Freezing Chocolates

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Permalink Reply by Mim on April 18, 2013 at 5:24am

Thank you again for these very useful little details that make all the difference! I have another question- how do truffles enrobed in tempered chocolate and rolled in nuts fare in this freezing process? For example chopped pistachio or almond flakes which have been slightly toasted. Would the freezing process not effect the crunch of the nuts and make them a little soft?

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Permalink Reply by Lana on April 22, 2013 at 1:15pm

Hello Mim,

I haven't tried freezing anything in rolled nuts - but I would be cautious of doing so.  I think they will be affected by freezing.  I am just now doing a freezing experiment with an exposed candied pecan.  I am hoping the candying process protects it.  

I suggest you do the same and try an experimental batch to see how the nuts are affected.  For sure, you will have to pack them in closely so you have very little air in the package.

Good luck!

Permalink Reply by Mim on April 22, 2013 at 8:37pm

Again, thank you Lana for your invaluable advice. I think for the nut covered truffles, I will freeze the already rolled ganache pieces, then dip and cover with nuts when needed so as to keep the nuts intact as possible... as unlike your pecan pieces, they are not candied.

Permalink Reply by Jcandy on November 29, 2010 at 1:03am

Chocolate is the stuff of movies, music, dreams and many a midnight snack. For the cook, however, chocolate can be a conundrum, a difficult product to keep well and use properly. The first thing a good cook must learn is how to store their pantry items properly, and chocolate should always be in a good cook's pantry. The easy answer to whether or not you can freeze chocolate is no, but that isn't the complete answer. Freeze chocolate only if you must. Freezing can cause chocolate to have either Fat Bloom or Sugar Bloom.
You've probably seen bloomed chocolate--it has a mottled gray appearance. Freeze chocolate chips for a more reliable and usable result. Bring the chips to room temperature and use unbloomed chips in any recipe. Brownies can be frozen, but you need to wrap them well. Fudgy brownies freeze without losing moisture (as long as well wrapped -- foil and then plastic), if you don't seal cakey brownies well, they will dry out in the freezer. Freezing air draws away the moisture.

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Permalink Reply by Valerie Herskowitz on May 22, 2013 at 8:49am

I have a question about defrosting the frozen chocolate. I did a fairly large batch at the beginning of the week, froze them in air tight containers, but when I took them out, they were full of condensation. Should I have transferred them to the refrigerator fist, or not opened the containers for a while?

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Permalink Reply by Mim on May 22, 2013 at 12:37pm

I follow the freezing direction from Peter Greweling's book (Chocolates & confections - formal, theory, and techniques for the artisan confectioner) which works really well: 1. Pack the chocolates in sturdy containers and fill as much as possible (the less air there is, the less chance of condensation), then vacuum pack the container if possible. 2. put in fridge for 24 hours, before putting them in the freezer (this prevents sudden contraction and possible cracking). Defrost 2 days before intended use: 1. its important to transfer from freezer to the fridge and leave the chocolates there for 24 hours where they can be slow-thawed and not crack from thermal shock. 2. From fridge, take chocolate into room temperature, leave for 24 hours to ensure that they reach room temperature before opening pack - this helps prevent condensation and hence sugar bloom.

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Permalink Reply by Chantelle Giardina on May 26, 2013 at 1:32am

Hey guys,
We have been planning on doing this process for a while now. We just need a freezer that doesn't get opened much. Another chocolatier said that it would be detrimental to the finished product. I'm curious to see how big the boxes are that people have been using? Have you been vacuum sealing the whole box? What kind of vacuum sealer do you have? It would need to be fairly large? Do any of you layer the chocolates inside the boxes?

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