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A Honey of a Problem
I’m having a problem with honey!! I understand that you are to place it in warm/hot water to dissolve the sugary crystals. BUT it seems to return back to the sugary. OK, Hard stage when it cools. What do you do to keep it fluid???
Will all the honey I have stored be this way?
Thanks for your help,
Meri Lee King
Hi Meri Lee,
Crystallization of honey is a natural process that affects most types of honey. The degree to which honey forms crystals varies depending on which nectar the bees gathered to make the honey.
Bees foraging in forests (evergreens), for instance, make honey that crystallizes much later (sometimes years) than bees foraging in fields and gardens, though the flavor is not one most people enjoy.
In my experience with heating honey, it does return to crystallized form once cooled. Therefore, I only try to heat what I'll eat, so it doesn't take so long to return it to liquid form. Of course, I think I've always set my honey in boiling water, which apparently changes it and probably is the reason it quickly returned to crystallized form.
To liquefy honey the correct way, heat in waterby placing it in a jar and setting the jar in the water. Do not heat the water above 104-degrees, as this changes the honey's flavor and quality. Also, do not refrigerate the honey because cold temperatures accelerate crystallization. After liquefying, store the honey in airtight containers and keep it at 60-degrees F. if possible. This should delay crystallization. You can also microwave the honey, according to some, for a few minutes. Just be sure not to overheat it.
Once again, because honey naturally crystallizes, most of your honey in storage will be in solid form. The crystals do not affect the quality or flavor of the honey. It's just one of the inconveniences of buying natural product. However, the benefits, I think you'll agree, of luscious honey far outweigh the inconvenience.
Hope this helps,
Desi @ DVO
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