How to fix crystallized honey?
To fix the problem temporarily, you can place the jar in a saucepan with about an inch of water, gently heat it until it liquifies, and transfer the now-smooth honey to a clean jar.
Don't liquefy honey over and over again.
Decrystallize only what you need at one time. The flavor and aroma of the honey will fade with repeated cycles of heating and cooling (and liquefying and crystallizing).
Pour warm water (water should not exceed 110º F) into the pan and allow to sit until the honey melts. In five-minute intervals remove your bottle from the pan, stir the honey and return it to the warm water. Continue this process until the honey has returned to its liquid consistency state.
You can also decrystallize honey in the microwave directly. This works best with honey in glass containers, as the microwave will warp and melt a thin plastic bottle. Transfer the honey to a microwave safe container if it is not already in one.
Thankfully, honey can be returned to its liquid state with little effort. Heat some water in a pot, and put your honey container in the pot of hot water until the honey turns liquid. This gentle transfer of heat to the honey helps bring it back to liquid form without overheating the honey.
Many people believe that once their honey has crystallized, it is spoiled and is no longer safe to eat. This is false, as natural honey is one of the only foods that never expires (if sealed properly). Crystallized honey is completely edible- in fact, you can use it in the same ways you use liquid honey!
Keep container in an area that will stay at average room temperature. Because honey is best stored at room temperature (somewhere between 64 to 75 F), keeping your container of honey on a shelf or in your pantry is recommended.
Infuse Into Your Beauty Routine. Honey is a humectant, which means it helps lock in moisture. You can use crystallized honey as an exfoliant for your body or hair—the lightly coarse texture of the sugar is an all-natural way to shed away impurities from your scalp or skin.
Crystallization happens much faster at lower temperatures. Even in a beehive, honey can begin to crystallize if the temperature drops too low. When the temperature of the honey dips below 50°F, the crystallization process will accelerate. Don't store honey in a chilly basement or unheated mudroom.
Using the Microwave to Decrystallize Honey
Microwaving honey in its plastic jar or bottle can melt the plastic, contaminating your honey and making it unusable. So, use a spoon to scoop the honey into a microwave-safe ceramic or glass jar, mug, or bowl. If the dish has a lid or cover, leave it off.
Does honey expire?
Even though honey doesn't have an expiration date, it can still undergo natural changes. The National Honey Board says that over time honey may “darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize,” depending on changes in temperature.
Keep the temperature to 130 degrees Fahrenheit at most so that plastic and glass containers alike can safely go into the pot. Once the water has heated, stand your honey container up in the bath. Let the honey sit there for a few hours, and make sure the water is shallow enough to not cover the lid.

Crystallization occurs because of the natural qualities inside. The natural sugars in honey (glucose and fructose) will bind together and begin to form little crystals, which can start making your honey harder. With differing blends, some honey will begin to crystallize faster than others.
Place your jar (lid removed) in a pot of hot water on the stove, allowing the honey to heat up and liquefy. Without boiling the water, slowly heat the honey, stirring it occasionally. Remove jar when crystals have dissolved.
Your microwave can smooth honey in a flash. Simply uncap the container and microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Stir, and heat another 30 seconds if needed. Use this method if: You want the quickest and simplest method, or if your honey is especially solidified.
Honey goes through a change in the color, texture and loses its nutrient value, when cooked or heated. In fact, heating honey can turn toxic and change the texture like glue.
While honey never spoils, it may change color (from clear to cloudy) or texture (thicker and grainier) over time. That's ok! Unless your honey becomes exposed to moisture and ferments (which will be super obvious), it's safe to consume.
By consuming raw unfiltered honey, you are consuming propolis, which is actually small pieces of the beehive. Often, you can see this propolis in your honey jar in the form of small black specks.
As a dietitian, I'm often asked if honey is healthier than other sugars and other added sweeteners. The answer? Honey and sugar are both carbohydrates, consisting of the two types of sugar: Glucose and fructose, both of which are broken down quickly by the body and can cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
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.
How do you know when honey goes bad?
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.
