277286 Tue Mar 29 14:10:14 -0800 2005 19 31 Home Cooking 0 1464753 Is there any trick to keeping brown sugar from turning hard. I just threw out about 2 lbs of brown sugar because it was hard as a rock and could not think of what to do with it. Is there a way to store it from letting it get hard, or once it is hard, is there a way to soften it up. This happens to me alot and will buy it for a recipe and then when I go to make something thinking I have it from the last time it is hard and not useable. Tue Mar 29 14:10:14 -0800 2005 0 Roxy 1 1464756 I saw something called a "Sugar Saver" at Sur La Table the other day and was wondering if it works. It's a ceramic disc about 2 inches in diameter. You soak it in water, then put it in with your sugar. Has anyone tried it? It's only $3 at Sur La Table, so maybe it's worth a shot. It might be cheaper at somewhere less fancy, like Bed, Bath and Beyond. Tue Mar 29 14:16:26 -0800 2005 1464753 0 nooodles 2 1464858 I bought one of these over the Christmas holidays and it works like a charm! Consdiering how much brown sugar I've thrown away in the past, it's definitely money well spent! Tue Mar 29 21:47:50 -0800 2005 1464756 0 Free Wilma 1 1464757 pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute and it will soften up. You'll be able to tell if it needs longer. Careful of the bag it's in - it will melt Tue Mar 29 14:17:29 -0800 2005 1464753 0 krissywats 1 1464758 I keep brown sugar tightly sealed in a glass jar (with metal bail & rubber gasket) and it never seems to harden up on me. I've also sealed it in one Ziploc sealed in a second one. Tue Mar 29 14:17:51 -0800 2005 1464753 0 GG Mora 2 1464764 I also keep mine in a similar airtight jar - but plastic. It was full of pistachios when I received it as a Christmas present. The brown sugar always seems to stay nice and soft even when there is only a little bit left. Tue Mar 29 14:29:25 -0800 2005 1464758 0 EAF 2 1464792 This is what I do, I guess it's a pickling jar? It is the only thing that works for me. Tue Mar 29 15:56:23 -0800 2005 1464758 0 Keri T. 2 1464795 Keeping it in a tightly closed Zip Lock bag with the air pressed out has always kept my brown sugar moist and soft. Tue Mar 29 16:17:44 -0800 2005 1464758 0 Candy 1 1464768 There's an old trick of placing a slice of bread in the container that's holding the brown sugar. The moisture from the bread softens the sugar. (You also end up with a petrified piece of bread.) This usually takes a few days. This always works for me no matter how hard the sugar has become. Try it next time. I'm not sure if you can put the bread in as a preventive measure before it gets hard. Tue Mar 29 14:45:15 -0800 2005 1464753 0 poppytrail 2 1464810 A piece of apple works, too. Tue Mar 29 17:17:06 -0800 2005 1464768 0 Grace 3 1464922 I recently used a prune and that seems to be working too. Wed Mar 30 10:43:00 -0800 2005 1464810 0 julesrules 1 1464771 Put the hardened block of sugar in a microwaveable dish and nuke on HIGH for 10-15 min (I need to check this when I get home) - the instructions are on the box of Domino's brown sugar. To store: put cooled softened sugar into an airtight container (Tupperware, or I save the pint-sized plastic containers when I order soup or congee takeout), cover the top of the sugar loosely with some cling film, then put in a slice of bread or a moistened paper towel (folded). Will stay moist this way. When you buy brown sugar in 1-lb boxes (e.g. Domino's) at the supermarket, check that the sugar isn't already hardened. That's happened to me before. It's easier to check if they're hardened if you buy them in the plastic bags (2 lbs). Tue Mar 29 14:59:17 -0800 2005 1464753 0 ju 2 1464823 I think that would be SECONDS, not MINUTES. 15 minutes on high would undoubtedly melt and probably burn the sugar. Tue Mar 29 18:23:43 -0800 2005 1464771 0 Ruth Lafler 3 1464939 Oops - you're right, ~15 SECONDS, not minutes. Thanks for spotting that. Wed Mar 30 12:05:58 -0800 2005 1464823 0 ju 1 1464784 I had this problem over the weekend as I was baking cookies. I put the hard dark brown sugar in the microwave, and watched it carefully. It did soften up nicely. There was no discernable difference in the taste, color or texture of the cookies. I was afraid that there would be a taste difference and that the softened sugar would turn hard again. Thanks for reminding me about the piece of bread/softening method. I'll use that to soften the remaining boxes of brown sugar I have on the shelf that could be used as building bricks! Tue Mar 29 15:27:09 -0800 2005 1464753 0 Scratch Baker 1 1464807 I learned the very best way this past year - store it in the freezer! I'm surprised that I'm the first one to post this. I read it in one of the food magazines, and it is amazing. We now store both light and dark brown sugar - in it's box - and they stay perfect. I slide a plastic bag over the box to keep things neat. As for softening it after it's already hard, you've been given good advice. Tue Mar 29 17:04:02 -0800 2005 1464753 0 Sylvia G 1 1464815 Once I found out that brown sugar is simple white sugar with molasses mixed back into it, I never bother to buy it anymore. I just use white sugar and a dollop of molasses. Tue Mar 29 17:28:13 -0800 2005 1464753 0 Jess 1 1464880 If you only need a small amount, just grate it off the block. Otherwise, the apple trick definitely works though it may take a day or two. Wed Mar 30 02:40:45 -0800 2005 1464753 0 jennyantepenultimate 1 1464985 I never knew there were so many ways to keep brown sugar soft. Sounds like fruits and breads and special dishes do work, but all we really need is to keep the air away from it. I buy the soft pack, remove what I need, fold it up tight and apply a kitchen clip. Then I put it in a plasticware dish (Tupperware? Don't know.) that is about 2 inches high and six across. Snap the cover tight, and it works great. I use very little so it sits a long time, and I never have hard sugar. Wed Mar 30 16:27:10 -0800 2005 1464753 0 Spudlover 1 1465071 Cut an apple in quarters and chuck it into the jar with the hardened sugar. It can be hard as a freaking rock and it will soften after a day or two with the apple in there. You'll have to throw the apple out afterward, or feed it to your chickens. If you have any. Thu Mar 31 11:34:22 -0800 2005 1464753 0 Nyleve