Posted: 3/28/2010 5:30:33 PM EDT
| Had a fellow prepper tell me that he buys Hershey bars and cans them (#10 w/ O2 absorber). He says they will oxidize a bit on the outside, but will store long term when canned. I like the idea of storing some chocolate, what do you think? |
|
Quoted:
milk chocolate is edible, but gets a bit stale after 4 or 5 years at room temperature. Kept near freezing, it probably would last a decade. Dark chocolate, if kept cool, will last forever. That's what I like to hear, I love dark chocolate. Chocolate is going to be like tequila after TEOTW. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
milk chocolate is edible, but gets a bit stale after 4 or 5 years at room temperature. Kept near freezing, it probably would last a decade. Dark chocolate, if kept cool, will last forever. That's what I like to hear, I love dark chocolate. Chocolate is going to be like tequila after TEOTW. Only if your a woman who is bleeding!!  
|
You better pull out some of the same tips/tricks to hide the guns as you would for hiding the chocolate. That said, it could be a hell of a "positive" motivator.
|
Quoted:
And will do wonders to keep the female contingent happy and quiet. That alone makes it valuable. This is precisely why I stock chocolate in the emergency stash. There are times when living with my wife is like living with the antichrist. My daughter just turned twelve, and she is getting to be the same way. Keeping chocolate on-hand goes a long way toward keeping the peace for dad 
ETA: I don't have to worry about keeping it long term. It never lasts that long. |
I buy a package of six Hershey bars ever other month or so and put them away. I've probably got 30 or so bars in two freezer bags in the freezer. If the world takes a giant crap on us, I never want my kids to not know what chocolate is like. Remember that scene in Band of Brothers where the five year old little Dutch kid's father tells the GI's the kid had never tasted chocolate? How bad would that suck for a kid? (yes, I am aware that A LOT of things will suck if the EOTW happens, at least some will have chocolate) |
|
Quoted:
Any guess how long it would last in a 40-50 degree environment? The year 1974 stands out as one of THE best in my life. Myself and a couple pals " discovered " a cache of C-rations. dated 1943 and 1944. we played " army" and ate c- rations. we took them to school for lunch. we fed the occasional "puffy" can to the neighbor dogs. the chocolate component was ALWAYS edible. after 30 years, unsecured storage. |
| Two things about chocolate that effect shelf life. Butterfat content and sugar. The butterfat content can cause the product to go rancid after a while and the sugar content will cause it to break down. If you can vaccum seal it with a food saver and keep the product cold and in a dark space all the better. |
|
Quoted:
What if it was stored in mylar with O2 absorbers, then into a lunch box type cooler with dry ice? How long does dry ice last?? Dry ice is solid CO2. It only lasts as long as it takes for the phase to change from solid to gas, and if the container is sealed tight enough, it will pressurize and potentially explode. |
|
Is this the real old fashioned stuff?
http://www.amazon.com/Hershey-Chocolate-Syrup-10-8lb-can/dp/B0007SNZ6G |
|
Quoted:
Is this the real old fashioned stuff? http://www.amazon.com/Hershey-Chocolate-Syrup-10-8lb-can/dp/B0007SNZ6G That, my friend, is a helpful link. That's the good stuff! 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
What if it was stored in mylar with O2 absorbers, then into a lunch box type cooler with dry ice? How long does dry ice last?? Dry ice is solid CO2. It only lasts as long as it takes for the phase to change from solid to gas, and if the container is sealed tight enough, it will pressurize and potentially explode. Ok good to know.
|
|
They use to sell "Tropical Hershey Bars" at the camping supply store when I was a kid. These were based on Hershey bars designed for
the Army in WWII I think. They were kind of dry and grainy, they had less fat and more sugar I think, so they would not melt in hot climates. I don't think they make them any more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_chocolate http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/collection/object.asp?ID=42 |
|
You guys need to stop talking about this or my SO will be looking like this...
Removed so sensitive folks don't get too upset... The lady is unfortunate and there is no point in showing the pix because we see these sorts of folks almost every day, maybe not so well fed -but close. So don't click on the link in the next post... You are warned.
|
|
Quoted:
You guys need to stop talking about this or my SO will be looking like this... http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/R-HxF4h6ARI/AAAAAAAAAX0/CBVvDT22bp4/s400/spring+-+belly+button.jpg You worthless, f**king, piece of s**t. WTF?!!!!!!!!!!! Arggghhhhhhh. I need to grab a sawzaw and mellon baller so I can gouge out my mind's eye. |
|
Quoted: As a chocolate MANUFACTURER, I have to correct your statement. CHOCOLATE, particularly "dark chocolate" –– chocolate that contians NO milk SOLIDS, has no BUTTERFAT. There is a cocoa butter content. Sugar is a drying agent and does not cause chocolate to BREAK DOWN.Two things about chocolate that effect shelf life. Butterfat content and sugar. The butterfat content can cause the product to go rancid after a while and the sugar content will cause it to break down. If you can vaccum seal it with a food saver and keep the product cold and in a dark space all the better. Chocolate in temper is stable. IF temperatures go above about 92F the crystal structure of the bar will break down causing cocoa butter to raise to the surface causing a perceived problem with APPEARANCE but doesn't not have ANY impact on the chocolate from a flavor or nutritional standpoint. If you'd like to prep with custom crafted chocolate with a KNOWN production date, PM me and I'll give the appropriate link |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
As a chocolate MANUFACTURER, I have to correct your statement. CHOCOLATE, particularly "dark chocolate" –– chocolate that contians NO milk SOLIDS, has no BUTTERFAT. There is a cocoa butter content. Sugar is a drying agent and does not cause chocolate to BREAK DOWN.
Two things about chocolate that effect shelf life. Butterfat content and sugar. The butterfat content can cause the product to go rancid after a while and the sugar content will cause it to break down. If you can vaccum seal it with a food saver and keep the product cold and in a dark space all the better. Chocolate in temper is stable. IF temperatures go above about 92F the crystal structure of the bar will break down causing cocoa butter to raise to the surface causing a perceived problem with APPEARANCE but doesn't not have ANY impact on the chocolate from a flavor or nutritional standpoint. If you'd like to prep with custom crafted chocolate with a KNOWN production date, PM me and I'll give the appropriate link I'd like to hear what advice you can give us on storing chocolate. Types of chocolate, methods of storing, an educated guess at storage life? Thanks for the input! |