How to store brown sugar and how to soften it if it turns into lumps

Sugar, both brown and white, is an indispensable ingredient in cooking, especially in baking. How do they differ? Brown sugar contains a lot of molasses. Accordingly, it is sweeter and has a richer flavor.

According to the Food and Wine website, brown sugar gives sweets rich toffee and caramel notes, as well as a more complex flavor to barbecue or chutney sauces. In addition, it makes cakes and pies more moist and cookies softer.

And with all the advantages of this product, brown sugar has one significant drawback - it hardens quickly and turns into lumps. And many housewives, not knowing what to do with it next, throw it in the trash. Let's just say, take your time, this sugar can be saved. Here are the 3 best ways to soften it.

Store sugar with bread, marshmallows, or apple slices

If you put a piece of bread, a couple of large marshmallows, or apple slices in a container with brown sugar, it will soften in about 8-16 hours. Even if lumps remain, they should be soft enough to be easily separated with a fork or pushed through a sieve.

Cover the sugar with a damp cloth or towel

Put the sugar in a bowl, moisten a clean tea towel or kitchen napkin with water, wring it out, and cover the bowl, making sure the towel does not touch the surface of the sugar. Leave it overnight at room temperature and it should be softer by morning.

Heat the sugar in the microwave

Although it is a bit risky, you can quickly soften brown sugar by putting it in the microwave for a while. Put the lumps in a microwave-safe bowl, moisten paper towels and cover the container with a squeeze.

Heat the sugar in the microwave in 30-second intervals, mashing the lumps with a fork between heats.

How to keep brown sugar soft

The best way to have loose brown sugar is to keep it from hardening.

To prevent this from happening, store the product in an airtight plastic bag in a tightly sealed container with double moisture protection.

You can also store it in the freezer to keep the moisture in, just remember to take it out of the freezer the night before you're going to bake.

And finally, watch how much sugar you buy. If you don't bake every day, you shouldn't buy it in bulk. Take as much as you use during the month and replenish your stocks as needed.