Hardened Brown Sugar questions

[chave982]

Ok, so I've had a box of brown sugar in my cupboard for a few months now, and when I went to grab it yesterday to use in a recipe, it was hard as a rock. Why is this? Should I store my brown sugar in an air-tight container? Also, is this box of sugar ruined now, or can I fix it?
Thanks!

[Uncle Bob]

Search Brown Sugar....there was a nice discussioin a while back on this subject.

[YT2095]

put it in a bowl (non metal) and microwave it for 3 seconds (no MORE!) and leave it stand for 10 seconds and then try it.
if it doesn`t work or soften after 2 goes consider TNT :)

most of the time if it`s not Too far gone this will work quite well :)

[CharlieD]

Yeah, what YT says. I do it all the time. Some times I put for longer than 5 sec, though.

[CherryRed]

I've always heard you're supposed to put a damp paper towel over it when you microwave it. I did that once and it worked like a charm. But be careful - I burned my finger on the bowl because I wasn't expecting it to be that hot. LOL.

In terms of storing it, though, your best bet is the fridge. I like to put an entire box of brown sugar (meaning packaging and all) inside a gallon-sized ziploc bag. I also put a slice of bread into the bag, but outside the box of sugar. After a while you'll notice the bread gets hard as a rock and the sugar stays nice and soft. Works every time!

[bknox]

They make a small earth ware disc to place in Brown sugar to keep it from hardening. Personally I use mine as a paper weight. I clip my brown sugar bag closed and rarely ever have it harden. Could be my climate.

[VeraBlue]

I only buy the brown sugar that is in plastic bags. They are fine on the shelf, unopened, for some time. Once opened, however, it's right into an airtight container. If I purchased the sugar in the box, I'd put it into an airtight container immediately upon bringing it home from the store.

If you find it's getting a bit stiff, put a fresh slice of bread in with it, and it should soften. It takes a few hours with this method. Otherwise, go with the microwave method, but you'll have to do that each time you use the sugar until its all gone.

[DramaQueen]

I live in Las Vegas where the humidity seldom goes above 10% so my brown sugar can get as hard as a rock in a short time. I have been using the discs for years and now my sugar stays as soft as the day I bought it. You soak the disc in water for about 15 minutes then stick it in the sugar. I do this about once a month. Here is what it looks like.

[middie]

When I store my brown sugar I keep it in the plastic bag and I put the whole thing into an airtight container.

[layla17]

I follow the same idea as middie. Occasionally, I'll have a hard block of brown sugar, but that's only if I haven't used it in months.