Shelf Life: Why (or Why Not!) to Extend Shelf Life
Shelf Life: Why (or Why Not!) to Extend Shelf Life
If you're new to the world of chocolates and confections, and even if you're not, you might be wondering what all this fuss about shelf life is. A ganache is just cream and chocolate, right? What else could you possibly add and why?
Delve a little deeper, and you'll find a range of different sugars and types of dairy or other liquids, such as purees or water, that you can use to make ganaches. Why might you change your basic recipe?
Perhaps you've had the unsettling experience of biting into, or worse, selling, a bonbon that had molded on the inside. How can you prevent this? This third article in our shelf life guide looks at the basic reasons a chef or chocolatier would want to extend the shelf life of their products and some reasons they might not want to. Subsequent articles take a deep dive into water activity, storage, and more.
Previous Article
Good Reasons to Extend Shelf Life
Finding ways to extend the shelf life of your products can save you time and money and offers peace of mind, especially when shipping or offering your products wholesale.
- Improved labor costs.
- Improved overall profits.
- Reduce food waste.
- Reduced production times.
- Build up stock for busy periods.
- Free up time in the kitchen for other activities.
- Guarantee of quality throughout the entire supply chain.
Good Reasons Not to Extend Shelf Life
What? Why would you possibly not want long-lasting, shelf-stable bonbons?
Don't underestimate the appeal of a fresh product with a simple list of ingredients.
- Able to claim only truly fresh products
- “Hey, want to taste this 1 year old ganache?”
- Shows value/care to consumers.
- Reduce complexity.
- Reduce the number of items on ingredient label.
- Easier to have “clean" labels.
- Allows for the truest flavors.
- Gives consumers a reason to return to you more quickly (for more deliciousness!).
- Allows you to focus on making small batches of unique flavors.
- Gives you lots of room for experimentation.
