Freezing Chocolates

George Trejo
@george-trejo
11/24/10 12:15:10PM
41 posts
I know you can freeze chocolates, and I know the process. My question is if anyone here does it successfully for their businesses? Anything that really shouldn't be frozen?


updated by @george-trejo: 04/14/15 06:03:44AM
George Trejo
@george-trejo
11/24/10 02:28:08PM
41 posts
Thank You Lana. Do you just wrap the boxes in saran wrap before freezing?
Gap
@gap
11/24/10 05:23:36PM
182 posts
I don't do commercial lots, but I freeze my chocolates all the time. Just froze the 700 pieces for Christmas this year because we've started getting 30+C days in Melbourne.
Carol
@carol
11/24/10 05:28:26PM
24 posts
Hi Lana,What type of freezer do you have? I am "space challenged" but would like to purchase a freezer. Just wondering how large a freezer is necessary, in your opinion.
Jcandy
@jcandy
11/29/10 01:03:22AM
12 posts
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.
Mim
@mim
04/03/13 07:48:32PM
6 posts

Hi Lana, thank you for your information, which is exactly what I was looking for. Could you clarify a few things for me. Like Gap, I have problems with the Australian heat and I am just a beginner, embarking on starting my small chocolate business - so proper freezing practice would be most helpful.

"I make several frames a week of the same flavour and then package them in bulk boxes. Each bulk box has 5 layers and holds a total of 244 chocolates"

- Did you freeze your 'frames' (I assume that these are slabs of ganache poured into frames?) without cutting into pieces, or are they cut into 244 pieces?

- If cut, are they also dipped into chocolate?

- I'm also guessing that you don't actually freeze the actual frames? I use plastic stackable frames.

-The boxes from Nashville that you use are strong enough to withstand the vacuum packing?

I have frozen slabs and balls (from silicon moulds) of ganache, so when thawed out 24hrs in fridge, then 24hrs in room temperature, I THEN cut and enrobe. I know that one can freeze enrobed pieces, but I am concerned with damage done to the surface or chocolate transfer pattern used. I would really be pleased if you have done so successfully! Thank you again for your very useful information.

Ruth Atkinson Kendrick
@ruth-atkinson-kendrick
04/03/13 09:46:41PM
194 posts

I also freeze finished chocolates. I use snap n seal containers. I freeze enrobed pieces with transfer sheets (not still attached) and molded pieces with no problems. One thing to consider, some flavors intensify when frozen, such as chili peppers. I do one piece that has habanero and I don't freeze that one as it is unpredictable.

Mim
@mim
04/05/13 01:44:29AM
6 posts

Ruth and Lana, thank you both for being so helpful! I'll let you know how I go!

Susan Van Horn
@susan-van-horn
04/05/13 12:33:42PM
32 posts

Lana & Ruth ~ When I have vacuum packed my finished rolled chocolates, the "vacuuming" has ended up cracking the shells. Now, I didn't have them in layers in a box, either. I am just wondering if putting them in boxes will help mitigate this problem. Do you stop the vacuum process when the bag is really tight around the box or ??? How can you tell when to stop so that I don't crack the shells? I would love to be able to vacuum seal my finished pieces. It would save a boatload of time and last minute orders would be so much easier to fill. Right now, I have opted to vacuum seal the rolled balls and that works fine.

Susan Van Horn
@susan-van-horn
04/05/13 06:00:41PM
32 posts

Thanks so much, Lana. Yes, I do put them in a FoodSaver bag, single layer, and then vacuum seal it. This is the information I needed! Perfect!

Mim
@mim
04/18/13 05:24:54AM
6 posts
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?
Mim
@mim
04/22/13 08:37:17PM
6 posts

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.

Valerie Herskowitz
@valerie-herskowitz
05/22/13 08:49:09AM
14 posts
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?
Mim
@mim
05/22/13 12:37:23PM
6 posts

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.

Channy
@channy
05/26/13 01:32:12AM
11 posts
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?
Paul John Kearins
@paul-john-kearins
08/04/13 06:13:14PM
46 posts
I have ganache bonbons I'm planning to ship across country ... I think I'm going to bubble wrap the boxed bonbons, then ziplock and freeze before shipping. Anyone have any input? Shipping tomorrow .
updated by @paul-john-kearins: 01/28/15 06:58:30AM

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