Occasionally I end up with a sugar or almond paste "rock." In lieu of tossing it, I have softened it by adding a piece of bread for a day or two, in an airtight container. The moisture in the bread returns the original texture of the item. Is there a better way to accomplish this? Is there a reason I should not use bread, and instead go ahead and toss the offending ingredient?
Hi Lynn - You've got the right idea by using a piece of bread. For both, make sure to keep them stored as airtight as possible. You could also try a sugar saver for storing brown sugar. These work pretty well and are fairly inexpensive. They even sell plastic containers now with a sugar saver built in, which are an even better deal. Best, Lynn C.
Yes, an apple slice will work too, but I'd rather use the heel of bread that I otherwise wouldn't be using than slice into an apple (unless I was already planning to eat the apple, of course!).
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Occasionally I end up with a sugar or almond paste
almond paste
In the Nordic countries almond paste is used extensively, in various pastries and cookies. In Sweden (where it is known as mandelmassa) it is used in biscuits, muffins and buns and as a filling in the traditional Shrove Tuesday pastry semla and is used in Easter and Christmas sweets.
"rock." In lieu of tossing it, I have softened it by adding a piece of bread for a day or two, in an airtight container. The moisture in the bread returns the original texture of the item.
If your marzipan is very cold and hard when you start to use it, you can soften it gently in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Repeat if necessary. Please take care not to over-heat it though, as the oil in the marzipan can get very hot and could burn you and will separate from the paste.
Here is an easy way to make hardened granulated sugar soft again -- Preheat oven to lowest temperature, 150-200 degrees. Remove sugar from the package and put in an ovenproof container that will hold the sugar. Place in the warm oven for approximately 15 minutes. Tap sugar with a spoon.
However, sugars have a best-if-used by date of approximately 2 years for quality concerns. This is due to lumpiness or hardening in granulated sugars and crystallization of sugars in honey and syrup. It is still safe to use even when lumpy or crystals are present.
Unless you store it properly, what was a soft, fluffy package of brown sugar granules will have hardened into a dense brown lump you could break windows with. It's still safe to eat, but there's no way you can measure it accurately for a recipe until it's soft and grainy again.
Soak a paper towel in water and wring it out, then lay it over the sugar.Microwave in 10-second increments, stirring with a fork between bursts until it is fully softened. Be careful not to melt or burn the sugar.
Another way to soften hard sugarpaste is to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. It's amazing what a difference this can make! But proceed with caution! You don't want to overheat it, so only microwave for a few seconds at a time, checking in between.
I believe it is the moisture in the air (humidity) that turns hard candy soft with time. To speed that process along, leave the candy in a loosely covered container with a damp paper towel. If the candy is not wrapped, place a double sheet of plastic wrap between the damp towel and the candy.
To do it, you place hardened brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel, then zap it in 20-second intervals until the sugar is softened.
To quickly soften brown sugar: place the sugar in a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel for about 20 second, or use a food processor to loosen the brown sugar. If you aren't pressed for time, use a slice of bread or an apple in an airtight container with the brown sugar for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the hardened brown sugar in aluminum foil and place it in the oven. This will trap heat, causing the sugar crystals to separate. Check it every five minutes until softened, breaking up any remaining clumps with a fork.
The LA Times Test Kitchen shared a tip for breaking up these sugar blocks without having to resort to a hammer. They use a box grater to break down the sugar before using it, a trick they say “works like magic” and is a lot less messy than taking a swing at the sugar with a hammer. Simple and ingenious!
Start by storing it properly. The most obvious way to prevent brown sugar from getting hard is by storing it in an air-tight container. You want the container to be on the smaller side, so there's not too much air trapped inside—the shape doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't allow any air to pass through.
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