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.
From a calorie and sugar content perspective, the differences between sugar and honey are minimal, however, overall, honey contains slightly more health benefits than table sugar from its potential antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Honey is safe for dogs to eat in small quantities. It contains natural sugars and small amounts of vitamins and minerals. It is also used as a sweetener in many foods and beverages. That sweetness comes at a price, however.
Add a spoonful of honey to a glass of water. Pure honey should settle in the water. If your honey dissolves immediately, it's possible it also isn't pure or has been altered in some way.
One of the reasons most grocery store honeys will not crystallize is because they have been pasteurized, which requires high heat. The most ideal temperature to induce crystallization is 57F–the further you get away from that number on either side, the slower a honey will crystallize.
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Please don't heat your plastic honey bottles in the microwave. There are two reasons for this: plastic will melt causing the honey to become inedible; and the possibility of a burn injury.
What Honey Does Not Crystallize? One exception to this is Tupelo honey. Tupelo honey has a very high fructose content and low glucose content, so Tupelo honey will almost never crystallize. Because of the low glucose level, Tupelo honey has a low glycemic index.
Heating honey higher than 140 degrees F for more than 2 hours will cause rapid degradation. Heating honey higher than 160 for any time period will cause rapid degradation and caramelization. Generally any larger temperature fluctuation (10°C is ideal for preservation of ripe honey) causes decay.
What is the white stuff on my honey?
What you're looking at is 'honey foam,' which is a result of the tiny air bubbles in the honey escaping to the top. This is due to air bubbles trapped in the honey during processing and packaging.
Honey isn't a perishable product. As long as it's stored in an air-tight container and isn't exposed to excess moisture, it will be safe to consume for decades or more.
Honey that's over 3,000 years old was discovered in King Tut's tomb in 1922. It was still edible! For nearly a century, the 3,000-year-old honey from King Tut's tomb was considered the earliest example of honey ever discovered. Archaeologists excavating the tomb of the pharaoh King Tut in 1922 came upon jars of honey.
It is 100% edible, though the texture is not for everyone. In fact, eating raw honeycomb is one of the best ways to get the most health benefit from your honey. Honey in the honeycomb is in its rawest form, so it will have the most enzymes, vitamins, and minerals of any type of raw honey.
Honey, when mixed with hot water, can become toxic
A study published in the journal AYU found that at a temperature of 140 degrees, honey turns toxic. When you mix honey in hot milk or water, it turns hot and turns toxic. In addition to this, researchers have also stated that honey contains natural sugars.
White honey provides you with more than just calories. It has vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, copper, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. It also a powerhouse of antioxidants. The antioxidants in white honey protect your body against multiple diseases.
Don't worry, it's not! This is called frosting. It is due to the presence of air trapped between the side of the jar and the honey, and therefore crystals form against the glass.
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.
Though your honey may darken and crystalize over time, it's still safe to eat! Whether in a glass or plastic bottle, honey can return to its original liquid glory. To soften honey back into its regular liquid consistency, all you need is a heat-proof container and some hot water.
It's fairly simple to turn your honey back into a smooth liquid again by heating it. The best way to do this is by to put your honey in a bowl of warm water and slowly letting it warm up. If you happen to have anultrasound machine that produces waves at 23 kHz lying around, that works too.
Can you feed crystalized honey back to bees?
Honey bees have no problem eating crystallized honey. They've been doing it longer than mankind has been around to worry about it. Yes, honey bees will eat crystallized honey and there is no harm in feeding it to them.
First things first, it's safe to eat crystallized honey. Honey naturally crystallizes over time, but that doesn't mean you need to toss your jar. Luckily, crystallization doesn't adversely affect the taste or quality of honey.
- Heating the entire frame in the oven.
- Heating the entire frame in an Sous Vide bath.
- Heating the entire frame with an electric blanket.
Honey as feed for bees
Do not feed bees honey unless it is from your own disease-free hives. Spores of American foulbrood disease can be present in honey. Feeding honey from an unknown source, such as a supermarket or even another beekeeper, can cause infection in your hives.
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