The Oil Trick To Stop Nutella From Solidifying - Chowhound (2024)

ByEmmy Schneider-Green

The Oil Trick To Stop Nutella From Solidifying - Chowhound (4)

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It's an indulgent, anytime treat smeared on toast. It's a socially acceptable excuse to have chocolate for breakfast. And it's a hit with all age groups and palates. Nutella, the creamy hazelnut spread, is a shelf-stable delicacy delicious on a wide range of vehicles — but without proper care and storage, it can quickly lose its creamy, spreadable texture. Immediately upon opening a jar of the sweet hazelnut spread, the consistency is perfectly silky smooth and easy to dollop out onto bread or your carb of choice. But if you've ever opened a jar that's been sitting in the pantry for a bit, you know the opened product can dry out and develop hard, crunchy bits that are less than desirable.

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Before you resign yourself to crusty, crumbly, less-than-ideal Nutella, there's a quick hack to prevent the deterioration of texture before it begins. Spread a thin layer of peanut oil or any other neutral oil such as safflower oil onto the surface of the jar of Nutella before you close the lid and store it. This thin layer of oil acts as a protective coating or a seal, effectively preventing air from escaping and keeping the product from drying out. This helps preserve the just-freshly-opened, spreadable texture without altering the delicious flavor of Nutella.

Seal off the surface with a thin layer of oil

The Oil Trick To Stop Nutella From Solidifying - Chowhound (5)

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Nutella is made withpureed hazelnuts, plus added palm oil, rich cocoa, sweeteners, and ingredients like milk and vanillin. It's ready to spoon out and schmear upon opening, but if stored improperly or kept in the fridge, the oils and other ingredients can separate and solidify.There's a case to be made for storing peanut butter in the refrigerator– a little-known hack that can extend its lifespan significantly. The same logic doesn't hold up for Nutella, though you wouldn't be blamed for assuming it would. Nutella is shelf-stable, and refrigeration makes the content too stiff to spread.

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Your best strategy for preserving its texture is pantry storage, and preventing the flow of air in and out of the jar with a thin layer of oil. Apply just a bit with a pastry brush or even a paper towel. As is the case with many foods, oxygen and sunlight are two of the primary factors that alter Nutella's texture and ultimately hasten its lifespan. Keep your jar stored somewhere dry, dark, and room temperature — a pantry or cupboard is ideal — and always tightly screw on the lid. This, coupled with a layer of oil to seal out and keep moisture from escaping, should keep your Nutella stays in tip-top shape. It will stay ready to whip into an indulgent breakfast, boost a mug of hot cocoa, or spread into a rich French toast brunch treat well before it expires.

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The Oil Trick To Stop Nutella From Solidifying - Chowhound (2024)

FAQs

The Oil Trick To Stop Nutella From Solidifying - Chowhound? ›

Spread a thin layer of peanut oil or any other neutral oil such as safflower oil onto the surface of the jar of Nutella before you close the lid and store it. This thin layer of oil acts as a protective coating or a seal, effectively preventing air from escaping and keeping the product from drying out.

How to prevent Nutella from hardening? ›

Keep the container tightly closed and store in a cool, dry place to maintain maximum flavor. Do not refrigerate Nutella®, otherwise it will harden and become difficult to spread.

How to keep chocolate spread soft? ›

Here are some ways that may work for you:
  1. Add some neutral flavored oil: just a bit though or it will get greasy.
  2. Add chocolate syrup: chocolate syrup is very runny will thin it out while still keeping the chocolate flavor.
Oct 15, 2012

Why is my Nutella oily? ›

Nutella's official guidelines suggest room temperature storage to maintain the ideal spreadable consistency. However, without strict temperature control, the spread may become too soft and oily. Another significant aspect is the age of the product.

How do you make Nutella less hard? ›

You can warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave or heat up a bowl of water and let the Nutella sit in the water until it loosens up. There are so many uses for hard Nutella! Hammer it into big chunks and use them for flagstones. You could line a nice shrubbery with them, for example.

Does oil keep chocolate from hardening? ›

Incorporating fat can help maintain the fluid texture of chocolate as it cools. Vegetable oil, coconut oil, or cocoa butter can be slowly stirred into melted chocolate. For every cup of chocolate, add about one tablespoon of oil until it reaches your desired consistency.

How do you make chocolate stay runny? ›

To thin melted chocolate, add a small amount of neutral oil, like vegetable oil or cocoa butter, stirring gently until it reaches the desired consistency. Melt slowly to avoid overheating, and keep water out to prevent the chocolate from seizing.

How do you keep chocolate from getting hard? ›

You can keep melted chocolate from returning to a solid by maintaining it at a temperature between 88 and 90 F, according to Michigan State University. This is too cool for it to burn, but isn't warm enough for it to harden.

How do you fix thick Nutella? ›

You can quickly melt Nutella by scooping it into a bowl and microwaving it gently. Or if you'd like to melt a larger amount, simply put the jar of Nutella into a bowl of hot water. If you only need a little Nutella for spreading, heat a metal knife or spoon then use it to scrape up the softened Nutella.

What oil does Nutella use? ›

Odorless and neutral in taste, the palm oil we use ensures the smooth texture of our recipe and heightens the flavor and aroma of all the other ingredients in Nutella®. Palm oil is the ingredient that ensures the smooth, creamy texture and unique stability of the Nutella® recipe.

Is the palm oil in Nutella bad? ›

If Nutella is a treat food for you, there's no scientific reason to avoid it because of the palm oil if you eat it once in a while. However, keep in mind that the primary element is sugar, which implies you should restrict your intake in general.

How to prevent Nutella from drying out? ›

Spread a thin layer of peanut oil or any other neutral oil such as safflower oil onto the surface of the jar of Nutella before you close the lid and store it. This thin layer of oil acts as a protective coating or a seal, effectively preventing air from escaping and keeping the product from drying out.

Does Nutella harden when frozen? ›

Besides the methodology, it's also important to note that Nutella contains palm oil as opposed to the usual cocoa butter found in normal chocolate and chocolate chips. As a result, it tends to take longer than melted chocolate to firm up and solidify, even in the freezer.

Can I put a jar of Nutella in the microwave? ›

Yes, it should be ok for less than a minute. The heat may damage a glass jar if it gets too hot.

Can you melt Nutella to make it more runny? ›

You can quickly melt Nutella by scooping it into a bowl and microwaving it gently. Or if you'd like to melt a larger amount, simply put the jar of Nutella into a bowl of hot water. If you only need a little Nutella for spreading, heat a metal knife or spoon then use it to scrape up the softened Nutella.

Why does Nutella solidify? ›

Nutella is made with pureed hazelnuts, plus added palm oil, rich cocoa, sweeteners, and ingredients like milk and vanillin. It's ready to spoon out and schmear upon opening, but if stored improperly or kept in the fridge, the oils and other ingredients can separate and solidify.

Why is my homemade Nutella so dry? ›

No, we don't recommend storing your homemade Nutella in the fridge because it hardens up and then isn't spreadable unless you let it soften on the counter for a long time or warm it gently in the microwave first.

Does Nutella harden when baked? ›

Nutella will harden and timing needs to be adjusted depending on oven and batch size.

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