Honey is a staple in many kitchens and it's a useful sweetener for foods and drinks alike. The great news about honey is that it never goes bad and it's very easy to store. Even if your honey begins to crystallize, there's a very simple way to restore it.
Storing Your Honey
Honey is one of the easiest things in your pantry to store. Simply keep it in a cool location away from direct sunlight and in a tightly sealed container.
It's recommended that you use the original container the honey came in, though any glass jar or food-safe plastic container will work. Avoid storing honey in metal because it can oxidize.
It is not necessary to refrigerate honey. In fact, it's much easier to handle if you don't because the cooler temperature will cause the honey to solidify. This makes it difficult to use when you need it and you will have to warm it up to get it back to a liquid state. Honey may also be frozen, although there's really no need.
Avoid Heat and Moisture
The most detrimental things you can do to honey are exposing it to heat and allowing moisture inside the container.
A normal room temperature is ideal. If your house tends to get warm, find the coolest spot in the pantry for your honey. Also, be sure to keep it away from the stove, any heat-producing appliances, and sunlight.
To avoid introducing moisture to your honey, make sure the container has a tight seal and use a dry spoon whenever you dip into a jar. Even a small amount of water can promote fermentation, which is how mead is made. For your kitchen supply, this is less than ideal and it can actually lower the quality of your honey.
Shelf Life
Honey has an amazingly long shelf life. Thanks to the high concentration of sugars, honey is one of the most stable natural foods you will find. It can have an almost indefinite shelf life if it's stored properly.
You will notice that honey producers put a "best by" date of about two years on the label. According to the National Honey Board, this is done for practical purposes because honey varies greatly.However, they do note that honey can be stable for decades and even centuries
In reality, the shelf life of honey depends on how it's manufactured—whether it is pasteurized or raw, the packaging, etc.—and how it's stored. There are some natural chemical changes that can occur, so you might notice it get dark or crystallize. It may also lose some of its flavor and aroma over time, though it will not "go bad" in the typical food spoilage sense.
How to Fix Crystallized Honey
Do not be alarmed if your honey becomes cloudy during storage. This is called crystallization. It is not harmful nor is it any indication of deterioration.
Raw honey with high pollen content will crystallize faster than most commercially produced honey. Cold temperatures also cause crystals and sometimes it's desirable. Crystallized honey is one of the many forms intentionally produced by many beekeepers.
If your honey crystallizes, you can easily re-liquify it. Simply place the jar in a pan of hot water and stir while gently heating it. Do not overheat it though. Excessive heat may alter the flavor and color if the sugars begin to caramelize.
Also, avoid the microwave as this can get too hot too quickly. If stovetop warming is out of the question, use a bowl of hot water instead. It may take a little longer to liquify and you may need to replace the water if it cools too much, but it will work eventually.
Source:
National Honey Board. Frequently Asked Questions. 2017.
FAQs
Overcoming Honey Crystallization
How do you fix cloudy honey? ›
Decrystallize It
Warm a pot of water to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the container of honey (preferably glass) in the warm water bath.
Is honey still good if it's cloudy? ›
According to the USDA, honey can typically be stored for 12 months before its quality begins to degrade. But if your honey has become cloudy, crystallized or solid, don't worry – it's still safe to eat.
How do I get my honey back to normal? ›
Thankfully, honey can be returned to its liquid state with little effort. Heat some water in a pot, and put your honey container in the pot of hot water until the honey turns liquid. This gentle transfer of heat to the honey helps bring it back to liquid form without overheating the honey.
Can you eat cloudy honey? ›
It might look spoiled because of the chunky texture and cloudy color, but don't toss it out! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, crystallized honey is safe to eat. It's actually normal for honey to crystallize—all honey crystallizes eventually, according to the experts at the National Honey Board.
Why is my honey not clear anymore? ›
You'll know that honey has crystallized when it starts to look grainy or feels harder to squeeze out of the bottle. If this happens to you, there's no need to worry! Crystallization is a natural occurrence that only affects honey's color and texture, and it's easy to bring the honey back to a soft liquid.
How to get clear honey? ›
3 Simple Steps to Decrystallize Honey
- Place your bottle of honey with its lid off inside a pot. ...
- In five-minute intervals remove your bottle from the pan, stir the honey and return it to the warm water. ...
- After your honey has returned to its normal consistency, remove the bottle from the pan and allow your honey to cool.
Add enough hot (not boiling) water to the container to just reach the top of the honey in the bottle. Once the water has been added, remove the lid and let the jar sit until the honey warms to a drizzly liquid, about 15 minutes. You can do this anytime you want to use your honey.
How long does honey keep once opened? ›
It's one of the few products in the world that never goes bad, due to its unique chemical composition. Honey has a very low water content (normally less than 18%), and a fairly high acidic level: this makes for very unfavorable conditions for bacteria to grow. If bacteria cannot grow in honey, then it cannot spoil.
How to stop honey crystallizing? ›
Preventing Honey Crystallization
If you're someone who prefers liquid honey, you might want to know how to keep raw honey from crystallizing. Storing honey at room temperature usually leads to normal crystallization. To delay this process, consider refrigerating or even freezing your honey.
If you need that flowing golden liquid, place crystallized honey in a warm water bath of about 40°C (100°F) for 15 minutes or more until the crystals dissolve and the honey liquefies.
Why is my honey foggy? ›
It looks cloudy, crusty, and flaky — it must have gone bad, right? Actually, it hasn't! It's just crystallizing, a natural process that almost every honey, especially pure honey, goes through. It happens when the honey's glucose separates from the water and stabilizes, turning into crystals.
Should honey be refrigerated? ›
Ideally, honey should be stored at room temperature, so keep it away from stoves and other kitchen appliances that generate heat. You should also refrain from putting it in the fridge, as this can cause it to thicken and change its texture.
How do you salvage crystallized honey? ›
How to fix crystallized honey. Gently warm your honey to melt the crystals. Avoid direct heat (like a saucepan), instead placing your honey jar in a warm water bath. Remove the honey, stir it, and replace until you get the desired consistency back.
How do I know if my honey has gone bad? ›
Honey won't go bad as long as it's stored properly and protected from external contamination. Crystallized honey is not an indicator of spoilage, but rather a sign of aging. To prevent honey from solidifying, keep your honey in an airtight container and place it in a cool, dark spot.
How do you fix stale honey? ›
Let your honey sit in the warm water for a few minutes before stirring it. Replace the jar into the water bath and repeat the process until the hard honey has melted.
