1/11/10

9 Kitchen Tip: Keeping Brown Sugar Soft

If you live in a dry, desert area like I do and bake with brown sugar, you may notice that brown sugar tends to turn into a brick.  It becomes almost impossible to scoop and measure.  Ever seen what happens to a lump of brown sugar in baking cookies?  Not pretty.  
I have tried putting in a slice of bread and even a piece of fruit into the brown sugar container, which works well for a few days...but for longer terms, I love to use this Brown Sugar Bear keeper.  It works well for about 3-4 months.  Depending on where you live, it could keep it moist for up to 6 months!  Yay!   You do have to soak the bear in warm water for 20 minutes prior to using it and soak it when you notice that your brown sugar is starting to dry out.  No more crumbly bread or that long, forgotten piece of fruit.  You can even use this bear for cakes, cookies, and even raisins! 

If you want to keep your brown sugar from EVER drying out, store it in your freezer.  It really works!

9 comments:

  1. I'm so tired of brown sugar that gets hard. I'm going to put mine in my freezer right now. Thanks for the tip!

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  2. I keep my brown sugar in a cleaned out spaghetti sauce jar (glass) in the fridge..works wonderful. It takes a little work to get it out sometimes but it's better than having it get rock hard.

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  3. I've seen those little bears and wondered if they work, so glad to have a real source give me the truth. Thanks for the tip!

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  4. Huh. I've looked at these doohickies-- and hesitated buying them, thinking they're just a gimmick. Next time I see one, I'll get it! Great tip!

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  5. This is such wonderful solution to the brown sugar problem. I have been buying Brownulated sugar for the longest time because I don't have to be concerned with clumping. The bear is a lot easier to use. Thanks.

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  6. I love my little brown sugar pottery, mine is an oval shape with a chicken on it. I was a skeptic but several years ago I finally bought one and they really do make a difference. I liked it so much that I bought all five of my girls one. They are lucky when I make good finds I usually pass them on to them as well.
    (whatilovewhatido.blogspot.com)

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  7. I have that exact same bear, and it lives in my brown sugar container.

    However, I soon realized I didn't need it because the British-made brown sugar we get in Germany (puzzlingly available only in Asian-food stores) has a higher molasses content and never goes hard!

    Still, I know that if I ever bring any back from the States, the little sugar bear will be there to keep the sugar soft.

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  8. One thing that works for me when I find the sugar already rock hard - put a piece of bread in with it, cover, and wait a few hours. (If I want to hurry it up, I will microwave them together for a few seconds.)

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  9. After I've used the brown sugar that I want, I just press the air out of the bag, roll the top down so there isn't any air in it and put it rolled side down into a ZipLoc bag and then press the air out of it and zip it closed. My brown sugar stays soft for months.

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