Do any of you know how to soften brown sugar? I don't use it much so it has gotten to be a solid block in the truck so I can't use it. I hate to waste it but maybe throwing it out and starting over is the only thing to do. I tried putting the block in the microwave but it didn't help. Now I hate to buy more, use a half a cup, then throw it out. There must be a solution.
Soften Brown Sugar
- Thread starter ihamner
- Start date
Terry quickly found this link with ten tips to take care of this problem! So check out this site:
10 Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar » TipNut.com
Dec 01 2006
10 Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar
It happens to the best of us: rock hard brown sugar. How to soften it? Ten easy tips below:
Place the brown sugar in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread placed on top. Seal and leave overnight. It should be soft and fresh again in the morning, if not just let it sit another day or two.
Sprinkle a few drops of water over the chunk of hardened sugar, place in a plastic bag, seal, and let sit for a couple days.
Place brown sugar in an open container, then top with a moistened cloth (paper towel works too). Let sit overnight.
Place the hardened sugar in an airtight container with a few apple slices. This should soften the sugar within the next day or two. Remove apple slices once sugar is soft again.
Use foil or plastic wrap to cover the top of the sugar. Then set a dampened sheet of paper towel (not dripping wet) on top of the foil. Place in an airtight container and seal. Let sit overnight or a few days as needed. Remove foil and paper towel once the towel is dry and sugar is fresh again.
Buy a clay disc or if you have a pottery piece on hand (from a broken clay pot, etc.), set it in water for about 30 minutes. Dry the piece so it isn’t dripping wet. Put the clay piece in a container with the sugar and seal. Check after a few days. Keep the piece in with your sugar for months if you’d like–will keep it soft.
Quick Tip #1: Need the sugar soft now? Put the brown sugar in a container and place in the microwave with a small bowl full of water beside it. Microwave for about 1 minute–check. If it’s still hard, try for another 30 seconds. You can keep doing this until the sugar is soft, but watch that you don’t melt the sugar.
Quick Tip #2: Place the hardened sugar in a baking pan and set in oven (temperature at about 250° F). Check after 5 minutes. If still not soft, continue checking every few minutes until it’s soft and ready to use.
Quick Tip #3: Place the brown sugar chunk in a microwave safe plastic bag. Take a square of paper towel and moisten with water (not dripping wet–wring out excess). Place the wet paper towel in the bag with the sugar and seal. Place in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds. If still not soft, microwave for a few seconds more, repeating until the sugar is ready to use. Be careful not to melt the sugar.
Quick Tip #4: Stick chunks of the brown sugar in a food processor or blender and chop/pulse until useable.
For best results, make sure to store brown sugar in a sealed, airtight container. A clay disc kept in the container can keep it soft for months (see tip above for clay disc).
Brown sugar can also be stored in the freezer and thawed a few hours before using.
10 Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar » TipNut.com
Dec 01 2006
10 Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar
It happens to the best of us: rock hard brown sugar. How to soften it? Ten easy tips below:
Place the brown sugar in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread placed on top. Seal and leave overnight. It should be soft and fresh again in the morning, if not just let it sit another day or two.
Sprinkle a few drops of water over the chunk of hardened sugar, place in a plastic bag, seal, and let sit for a couple days.
Place brown sugar in an open container, then top with a moistened cloth (paper towel works too). Let sit overnight.
Place the hardened sugar in an airtight container with a few apple slices. This should soften the sugar within the next day or two. Remove apple slices once sugar is soft again.
Use foil or plastic wrap to cover the top of the sugar. Then set a dampened sheet of paper towel (not dripping wet) on top of the foil. Place in an airtight container and seal. Let sit overnight or a few days as needed. Remove foil and paper towel once the towel is dry and sugar is fresh again.
Buy a clay disc or if you have a pottery piece on hand (from a broken clay pot, etc.), set it in water for about 30 minutes. Dry the piece so it isn’t dripping wet. Put the clay piece in a container with the sugar and seal. Check after a few days. Keep the piece in with your sugar for months if you’d like–will keep it soft.
Quick Tip #1: Need the sugar soft now? Put the brown sugar in a container and place in the microwave with a small bowl full of water beside it. Microwave for about 1 minute–check. If it’s still hard, try for another 30 seconds. You can keep doing this until the sugar is soft, but watch that you don’t melt the sugar.
