboard, preferably at between 10 and 20 degrees Celcius — with 15 degrees being the perfect temperature.

Luke says that it should only be put in the fridge if the temperature inside the home reaches 28 degrees.

As cocoa butter absorbs flavours and odours, he recommends storing in an airtight container before refrigeration to protect the taste.

Chocolate should be stored in airtight containers before being put in the fridge. Picture: iStock

Another reason for keeping the chocolates out of the fridge is something called “sugar bloom”.

This happens when it is chilled and then exposed to warmer air, causing condensation on the surface which dissolves some of the sugar.

This will then re-crystallise, leaving a grainy, white surface layer.

This story first appeared in The Sun.