Why Martha Stewart Has An Entire Kitchen Drawer Dedicated To Chocolate

Martha Stewart has given us one more reason to covet her kitchen. According to her Youtube Channel, Stewart has a drawer dedicated to storing chocolate. The media mogul explained that when she is getting ready to bake for the holidays, she likes to have all of her chocolate organized nicely in a labeled drawer to make baking a breeze. Now, we aren't talking about Reese's and Crunch bars, but instead all the wonderful milk, dark, semi-sweet, and sweet variations of this confectionery that are required to make recipes like her chocolate baked Alaska or her outrageous chocolate cookies.

Why not store your chocolate in the fridge so it doesn't melt? Unless you have a humidity-controlled refrigerator, storing chocolate in this appliance creates a breeding ground for moisture. This is why Stewart keeps it stored at room temperature away from heat and moisture, both of which could potentially damage the integrity of this ingredient. If you take off all the wrapping and your chocolate looks like it is covered in some type of white coating, this is a tell-tale sign that your chocolate has experienced either of these extremes known as fat bloom or sugar bloom.

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Take Care Of Your Chocolate

When you place your chocolate in a moisture-rich environment, it will likely result in sugar bloom which means the sugar has been pulled to the surface and separated from the chocolate. Fat Bloom happens when your chocolate has been exposed to heat and melts, only to re-solidify, leaving your chocolate with white streaks. While neither renders your chocolate unusable, it does change its taste, even if it is ever so slightly.

Stewart's designated storage drawer for her chocolate frees it from these hazards. Not to mention, it also ensures the chocolate doesn't absorb odors from other ingredients. Chocolate can easily take on flavors from your spices in your spice drawer or your crisper drawer in your fridge. This is why it is important to store it in a Ziplock bag after you've opened it. In a perfect world, you would be able to use it up within a few days; however, if that is not the case, try and use it up within two weeks of opening.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.