I have a two year old unopened package of brown sugar.... like a brick.
There has to be a secret to 'rejuvenate' it.
I just did my last cup of my four year old brown sugar and used my spice
blender. That was a load on the little machine. And I ended up with a white
powder.
What's the best way to store brown sugar? I have a Tilia food vac sealer
with alot of accessories.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

The brown sugar gets hard because it dries out. I've had no hard brown sugar
since using one of those little "sugar bears" made of ceramic. You dampen
the "bear" and place it in the container with the brown sugar and seal it.

Store your sugar in a sealed container.

To restore the hardened sugar, you need to get it moist again.
Place a slice of apple in the plastic bag with the brown sugar. Seal and
leave for a couple of days until the brown sugar softens.

or dampen a paper towel and place it in a ziplock bag with the sugar in its
container, (bag or box) and place the whole thing in the refrigerator, wait
a few days, this should do the trick.

Some say to use the microwave, but I'd worry about over heating the sugar.

Place an open bag of sugar in the microwave with a cup of water next to it.
Microwave on high (100%) for 2-3 minutes. If your microwave doesn't have a
carousel, turn the bag after each minute.


"theChas." > wrote in message
.. .
>I have a two year old unopened package of brown sugar.... like a brick.
> There has to be a secret to 'rejuvenate' it.
> I just did my last cup of my four year old brown sugar and used my spice
> blender. That was a load on the little machine. And I ended up with a
> white
> powder.
> What's the best way to store brown sugar? I have a Tilia food vac sealer
> with alot of accessories.
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
>

theChas. wrote:
> I have a two year old unopened package of brown sugar.... like a brick.
> There has to be a secret to 'rejuvenate' it.
> I just did my last cup of my four year old brown sugar and used my spice
> blender. That was a load on the little machine. And I ended up with a white
> powder.
> What's the best way to store brown sugar? I have a Tilia food vac sealer
> with alot of accessories.
>
>
>

I had the same problem just storing the brown sugar in the bag in the
pantry. I bought a set of plastic storage containers from JC Penny's
online store. They come in a set for flour, sugar, and brown sugar. My
BS is not 2 years old yet. After 12 months everything seems to be
holding up well. I keep the ingredients in the bag when in the container.


-G

From whatscookingamerica.net:

"Tips for softening brown sugar:

Brown sugar becomes hard when moisture in the sugar evaporates. Therefore, the
various methods used for softening brown sugar are intended to return moisture
to the sugar.

* To soften hard brown sugar, place an open bag of sugar in the microwave
with a cup of water next to it. Microwave on high (100%) for 2-3 minutes. If
your microwave doesn't have a carousel, turn the bag after each minute. NOTE:
This works great, but isn't a permanent fix. Any unused sugar will dry up again.
However, the process can be repeated each time you need sugar.

* Place about 1/2 lb. of hardened brown sugar in microwave safe bowl. Cover
sugar with two pieces of wet paper towels. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap.
Heat in microwave at HIGH for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.* Divide sugar with fork (sugar
will be hot); stir. Use immediately. *Microwave ovens vary in power; cooking
time may need adjustment.

* Place a piece of foil or plastic wrap directly on the sugar. Set a piece
of crumpled, dampened paper towel on the foil. Cover container tightly. The
sugar will absorb the moisture from the paper towel and become soft. Remove the
paper towel when it has dried out.

* Place about 1/2 lb. of hardened brown sugar in a bowl. Cover sugar with
two pieces of wet paper towels. Cover bowl tightly with aluminum foil or plastic
wrap. Let stand overnight at room temperature. Divide sugar with fork; stir. Use
immediately."

-- Larry

BTW, I find that hardened brown sugar, with its lower moisture content, works
better for some dishes in which that's an advantage, such as Bananas Foster.

-- Larry

Put the brown sugar in an airtight container with a several slices of
apples. Give it 24 to 36 hours and it will be just like opening a fresh box.
I heard Sarah Multon recommend that method on the Food Channel. It's
amazing how well it works.

"theChas." > wrote in message
.. .
>I have a two year old unopened package of brown sugar.... like a brick.
> There has to be a secret to 'rejuvenate' it.
> I just did my last cup of my four year old brown sugar and used my spice
> blender. That was a load on the little machine. And I ended up with a
> white
> powder.
> What's the best way to store brown sugar? I have a Tilia food vac sealer
> with alot of accessories.
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
>

Yes I have used apples. However, I've found that bread works best. I order
40kg bags at a time; I put the sugar in 5kg plastic buckets with a slice of
bread on top. Works like a charm. The odd time there maybe a hard patch
around, but on the whole, I'd try this a storing method. wendy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank103" >
Newsgroups: rec.food.baking
To: >
Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 6:43 PM
Subject: Hard brown sugar ????


> Put the brown sugar in an airtight container with a several slices of
> apples. Give it 24 to 36 hours and it will be just like opening a fresh
box.
> I heard Sarah Multon recommend that method on the Food Channel. It's
> amazing how well it works.
>
> "theChas." > wrote in message
> .. .
> >I have a two year old unopened package of brown sugar.... like a brick.
> > There has to be a secret to 'rejuvenate' it.
> > I just did my last cup of my four year old brown sugar and used my spice
> > blender. That was a load on the little machine. And I ended up with a
> > white
> > powder.
> > What's the best way to store brown sugar? I have a Tilia food vac
sealer
> > with alot of accessories.
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
> >
>
>
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