What is the best way to store dark chocolate to preserve chocolate and flavour?
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Chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry area whenever possible. A cold basement or wine cellar is perfect.
Moist environments, including the refrigerator, can cause the chocolate to bloom. This is when the cocoa butter separates and you start to see a white film at the top. It's actually still safe to eat this way and won't even affect the flavour much, it just looks a little odd.
That said, even tempered chocolate (i.e. baking chocolate squares) will melt at hotter room temperatures, so if the air is humid or you're in a hot climate, you'll typically want to refrigerate. Also, if you've just melted the chocolate to make a coating and haven't tempered it, then you must refrigerate it as it will melt even at colder room temperatures.
Otherwise, it's best not to refrigerate. It will generally keep for a year or more at 55-60° F (about 13-15° C).
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Thanks for the idea of using a wine cellar for keeping chocolate cool. I live on the Big Island of Hawaii. I keep lots of cooking items in the fridge because the pantry is too warm for long term storage. And I have a big wine cooler that runs at 64 F. The fridge is at 33 F. Perfect!! Mahalo! And Aloha! – David Currier Jul 20 '17 at 0:29
