Oh honey how I love you so very, very much. No, I wasn’t talking to Mr. Fantabulous. I mean I do love him so very, very much but no this time I’m talking about real honey. I seriously love this stuff and honestly it doesn’t matter to me what type it is – clover, sunflower, wild and so forth. I’d love to someday try avocado blossom honey. From what I’ve read this honey has a rich, buttery flavor, and is dark in color. I mean how awesome does that sound? Now the only thing I don’t like about honey is the cost. Seriously when did it get so expensive??? I mean I get it as it takes about 60,000 bees, collectively traveling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey. Yeah I get it but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. So fine we spend the money and if you’re like me you buy it in the 5lb jugs (yes I use it that often) but sometimes if you don’t use it quick enough it starts to solidify and crystallize. Yeah, not cool man. But the great thing about it is that just because it’s crystallized, it doesn’t mean it’s gone bad. Nope! Crystallization is honey’s natural way of preserving itself. So on this week’s edition of Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer I’m sharing with you how to bring your crystallized honey back to life!
- Heat a sauce pan of water with low heat. Easiest way is to put the jar of honey in your pot and then fill it with water. You want the water line to just go about a 1/4 past the honey line. Make sure you remove the jar though before your put the pan on the stove and heat the water!
- Once the water is hot, remove the pan from the stove, remove the lid from your honey jar and place the jar in the hot water. Do not let the water get into the jar.
- Now wait. It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours to liquefy but it greatly depends on the size of your jar. Trust me, this is something that you must not rush.
- Once the honey has come to a liquid state, put the lid back on and shake the jar. If the jar is hot, wrap it in a towel first before shaking as to not burn your hands.
- Now it is equally as important to cool your honey slowly. Place the honey back in the warm water and make sure there is enough water to reach the top of the honey line in the jar.
- Let the water and the honey cool together. If you can touch the water and it’s the same temperature as the room then your honey is ready.
- To prevent crystals from forming again, store the honey in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) and avoid introducing moisture. So no double-dipping once your spoon hits your tea.
As you can see I never once mentioned using the microwave. Don’t – ever, period!
By putting it in the microwave you’re exposing it to higher than normal temperatures as a rapid speed. This can greatly increase the crystallization process. You’ll actually overheat the honey and kill the enzymes in it.
Have you ever raised Bees? Been a Keeper of Bees?
Oh my…I did and between caring for them to make sure they do not get too hot or too cold,
no varmits bothering them–like mites—and never ever letting anything happen to the queen,
bee-keeping is tough–but rewarding. The supplies, hives, etc..are exensive and now that the
Government has stepped in, if you have over 3 hives( at least where I live)– we have to buy
licenses and get inspected….that is truly keeping the Mom and Pop providers, like me, out of business.
I was enjoying raising natural bees –to pollinate my Citrus. My Honey was light with a small citrus
background–so tasty in everything..Nothing like giving your Grand-child a spoonful of good ‘ole
Honey when the sniffles and sore throat showed up each Winter.
After going thru this, you will never balk at the price of Honey ever again. Be sweet to your local
Bee keepers,,,,they are flying away–we need them to stay !! If you are asked to vote for Government
influencers stepping in–please vote for them to fly on by. Thank you and enjoy your Honey–it is SO good for you.
My new favorite way to uncrystallize honey is my Instant Pot pressure cooker. I set the little rack that comes with it at the bottom, then set my honey bear, or jar, in add water just to the level of the honey and set the Keep Warm heat on. That will take the water up to 140-160 degrees. It doesn’t take very long. I do NOT put the lid on. The IP is just the hot tub for the honey bear!
Oh that’s AWESOME Jeannine!!!
So wait you set it under pressure, right? And the lid stays off of the PC too? SWEET!
Thank you!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Did you peek in my kitchen window yesterday and see me do the VERY thing you are not supposed to do? Thankfully I could tell it was going to take a while and gave up. Thank you for writing this post for me! I will bring my honey back to life the proper way!
LOL maybe Karen *wink* I didn’t want to scare you and say “HEYYYYYYYYY don’t do that!!!” so I decided to write a post just for you 🙂 HAHA yeah it can take a little bit of time to let it come back to life but it’s so worth it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
A crock pot works well for slowly heating the honey up also. As soon as my honey bear needs a soak in the hot tub, I dissolve it and transfer the honey into a glass jar for ease next time. OR, I make my next favorite toast topping, creamed honey! (Just add the crystallized honey to a mixer and mix for 10 minutes. The creamed honey stays in a spreadable and noon dripping form of honey for at least two months!)