Found a great deal on chocolate?  Bought too much and don’t want it to go to waste?  Want to make candy ahead of time, or save some for later?  Well, you can keep chocolate for about a year at 50°-60°–a wine cellar or cool part of the house would do nicely. Keep all pets away from it because chocolate if ingested can make them deathly ill, and, unless you’re a vintner or really into wines, or strong willed to avoid the temptation of eating it all in one sitting, your best bet is to freeze it.  To insure the flavor and freshness of the chocolate,  these steps are suggested for effective freezing or storage of chocolate:

• Divide chocolate into smaller pieces or serving portions.  Nothing is worse than breaking off parts from a large portion and run the risk of ruining it all by exposing it to air and moisture.

• Wrap each portion with a piece of paper toweling to test for and absorb any excess moisture in a zip lock freezer bag, a press and seal bag, or vacuum bag.  If using a zip lock bag use a straw to extract as much of the air from the bag.

• Label the bag with the type of chocolate and date.

• Place the bag into the refrigerator to check the seal.  If any moisture appears, replace paper towel and reseal it and test again.

• Double seal it by taking the individual portions and sealing it within a larger package.  A vacuum sealer such as a FoodSaver® is perfect  for these applications.

• Refrigerate or freeze.

To Thaw Chocolate:

• Remove the desired portions or amount from sealed bag.   Be sure to reseal so that remaining chocolate is airtight.

• Thaw chocolate out in the refrigerator.  This may take up to 8 hours depending upon the size of the portion.  Be sure during this process you check for condensation.  If moisture is detected, replace paper towel in the package and reseal.

• Once the chocolate is thawed, bring it to room temperature in the bag in a cupboard or place which is not in direct sunlight or heat source.

• Voilà!  Now you can use the chocolate, or eat it!  What is better than that?

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