Brown Sugar 101
Have you ever had a bag of brown sugar turn rock solid brick? How frustrating it is when you go to the pantry for the brown sugar only to discover it is all clumped rock-hard and seems useless. Unlike other sugars, brown sugars need extra care because it is coated in molasses. Brown sugar is simply white sugar-coated with molasses. When you open a bag of brown sugar, natural moisture is instantly released, and the air dries sugar crystals and molasses in the sugar. This makes sugar crystals stick together and harden. But don’t be sad, your brown sugar is totally reusable. Here is the trick to soften the sugar and keep it fresh again.
Never Have Hard Brown Sugar Again
As its name suggests, sugar saver is a small piece of terracotta or other porous clay that is designed to keep brown sugar soft and ready for use. Sugar savers may be the easiest and cutest way to save your brown sugar for a longer period of time. This small kitchen tool can keep brown sugar soft for approximately 3 to 6 months. Sugar savers are so versatile and useful that there are surprisingly many ways to use them other than brown sugar.
How the Brown Sugar Saver Works
◼ Use It Wet - Keep Things Moist ◼
To revive your brown sugar, follow these easy steps:
- 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.
- When sugar begins to harden, repeat above the process.
- Rinse the terracotta sugar saver with water only.
Other Uses for the Brown Sugar Saver
◼ Use It Dry - Keep Things Dry ◼
Instead of keeping something moist, you can use sugar savers the other way to prevent moisture in your storage. Dry terracotta sugar savers are extremely absorbent and very functional for soaking up excess moisture around them. Things you want to keep dry may include spices in kitchens, supplements and medications in bathrooms, and dry pet foods. Keep food from getting soggy and spoiled and save yourself and your pets from getting sick.
To use sugar savers dry, follow these simple steps:
- Bake them in the oven at 200°F for 5 to 10 minutes to make it bone-dry.
- Make sure it is cooled completely before using.
No one likes stale food. Keep your favorite food soft, chewy, pillowy and moist, all with the help of sugar savers. Other than brown sugar, you can keep so many things fresh like below.
- Marshmallows
- Baked goods such as chips, crackers, pretzels, bagels, muffins, and fruit cakes
- Popcorn kernels
- Dried Fruit
- Herbs such as rosemary, thyme
Material - Terracotta
You can notice most of the sugar savers are made from terracotta. This is because of terracotta’s high porosity, having lots of empty spaces in its structure to absorb and distribute liquid. Same reason you see lots of plant pots made out of terracotta. Their characteristics help prevent soil disease and root rot. On top of this, terracotta products are made with 100% natural clay, food-safe, reusable, and thus eco-friendly.
Where You Put Sugar Saver Matters
As you can use sugar savers with so many things, where you place your sugar saver with what makes a difference. Some you can put in direct contact with sugar savers like brown sugar or pet foods, but foods like marshmallows and baked goods work best with stashing sugar savers alongside, preferably in the middle, without contact.
Caution
The brown sugar may turn white or crystalize where the disc touches. Just scrape it out and toss out the affected areas. Product is not considered defective as results may vary depending on settings, i.e. size of container, type of container, or amount of foods.
Whether you are baking, making breakfast, or making coffee, the recipes call for brown sugar at some point. KORISSA’s sugar savers are a perfect addition to other creative and functional baking tools at home. These will be wonderful hostess gifts, especially for this coming holiday season. Of course, these handmade sugar savers can keep brown sugar and baked good soft, moist, and crispy, but besides their traditional uses, we uniquely designed the shapes so they can turn into ornaments for your Christmas tree! What can you do better than having handcrafted ornaments made from local artisans for eco-friendly Christmas Tree decorations? Our cute sugar savers are made completely functional, large enough to hold enough moisture but small enough to fit in containers, and ideal to be hung on a tree as adorable decorations. Go waste free when decorating your Christmas tree and celebrate sustainable Christmas this year.
