How to Decrystallize Honey?

Have you ever looked in the honey jar and found your honey has solidified? Over time, raw honey forms crystals, and becomes solid, a process known as crystallization.

While this is a natural occurrence that all types of honey will experience, it is understandable why it can be a nuance that many find annoying. For some people, the texture is completely repulsive to the point that they avoid it at all costs. 

In today’s article, we are going to go over the proper course of action to take if your honey jar does begin to crystallize. It should be noted that although this may occur to your jar of honey, for the most part, crystallized honey is not something that you should be concerned about health wise. It is still safe to eat and it will still retain its flavor. We can’t promise however that it will still be as smooth as it once was if you like to smear it onto your toast though. 

Before we get into our article, you may be curious as to why honey crystallizes in the first place. Well, it’s rather simple and it mainly depends on the sugar content of your honey. The higher the sugar content of honey (especially over 70%), the faster it will crystallize. Crystallized honey may be fun to eat with a spoon, but it’s no good for using in recipes or spreading on bread.

Luckily, there are several things that you can do to help get your honey back to its smooth texture. All you need are a couple of tools that you likely have right at home.

What should you do to get it back in its original liquid state?

Requirements:

• Crystallized honey
• Saucepan or pot
• Stove
• Glass jar
• Water

Procedure:

1. Transfer Honey to a Glass Jar

If it is in a plastic jar, transfer your honey to a glass jar. Since plastic cannot abide high temperatures, a glass jar is the best option. You can use a knife or a spoon to stab and scoop out the solidified honey from the container.

2. Heat up the Honey

Meanwhile, have some water heating up in a pan or pot on the stove. After you have transferred all the honey to the glass jar, put the jar in the heating water. Ensure the stove is at low or medium heat. Do not let the water come to a boil – rather, let it simmer.

Don’t submerge the jar. How much water you use for the process will depend on how tall your glass jar is. For good results, ensure the water reaches halfway or two thirds of the way up the side of the glass jar.

Another thing: ensure the water in the pot does not get into the honey jar. You can put a lid on the jar, but don’t shut the lid too tightly. If air can’t escape, the jar will explode.

3. Monitor the Progress as You Wait

Let the jar sit in the simmering water for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. You can set a timer if you have a forgetful nature. Meanwhile, you can stir the honey a bit to speed up the process. If you are going to stir the honey, you won’t need to have the lid on the jar.

If you have some tongs or something to hold the hot jar with, take it out once in a while, and swish the honey around to see what progress you are making. How liquid you want the honey to be is up to you – gooey and sticky or runny and easy-flowing.

4. Take it Out of the Water

When you can’t see crystals forming anymore, it is time to turn off the heat and take the jar out of the heating water, and give it time to cool. To prevent the honey from cooling too quickly, put it in a bowl of warm water.

After the honey cools down, you can enjoy it with crackers, biscuits, bread, or whatever else floats your fancy. Finally, see that you seal the jar of honey tightly before you store it. The best storage temperature is between 64 and 75 degrees. You should never store honey in a refrigerator.

Final Verdict

Generally speaking, dealing with crystallized honey is not something that is too burdensome of a task. The best part is that anyone can get their honey nice and smooth again. Just follow these steps the next time you find that your honey has become solid, and you will be spreading it on your bread in no time.

We hope that our article on decrystallizing honey has been helpful to you. Have you ever had to deal with crystallized honey before? Let us know below what your experience was like. And of course, feel free to share with us what you did to get your honey back to its natural state.