did I ruin my fancy chocolate? what to do now?

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 3:22 pm

I bought some bonbons to give as gifts. they are in plastic boxes--not sure how airtight though.

my house is hot. we have a/c, but it isn't enough/ doesn't work very well. so as soon as I got home, about 12 hours ago, I put them in the fridge thinking they would be safer there for a few days till I can gift them.

now I see that people online are saying never to refrigerate chocolate. so I just I took them out of the fridge and put the boxes into ziplocks. (still lots of extra air because of the packaging is). then back into the fridge, because I don't know what else to do.

but did I already ruin them? how long does it take milk bloom to develop? would I see it, or would it show only after the chocolates come out of the fridge?

and more to the point: what should I do with them now?

the internet says to put them into a cool and dark place... but my house right now is just not actually cool anywhere. the only cool place is the fridge.

is there a way/place to store them in the fridge that's better? I already have them wrapped in a ziplocks (but maybe the moisture already got in?).

any smart advice? or am I way overthinking

amother

Gray ↓

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 3:39 pm

Can you open one? See how it looks. What happens to chocolate: it “blooms”. If it’s exposed to moisture it gets a whitish look on top. It still tastes good and it’s fine to eat it but it doesn’t look so nice if you’re opening a gift.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 3:55 pm

If it looks fine, does it mean nothing happened? the boxes are transparent so I can see that they still look okay. If there's any damage, it's not a lot. Would the bloom show up now or after they come out?

Should I take them out of the fridge at this point, or leave them in?

amother

↑ Gray

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 4:02 pm

If the boxes are clear and you can see they’re fine maybe leave them where they are. The trouble with chocolate is it can also bloom if it’s stored in a place that’s too warm.

amother

↑ OP

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 4:07 pm

so far they do seem okay.

how long would it take for the damage to show, if that was going to happen?

also, is there any smart way to take them out of the fridge when it's time to gift them, to not make that temperature change cause some sort of damage? (it will take a few hours, some of them outdoors, before they will get to their recipients.)

amother

Gladiolus

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 10:29 pm

Side note. If your ac isn't working great, is it central air? Change all filters and male sure there is enough cooling fluid. Also, it could be the ducts arent insulated properly so cold air is being lost.