We buy honey more often at my home. But initially, I found it difficult to store it. Honey acts as a sweetener for foods and drinks. So, we have to store it at our home.

 

But, let me first tell you that honey doesn’t get spoilt when stored over a period of time and is easy to store. Sometimes honey begins to crystallize and you are puzzled as to how to store it. There are simple ways to restore crystallized honey. But first, let us discuss how to store honey.

 

Storing Honey for Short Term Use

 

 

Choose the right container, if necessary.

 

 You can store honey in the container it originally came in. However, if your container is damaged or leaking, you can transfer your honey to another container in your kitchen. You can store honey in any of the following.

 

Container:

 

Honey is easy to store, simply keep it in a cool place away from sunlight and tightly seal the container. Use airtight containers. This is important as you need to preserve the water content in the honey. When water evaporates from honey it will crystallize quicker. If you will allow a bit of water to enter honey it will ferment. But when the water content is just 17.8% it won’t ferment.

 

Use the original container in which honey is packed. A glass jar or food-safe plastic container will work. Preferably don’t store honey in metal containers as it will oxidize.

 

Plastic containers allow the honey to loser water content or let chemicals enter in honey. For the long term, bulk storage stainless steel containers will also work well.

 

A lot of people refrigerate honey. Well, it isn’t necessary at all. In fact, it’s best not to store honey in the refrigerator because the extreme cool temperatures will cause honey to solidify. It makes it tough to use it immediately as and when you need it. You need to warm it to make it come to its original liquid state.

 

Use a dry spoon when you dip it inside the jar or container. Even a bit of water content can ferment the honey.

 

 

 

Select a room with a consistent temperature.

 

Honey is best stored between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 20 degrees Celsius). Variations in temperature can cause honey to darken and lose flavor. When storing honey, choose a location within the right temperature range that is not prone to changes in temperature.

A kitchen pantry is generally a great place to store honey. However, keep honey away from the stove and out of the fridge. These places are prone to sudden changes in temperature.

 

Keep honey away from sunlight.

 

 Sunlight can also damage honey, so it’s best to keep honey in a darker place. Do not, for example, store honey on a window ledge. Honey can be easily stored in a pantry or cabinet.

 

Make sure containers are tightly sealed. You want to minimize the amount of air exposure honey gets. Make sure the jar or container you use is tightly sealed before putting honey away for storage. Honey’s flavor can be affected by flavors in the air, and honey can also absorb moisture when overexposed to air. This can also cause it to change color and flavor.

 

 

Avoiding Mishaps

 

 

Fix honey that has crystallized.

 

Honey can last for years, and natural honey can theoretically last indefinitely.

 

However, honey may start to crystallize after a while. You do not need to throw away crystallized honey. You can bring the honey back to its liquid state with boiling water.

 

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. Then, set your jar of honey into the pot. Keep the container tightly sealed.

Turn off the heat on your stove. Leave the honey container alone until it’s cool. The honey should have returned to its liquid state.

 

Keep honey away from warmer areas in the kitchen.

 

 Many people store honey in the kitchen. This is the most convenient place to store honey, as it’ll be on hand when you need to use it. However, keep it away from warmer parts of your kitchen. Excessive heat can harm honey. Do not store honey near an oven.

 

 

Do not store honey in the refrigerator.

 

While honey can be frozen and thawed later, it should never be stored in the fridge. This can cause honey to crystallize faster. If your kitchen is too hot to store honey, choose a cooler place in your home rather than placing honey in the fridge.

 

 

 

Temperature:

 

 

Honey shouldn’t be stored at over 100 degrees (F). Damage to the taste and health is possible. Don’t let honey from getting hot for a prolonged period as well. Drastic changes in temperature can have a bad effect on the quality of honey so keep it away from fluctuating in heat.

 

Don’t let heat and moisture enter the container. The room temperature is ideal. If the room gets warm, find the coolest place in the room to store honey. Keep it away from the stove as well. Also keep it away from sunlight, heat-producing appliances.

 

Something more about honey storage:

 

Honey has a long shelf life because it has a high concentration of sugars, it is one of the most stable natural food you will find. When stored properly it has an indefinite shelf life. Whenever you buy honey its container has a “best by” date of about two years on the label. Types of honey vary so this is not practical. In fact, honey can be stable for decades together.

 

The shelf life of honey depends entirely on how it’s manufactured- is it raw, how is it packaged, is it pasteurized, and also how it is stored? You might notice it getting darker or crystallized due to some natural chemical changes.

 

 

 

Fix crystallized honey:

 

When honey is stored over a period of time it might crystallize. It isn’t harmful or any indication of deterioration as popularly interpreted. Raw honey with high pollen content will crystallize faster than commercially produced honey. The cold temperature causes crystals but it’s not harmful or spoilt. Sometimes bee makers produce it intentionally. You have to just place the jar in a pan of hot water and keep stirring it gently while heating it. Don’t overheat it as it will change honey’s flavor and color if the sugar gets caramelized.

 

Don’t use the microwave as well because it gets too hot quickly. Alternatively, you can use a bowl of hot water. It will take a longer time but just replace the water once the water cools down too much.

 

Now that you know how to store honey its time to buy the best quality, honey.

 

Read More:

 

Why Does Honey Crystallize?

 

 

Visit the Navmi website www.navmi.co.in to buy honey as the focus of Navmi has always been to reach out to customers with natural and organic foods of the best quality. All its products like coconut oil, flaxseed oil, ghee, A2 milk, different types of natural honey, jaggery, turmeric, etc are all chemical-free. We believe that unprocessed foods contain higher amounts of antioxidants, it reduces the risk of heart disease, cancers, and other health issues.

 

Visit our site (Nirlesh Foods Private Limited or Navmi) www.navmi.co.in to know more about nutritionally pure and unprocessed food. Make a conscious and healthy choice of foods.

 

 

 

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Does natural honey have an expiry date?

 

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