Question on shelf life

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Permalink Reply by Dale Anderson on August 3, 2011 at 5:41pm

Krista,

I have many customers who object to glucose/invert sugar/corn syrup/etc. in their chocolates, so I make quite a few that do not have a moisture binding agent. I'm a small shop without the ability to run lab tests, but my chocolates hold up to regular taste tests and inspections, and seem to easily have at least a three week shelf life (I do keep them at 64 degrees F). My experience is that the 3 week limit is conservative. I've had chocolates that I pulled from the case and placed in my "bone pile" for several weeks beyond that and found them still quite good.

When I do a piping on top of a piece I don't use ganache--just untempered chocolate (sometimes mixed with vanilla, spices, etc. but no cream).

Hope that helps...

Dale

Permalink Reply by Krista on August 3, 2011 at 6:28pm

Thanks for the input Dale! I appreciate it. I would prefer not to use the glucose as well, I tend to prefer my ganache on the more bitter side, but I wasn't sure how they would hold up as far as safety.

That is interesting about the untempered chocolate, the ones I've seen almost look fluffy like a whipped ganache or something. What does kind of look does the piped untempered chocolate produce?

Thanks so much for replying.

Permalink Reply by Dale Anderson on August 3, 2011 at 9:36pm

Krista,

As Jayne said, you can make the freshness (and perishableness) of the product a differentiation and selling point. My customers also appreciate that my product is made for flavor and not for shelf life (and many do indicate that they meter them out as daily mini-treats long after the "expiration date.")

The untempered chocolate can look kind of "fluffy" if you pipe it with a decorative tip. I've attached a photo (not great) of a dark chocolate Kahlua truffle with a "dallop of whipped cream" piped decoration, as a rather poor example of this. I use untempered chocolate because it adheres better to the tempered couverture than tempered would (which is more likely to pop off when it contracts as it sets). It is a little soft, but firm enough to stand up to the pressure of a box lid.

All the best,

Dale

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Permalink Reply by Jayne Hoadley on August 3, 2011 at 8:17pm

Hi Krista.  I do not use any sugars or water binders of any type in my ganache either.  I have a small chocolate business, so I do a lot of custom work.  I also promote the "fresh" aspect of my candy... and customers definitely appreciate this.  I find that the less air that is incorporated into the ganache the longer the shelf life.  So when blending your ganache, you may want to consider an emulsion blender to help.  Also, keep them at lower temps.    I don't like my truffles to go more than a couple of weeks, however several of my customers tell me that they "savor" each piece and that the box lasts them a month!  Hope this helps.