Do you find that your white sugar has turned as hard as a rock? Don’t discard them just yet because in this article, I’ll be sharing tips with you on how to soften white sugar easily. Just follow the steps and you’ll be able to use your white sugar like they’re new.
White sugar usually gets hard when it gets into contact with moisture and water. I am guilty of always putting a wet spoon inside my jar of sugar, that’s why I often find them hard the next day.
When I discovered that I can’t use the hard sugar for my tea, I conducted a research on how to bring them back to their previous state. What I discovered greatly amazes me. If you like to know more, continue reading below.
What You’ll Need
For Option 1
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- Heavy-duty plastic food storage bag
The plastic food storage bag will be used to contain the hard sugar when you pound them into chunks. It is ideal to use a heavy-duty type to endure the pressure from getting pounded. Choose a size that you think will fit your amount of sugar. To be safe, choose a large size storage bag.
- An airtight container
Via food52.com
An airtight container may be used to store your loosened sugar. It is a great storage solution for keeping the moisture out due to high humidity. If you have no airtight container at home, you may consider buying this.
- Food processor
Your food processor will work as the machine in breaking up the hard chunks of sugar into soft ones. Any brand of the food processor will do.
Blender
Alternatively, you can use a blender if you have no food processor at home. Begin with the lowest setting and move up as needed. Blend the sugar until your sugar has reached that same nice consistency as when they were still fresh from the bag.
- Meat tenderizing hammer
Via surlatable.com
You may use any type of meat tenderizing hammer that you have. Just make sure that it’s clean and easy to manage. You don’t want to struggle too much with a very heavy hammer, do you?
If you have no meat tenderizing hammer available at home, you may use any of these two alternative items.
➔ Rolling pin
Any type of rolling pin will do – wood, stainless steel, or non-stick silicone. This is suitable for small amounts of sugar. You might need to exert too much force if you’ll be dealing with a large clump of sugar.
➔ Heavy spoon
A heavy weight stainless steel or wooden spoon may work as a great alternative to a meat tenderizing hammer. A plastic spoon may not be advisable in this case because it might break with sheer force.
I usually prefer this alternative over the rolling pin because a spoon is easy to manage.
For Option 2
- Cheese Grater
Your cheese grater may be more useful than you think. It doesn’t only grate vegetables and cheese nicely, but it can also grate your hard sugar into a nice pile.
If you have no grater at home, you may consider buying this stainless steel box grater. A box or hand grater works well for this specific option.
- Plate
You may need a large plate to serve as a catching basin for your grated sugar. It might be a little unsanitary if you grate the sugar directly in the counter table. You may also use a bowl if you like.
No matter what your preference is, make sure that it is large enough to catch all the sugar coming from the grater.
For Option 3
- Spoon
You can use any spoon that you have in your kitchen. The spoon is essential for this process because it will be used to check whether the sugar begins to fall off the chunks. A slight tap to the casserole dish will do.
- Casserole dish
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Via etsy.com
In this specific process, you’ll be needing a casserole dish to contain your blocks of sugar in the oven. Make sure that the casserole dish is safe to be placed in the preheated oven.
If you have no such item in your kitchen, you may consider buying this oven-free dish. A clear dish is much preferred over the colored ones because it can allow you to see the sugar visibly inside.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Option 1: Softening White Sugar in the Food Processor
If you have found that your whole bag of white sugar has gone hard, turn them nice and soft with a food processor.
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1. Place the sugar into the food storage bag and give it a whack
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Put all the lumps of hard sugar into the plastic food storage bag of your choice. Don’t forget to seal the bag or you’ll be creating a mess when you start pounding.
Next, use a meat tenderizing hammer, rolling pin, or heavy spoon to pound it. You may stop pounding the bag when you see the pieces of sugar are broken into chunks.[/su_tab]
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2. Place the sugar chunks into the food processor and turn it on
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Via thekitchn.com
Get the bowl of a food processor and load all the chunks of white sugar into it. Next, turn the food processor and process the sugar until such time that it appears to have reverted to its soft previous state.
Keep in mind that you only need to unloosen the hardened sugar, not turning them into powdered sugar. So you need to turn the food processor to pulse for less than a minute.[/su_tab]
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3. Put the sugar into the airtight container
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Now that you have transformed your hard sugar into its previous state, you may now transfer them into an airtight container. Keep the container sealed until ready to use. You may watch this video to get an idea on how to store sugar properly.
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Option 2: Breaking Hard Sugar in the Cheese Grater
If you don’t like to whack the solid sugar with a hammer, then you may use a cheese grater instead. This option is safer, easy, and less messy.
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1. Get your plate
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You may use any plate that you own. Make sure that it is sufficiently large to catch all the grated sugar properly. You may put the plate on the table where you will be doing the grating process.
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2. Position the grater over the plate
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You may hover the grater on top of the plate. Make sure that as you grate, the sugar falls directly onto the plate to create no mess in the kitchen. Don’t hover the grater too high because the fine sugar might be blown off if you have breeze flowing in the room.
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3. Grate away
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Via reference.com
Grate the solid sugar like you’re grating cheese or vegetables. Use the small holes to break the sugar back into fine granules. Watch your hand carefully.
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Option 3: Softening Sugar in the Oven
If you want a more convenient way of softening sugar, then you may use an oven. Just follow these 5 easy steps.
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1. Preheat the oven
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Via leaf.tv
At 150-200 degrees Fahrenheit, preheat the oven for about 10 minutes. Preheating the oven is necessary because it prevents uneven cooking. If your oven has no indicator of its temperature, you may use a thermometer to check the temperature inside the oven.
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2. Place the rock-hard sugar in a casserole dish
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Put the blocks of hard sugar in a casserole dish. Make sure that the sugar doesn’t overflow from the casserole dish. Arrange the blocks of sugar properly so they can be heated evenly.[/su_tab]
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3. Put it in the oven
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Via cocinamarie.com
Once you have arranged the blocks of sugar properly, put the casserole dish in the preheated oven. You may wait for about 15 minutes before you can check it back.[/su_tab]
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4. Tap with a spoon
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Via snapguide.com
After 15 minutes, remove the casserole dish from the oven and tap it with a spoon. If you find that the sugar begins to fall off the chunks, then you may continue with the next step. However, if the sugar doesn’t fall off the chunks yet, you may return it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.[/su_tab]
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5. Place it back in the oven
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As the sugar begins to fall off the chunks when tapped with a spoon, put the casserole dish back in the oven. This time, turn the heat off for an hour. The mild heat will help loosen the sugar even more by drying it out completely.[/su_tab][/su_tabs]
Pro Tips From the Experts
Use a meat tenderizer or heavy mixing spoon
Via etsy.com
According to Sugar Association, you may use a meat tenderizer or a heavy mixing spoon to break the hardened white sugar into manageable pieces.
You should do this process before you toss the hard white sugar into the blender or a food processor. This will make the breakdown process of hard sugar faster and easier.
Store softened sugar in an airtight container
StillTasty suggests the use of an airtight container to store white sugar properly. This can help keep the white sugar from becoming rock-hard. Once, you have opened a bag of white sugar, transfer its contents to an airtight container. Keep it safe in a cool, dry place.
Soften Your Rock-Hard Sugar Today!
Did you enjoy following this tutorial on how to soften white sugar properly? I hope you did. I was thankful that I have discovered these methods to help me revive those rock-hard sugar back to its fine state.
If you any questions or ideas, share them with us by posting it in the comments section below. Don’t forget to share this wonderful post on your social media.
