A piece of unglazed food-grade terra cotta makes for an ideal brown-sugar saver. Simply soak that piece of pottery in water, then drop it into the brown sugar container. Apply the lid and then walk away. Your brown sugar will be perfectly soft and fluffy the next time you reach for it.
Just make sure the container is airtight. Next, put a marshmallow in the container. This will keep the brown sugar soft, owing to the moisture in the marshmallow. You can also use a slice of white bread, or a couple cut-up wedges of apple, both of which have enough moisture to do the job, too.
This little disc made of terra cotta keeps your brown sugar soft for up to three months. Simply soak the disc in water, dry thoroughly and then place into sealed container with brown sugar. Let the baking begin! This Brown Sugar Saver will save your day.
How to prevent your brown sugar from hardening. Brown sugar should be stored in a cool, moist area in a rustproof container with a tight-fitting lid. Brown sugar can also be stored in any type of re-sealable, moisture-proof plastic bag.
Soak the terracotta sugar saver in water for 10 to 15 minutes. Pat it dry. You don't want sugar sticking all over its surface. Place it on top of the brown sugar and store it in an airtight container.
Therefore, when you soak the terracotta discs in water, pat them dry, and add them to your brown sugar container, they'll hold onto that moisture and naturally release it back into the sugar over time. Ultimately, keeping your sugar moist and soft.
You simply soak a piece of terra cotta in water for about 20 minutes, then place it in an air-tight container with the dried-out sugar lump. In about a day, the terra cotta revives the sugar and prevents it from lumping up again by maintaining an ideal moisture level.
Brown sugar dries out when exposed to air for too long. The moisture provided by its molasses content evaporates—the result of plastic bags that aren't fully sealed and cardboard boxes left cracked open at the corners—transforming the malleable mix into a sweet, unusable brick.
Over time, even in an airtight container, brown sugar can harden and/or start to turn white (as the sugar dries, some of the molasses separates. Creating a humid environment will allow the brown sugar to rehydrate to become pliable and brown.
Unlike other kinds of sugar, brown sugar crystals are coated in molasses. When brown sugar is exposed to air, the moisture in the molasses evaporates, causing the sugar crystals to stick together. It's as simple as that!
If sugar begins to harden, re-soak these terra cotta brown sugar preservers and use again. Although they're intended for brown sugar, they can be used to keep other foods moist, too - add them to open bags of dried fruit, marshmallows, cookies, cakes and more.
Essentially, brown sugar hardens when moisture evaporates due to aging or improper storage. But hardened sugar is still safe to eat and use, you just have to soften it back up to a usable texture. If your recipe has the sugar dissolving or melting into a liquid, you can actually use the hardened stuff without issue.
But the basic explanation is the sugar gets dehydrated, haha. So to prevent that from happening always store your brown sugar in an air-tight container like Tupperware or one thing I started doing is storing mine in its original bag and then in an airtight silicone bag. Mason jars are also a good choice.
To keep air out, simply store your Brown Sugar in any airtight container. Your best options are glass or reusable plastic containers with locking and sealing lids. If you don't have a container large enough, a sealable, freezer-safe bag will do.
Storage containers should be opaque, airtight, and moisture/ odor-proof. The typical retail paper package for crystal sugars is not suitable for long term storage. Polyethylene bags, Mylar-type bags, food-grade plastic buckets, glass canning jars, and #10 cans are all suitable for dry sugar storage.
It is essential to avoid consuming moldy brown sugar and to discard it immediately if any signs of mold are present.
Sucanat is a type of unrefined cane sugar. Pourable Brown Sugar is refined cane sugar. The advantages are they do not clump, cake, or harden as regular brown sugars do. They are easy to measure and sprinkle.
The Quickest Way: Microwave with Water
Place both side-by-side in the microwave and heat in 30-second intervals (checking the sugar after each round). The water will begin to boil and the steam will soften the sugar until it can easily be crushed with your fingers.
Per Home Cook World, cool and dry means a room temperature ranging from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 77. Conversely, a refrigerator is set to run below 40 degrees, which is low enough to harden brown sugar. The appliance's internal humidity is also a problem.
It costs less than $5 and you just soak the disc in water for 15 minutes and then put it into a fresh bag of brown sugar. Seal up the bag tightly and you're done. Mine stays soft until I finish the bag. You can even use a piece of broken clay from a pot as long as it's unglazed.
One of the main disadvantages of this material is its porous nature. Since terracotta is porous, it absorbs a lot of dirt quite easily. To avoid porosity, you need to choose glazed terracotta.