My chocolate has gray streaks. It is okay to use?

That’s called ‘bloom’ and it happens when the chocolate melts or gets warm, and then cools again without being tempered. When you buy chocolate, it is already tempered. However if it’s exposed to heat or melted, it can fall out of temper. (You can read my instructions for how to temper chocolate.)

Those streaks that you see is harmless cocoa fat rising to the surface because when the chocolate was warmed, it lost its emulsion (like chicken stock or vinaigrette separates when heated, then cooled.) Similarly, if there are crystal-like formations on the surface, those indicate ‘sugar bloom’ and the chocolate is safe to use. In either case, the chocolate can be melted and used as normal.

If there is green mold, or anything furry, that means the chocolate got damp. In that case, it should be tossed.


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