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Technique Theory: Confectionery Freezing
Appears in
By Peter Greweling and Culinary Institute of America
Published 2007
This technique allows the confectioner to successfully freeze products, including chocolates, without causing sugar bloom or excessive loss of quality.
- Pack Confections in a Sturdy Box, Filling the Box without Damaging the Product. The box should be strong enough not to collapse under vacuum pressure. It should be filled as much as possible, to use the space in the box efficiently and to limit the amount of air in it. The less air that is present in the box, the less chance there is that condensation will form, resulting in sugar bloom. In the case of enrobed centers, a desiccant such as silica gel may be placed in the box to absorb excess humidity. When freezing unenrobed confections, however, a desiccant should not be used, as it could draw moisture from the candies, resulting in unwanted drying.
- Vacuum Pack the Box with Airtight Plastic. The vacuum should be a gentle one so as not to damage the chocolates. Aerated centers are particularly sensitive to vacuum packaging, and can burst under excessive vacuum pressure. The seal must be airtight to keep oxygen out of the package. If the seal is broken, the chocolates are lost.
- Refrigerate the Vacuum-Packed Chocolates for 24 Hours. Twenty-four hours of refrigeration are required to prevent the sudden contraction and subsequent cracking that could occur if the chocolates were frozen without this acclimation step.
- Move the Chocolates to a Freezer. Store at the lowest possible temperature until two days prior to intended use. The freezer should be as cold as possible to ensure the maximum benefit.
- Two Days before the Chocolates are Needed, Move them to the Refrigerator for 24 Hours. Forty-eight hours of defrosting time is required before the frozen chocolates are ready to be used. For the first 24 hours, the chocolates should be slow-thawed in the refrigerator, to prevent cracking from thermal shock.
- Move the Box of Confections—Unopened—to Room Temperature for 24 Hours. During the second 24 hours, the still-sealed package should be returned to room temperature. To prevent condensation and sugar bloom, it is vital that the chocolates reach room temperature before the package is opened.
- Open and Use as Desired. The Shelf Life Clock Starts when the Confections are Removed from the Freezer. Freezing confections greatly slows, but does not stop, the deterioration of quality. Nor does freezing reverse any of the negative effects confections may have suffered while stored at room temperature. Once removed from the freezer, the confections must be used within the usual period of acceptable shelf life, which must include the time they were at room temperature prior to freezing. Confections can be frozen at −10°C/14°F for up to four months without loss of quality.
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