Quick Tip #2: Place the hardened sugar in a baking pan and set in oven (temperature at about 250° F). Check after 5 minutes. If still not soft, continue checking every few minutes until it’s soft and ready to use.
Quick Tip #3: Place the brown sugar chunk in a microwave safe plastic bag. Take a square of paper towel and moisten with water (not dripping wet–wring out excess). Place the wet paper towel in the bag with the sugar and seal. Place in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds. If still not soft, microwave for a few seconds more, repeating until the sugar is ready to use. Be careful not to melt the sugar.
Quick Tip #4: Stick chunks of the brown sugar in a food processor or blender and chop/pulse until useable.
For best results, make sure to store brown sugar in a sealed, airtight container. A clay disc kept in the container can keep it soft for months (see tip above for clay disc).
Brown sugar can also be stored in the freezer and thawed a few hours before using.
Brown sugar hardens because the moisture in the sugar has evaporated. The only solution is to add moisture back into the sugar. There are several ways to do this, all of them temporary, of course, as the moisture will just evaporate again and any unused sugar will harden with back up. But, this can be repeated whenever necessary.
Easiest and quickest way is to place an open bag (or a cupful of it) of sugar in the microwave with a cup of water next to it. Nuke it for 2 or 3 minutes. If your microwave doesn't have a carousel, rotate the bag 1/4 turn after each 50-60 seconds. Lower wattage microwaves will require more time.
Another quick method is to place some of the sugar into a bowl and then cover the sugar with a couple of wet paper towels, then cover the bowl, tight, with plastic wrap. Microwave for a couple of minutes, then divide and fluff the sugar with a fork. Use quickly, as the heated moisture in the heated sugar will tend to evaporate quickly.
Don't dowse the sugar with water directly. You want the steam to penetrate the sugar. If you put water directly on the sugar and microwave it, you'll just be boiling sugar.
Before you get tot he microwave stage of sugar hardness, if you notice the sugar is getting hard or lumpy, place some or all of it in a plastic bag, along with a slice of apple, then seal the bag and let it sit for a couple of days. The sugar will pull the moisture out of the apple. Then, duh, toss the apple.
It's best to store sugar in a sealable plastic bag, and keep it in the fridge (or freezer). Best is to use those sealable bags and then put about 8 ounces of sugar to a bag.
If you don't want to store it in the fridge, use a jar like a Ball jar with a sealable screw-on lid.
Easiest and quickest way is to place an open bag (or a cupful of it) of sugar in the microwave with a cup of water next to it. Nuke it for 2 or 3 minutes. If your microwave doesn't have a carousel, rotate the bag 1/4 turn after each 50-60 seconds. Lower wattage microwaves will require more time.
Another quick method is to place some of the sugar into a bowl and then cover the sugar with a couple of wet paper towels, then cover the bowl, tight, with plastic wrap. Microwave for a couple of minutes, then divide and fluff the sugar with a fork. Use quickly, as the heated moisture in the heated sugar will tend to evaporate quickly.
Don't dowse the sugar with water directly. You want the steam to penetrate the sugar. If you put water directly on the sugar and microwave it, you'll just be boiling sugar.
Before you get tot he microwave stage of sugar hardness, if you notice the sugar is getting hard or lumpy, place some or all of it in a plastic bag, along with a slice of apple, then seal the bag and let it sit for a couple of days. The sugar will pull the moisture out of the apple. Then, duh, toss the apple.
It's best to store sugar in a sealable plastic bag, and keep it in the fridge (or freezer). Best is to use those sealable bags and then put about 8 ounces of sugar to a bag.
If you don't want to store it in the fridge, use a jar like a Ball jar with a sealable screw-on lid.
theoldprof
Veteran Expediter
The easiest way would be to put the brown sugar in a plastic zipper baggie, zip it up, put it under either front wheel and run over it. Have never tried this but I'll bet it would surely work.
May not help the OP but I'm sure it makes the person who mandated my posting in here happy for doing so.
Leo you wait till I see you at MATS!! You are the best...
Leo you wait till I see you at MATS!! You are the best...
Fr8 Shaker
Veteran Expediter
Weird Uses for Food Around the House - User Submitted Tips - AOL Food
Seen this on AOL today kind of ironic I think, There were a couple of tips/remedys about hardened brown sugar. already mentioned in the above posts but there are also some other good tips.
Seen this on AOL today kind of ironic I think, There were a couple of tips/remedys about hardened brown sugar. already mentioned in the above posts but there are also some other good tips.