Re-liquefying honey is easy and saves food waste – because you don’t have to throw away crystallized honey. Here you can find out how.
Honey is a popular sweetener for drinks and food. Handling is easiest when it is liquid. However, all natural honeys crystallize over time and become hard. The honey can then no longer be dosed and used so easily.
But you don’t have to give up crystallized honey immediately: you can avoid food waste by re-liquefying honey that has become hard. This is easy to do with a hot water bath. After that, you can continue to use it as before.
Things to know about crystallized honey
Fresh honey is always liquid. Chemically, honey is a solution of water and sugar and contains important enzymes and nutrients.
However, some types of sugar are not entirely soluble in water. When a certain concentration of sugar content is reached, crystals form. The more crystals that form, the harder the honey becomes.
Glucose forms crystals particularly quickly. Honey types with a high glucose content therefore harden more quickly, including rapeseed honey, for example. Honey types with a higher fructose content, on the other hand, form crystals less quickly. Honeys containing fructose include forest honey or chestnut honey. But no matter what kind it is: It is not difficult to make crystallized honey liquid again.
Crystalized honey is not harmful
Even types of honey with a low glucose content crystallize after a while. But that’s not bad. On the contrary: if your honey crystallizes, this is a sign of real quality and a natural origin.
Although crystallized honey is not harmful, the crystals can become uncomfortable when consumed. It is therefore best to store the honey at room temperature. Glucose forms crystals more quickly in the refrigerator and honey solidifies sooner.
Also, stir the honey regularly. Stirring will break up the sugar crystals and keep the honey liquid longer. Should crystals nevertheless form, a simple water bath is sufficient to make the honey liquid again.
Making honey liquid again: Here’s how
Crystallized honey usually becomes softer again just by stirring it extensively. You can use a water bath to make solid honey completely liquid again.
Here’s how you do it:
Heat some water in a small saucepan. This should not exceed a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, otherwise the enzymes and nutrients contained in the honey will break down.
Place the honey jar in the warm water bath.
Leave the jar in the water bath until the honey has become liquid again. Stir constantly to speed up the process.
Important: Since the nutrients in honey are sensitive to heat, the honey should not be exposed to high heat for too long. Therefore, try to avoid crystallization by stirring constantly.
When buying honey, always make sure that it comes from fair and bee-friendly production. This helps the bees and protects the environment. Therefore, buy honey from local beekeepers and if possible in organic quality.
