Has your honey hardened? Here’s how to make it liquid again very easily

An alternative to white sugar, honey conquers the hearts of the French a little more each year. It is therefore not uncommon to find a pot of it, a little old, at the bottom of our cupboards. If this natural sweetener does not expire, it may however have changed texture and become very hard. How to give it back its syrupy side that we appreciate so much. Here is our best tip!

The fact that your honey becomes hard is not due to poor storage. This is simply a natural phenomenon. It is in fact the sugar present in the honey which will, after a few years, crystallize. Although some honeys, such as chestnut or acacia, crystallize less quickly, after a while they end up becoming hard. Moreover, if, after several years, your honeys have still not crystallized, this may indicate a massive addition of questionable ingredients to their composition. Beware! To avoid being fooled again, you can also consult the advice of Jamy Gourmaud (formerly “C’est Pas Sorcier”) to choose the right one and avoid the pitfalls.

You have understood: it is impossible to fight against the solidification of honey. However, there is no question of throwing it away. You can restore it to its former texture in just a few minutes.

To make the honey liquid again, all you have to do is heat it… but not just any old way! To avoid losing its properties, you should not heat it to high temperatures. Place it in a salad bowl, then gradually heat it up using the bain-marie technique. The water should ideally be at 40°. To control its temperature easily, if you can’t stick a finger in it, it’s too high. In this case, remove the honey immediately.

Another idea: place your jar of hardened honey in a cooling oven. Be careful, however: honey being a fragile food, you must monitor the temperature so as not to completely alter it. Also keep the pot tightly closed to retain humidity.

Last thing to remember: even if it is very quick, never reheat honey in the microwave. He’s his worst enemy!