Do not refrigerate honey. Keeping your honey in the refrigerator preserves it but the cool temperatures will cause your honey to form a semi-solid mass, so this method of storage is not recommended.
There's no need to store honey in the fridge - it will stay fresh if you keep it tightly sealed. Keeping honey in the refrigerator can cause it to crystalize.
Simply keep it in a cool location away from direct sunlight and in a tightly sealed container. It's recommended that you use the original container the honey came in, though any glass jar or food-safe plastic container will work. Avoid storing honey in metal because it can oxidize.
If you're considering throwing it away, think again. You don't have to toss that honey! Even if honey had been sitting on your shelf for 2,000 years, that honey would still be as good as the day you opened it. In a nutshell, well-stored honey never expires or spoils, even if it's been previously opened.
There are a few ways to go about doing this, but there's one place you should never store honey: your refrigerator. Keeping honey in the fridge will only increase the speed of crystallization, turning your honey from liquid into a thick, dough-like sludge.
Do not refrigerate honey. Keeping your honey in the refrigerator preserves it but the cool temperatures will cause your honey to form a semi-solid mass, so this method of storage is not recommended.
If bacteria cannot grow in honey, then it cannot spoil. This basically gives it an indefinite shelf life. Liquid honey however should be stored in your cupboard at room temperature as if it is kept in the refrigerator; the cooler temperature will promote and speed up the crystallization of liquid honey.
In addition to its use as a natural sweetener, honey is used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial agent. People commonly use honey orally to treat coughs and topically to treat burns and promote wound healing.
In general, honey doesn't spoil. However, it can go bad if it's contaminated or incorrectly stored. If your honey has visible mold, or if it smells fermented or "off," then it's time to toss it.
Pure honey, when exposed to any kind of heat or flame should remain unburned. To perform this test, try dipping a matchstick/cotton bud in honey and then light it. If it burns, that means the quality of your honey is pure.
The recommendation for a healthy person, without weight problems, and who does not base his diet on an excessive consumption of sugars would be to take a maximum of one small spoon of honey a day. This is approximately 10 to 12 grams of honey.
Raw Honey: The difference between raw honey and pure honey is that in addition to being pure, “raw” honey has not been heated to the point of pasteurization (no higher than 118°F).
Research seems to conclude that the minerals and antioxidants found in honey have a positive correlation, meaning darker honey has higher amounts of both. Minerals found in honey come from the environment and soil, and then into the plants that bees pollinate.
It is safe for people to consume both raw and regular honey, though it is a good idea to avoid types of honey that contain added sugars. Both raw and regular honey may contain tiny amounts of a bacteria known as Clostridium botulinum. This bacteria can cause botulism, which is a rare form of food poisoning.
Crystallized honey is completely edible- in fact, you can use it in the same ways you use liquid honey! Since the crystals melt easily, you can stir the honey right into your hot coffee or tea, or spoon onto breakfast foods like yogurt and oatmeal.
For best quality, store honey for up to 12 months. After that time, it remains safe but the quality may not be as good. Honey can become cloudy, crystallized or solidified but this is not a safety concern. The honey can be microwaved or heated in a pan of hot water to clarify or melt it.
Why Does Honey Crystalize? Two sugars, fructose and glucose, are included in honey's carbohydrate composition. Crystallisation is mostly caused by the concentration of glucose in honey. When glucose separates from water, it produces small crystals due to its lower solubility.
Over time, honey will turn darker, cloudier, and crystallize. If this happens, there's no cause for alarm. The honey is still perfectly safe to consume.
But be sure to consume no more than 6 teaspoons (2 tablespoons) of honey per day, and that's if it's the ONLY added sugar you're eating. If you're getting sugar from other sources, make sure your total sugar intake does not top 6 teaspoons.
The American Heart Association recommends that men consume no more than nine teaspoons (36 grams) per day; women and children, no more than six teaspoons (24 grams) daily. A teaspoon of honey contains almost six grams of sugars. Still, research has shown other potential benefits to honey.
"Honey's advantages over sugar include a slightly lower glycemic index (i.e. it doesn't affect your blood-sugar levels as much)," Dr. Dixon says. "It also contains more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C, zinc, phenolic acids, and flavonoids."
An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry. After that, it's recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months). If you don't refrigerate, oil separation can occur.
Drinking tea or warm lemon water mixed with honey is a time-honored way to soothe a sore throat. But honey alone may be an effective cough suppressant, too.