Experts' Expert: How To Liquify Crystallized Honey

From Simply Recipes:

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Never Throw Out Crystallized Honey — Beekeepers Use This Simple Fix To Make It Smooth Again

Honey is the universal natural sweetener that can be used in so many ways. I drizzle honey over fruit and yogurt bowls, use it in baked goods, mix it up for salad dressings, and even roast vegetables with it. It’s incredibly versatile, and I always have a jar of honey sitting on my counter.

Over time, the look of your honey may change. Instead of that liquid gold appearance, it might start to look grainy or a bit more dense. While it's still totally fine to eat, there is a quick trick to bring crystallized honey back to its original runny form. The hack I learned from a beekeeper to fix crystallized honey is so simple and so clever, your jar of honey will be smooth again in just a few minutes.

Why Does Honey Crystallize Over Time?

So, why does honey crystallize anyway? According to Emily Schmiedel, lead beekeeper for Jacobsen Salt Co.'s Hive Program, the crystallization of honey is actually one of the markers that it is, in fact, real honey. She says that honey is roughly 80 percent sugar in the form of some ratio of glucose to fructose. The ratio of those sugars in any one honey depends on the primary floral source the bees were buzzing around. It can also vary seasonally, based on what was available for the bees to forage. "Honeys containing more glucose than fructose tend to crystallize faster," she says, noting that honeys with lower water content tend to crystallize faster as well. "Any amount of pollen in raw honey acts as a substrate, causing the honey to crystallize over time too." It's simply a natural part of the process.

When honey crystallizes, it might look grainy and dense, but it’s still safe to eat. "The taste is unchanged, but the fine-grained texture actually makes it a bit easier to spoon and spread without the mess," says Schmiedel, so it's not a bad thing if this happens. It doesn’t mean that your honey has gone bad.

The Easiest Way To Bring Crystallized Honey Back to Life

Store your jar or bottle in a warm cupboard if you really want your honey to stay liquid. This will help prevent crystallization in the first place. "I store it up high," said Schmiedel. "As heat rises, the honey then stays a touch warmer."

If your honey does crystallize, she says the key is to warm it gently. This is the easiest way to transform it from dense and grainy back to liquid again. "Secure the lid tightly and set the honey jar in a small water bath at about 100°, just up to the rim of the jar," she said. After sitting in a bowl for several minutes, the honey will have gently warmed and become liquid again.