Does Brown Sugar Go Bad? (How to Know When to Throw it Away)
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Can Brown Sugar Spoil?
As to the question on whether brown sugar can go bad, here’s the answer: No. Generally, no, that is.
You see, brown sugar is a type of preservative – and as such, it really has a long shelf life. It can stay good (safe and edible) for many MANY years. Yes, indefinitely – as long as it’s stored properly.
Brown Sugar
Well, that’s good to know, right? If you’re like me, I hate it when food expires quickly. The good news about brown sugar, however, is that it can be restored to its original texture and quality most of the time. And if not, it can be recreated into another type of condiment (I’ll tell you more about that later).
For now, just be assured that brown sugar very rarely goes bad (that it requires to be thrown away and discarded). Even if its texture goes bad, it can still be saved and reused.
How to Store Brown Sugar
Store Brown Sugar
Like I said, keeping brown sugar in perfect condition will very much depend on proper storage. Keep the following points in mind when storing this type of condiment in your kitchen.
Brown sugar should be kept in a dry, cool environment such as:
The storage area for your brown sugar should be away from sources of heat (to avoid melting) like the following:
Once open, transfer your brown sugar to an airtight container to keep it from hardening up.
Unopened and sealed packages of brown sugar can be kept in their original packaging.
How to Soften Hard Brown Sugar
Brown sugar can harden up and form clumps if it’s not properly stored. When it’s not kept in an airtight container, for example, air and moisture can get in and affect its overall texture.
But don’t worry, as this is not a big problem – it’s not spoiled or ruined, but is simply more difficult to use. In fact, you can even restore hard brown sugar to its original soft texture by doing the methods listed below.
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How to Tell if Brown Sugar is Bad
For brown sugar to be considered bad, it means that its already contaminated and spoiled (and therefore, no longer eatable). If you observe the following things I listed below, throw your brown sugar away.
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FAQs
Q: Can brown sugar mold?
Q: Can brown sugar mold?
Q: If brown sugar is hard, is it bad?
Q: If brown sugar is hard, is it bad?
Q: Why does my brown sugar have bugs in it?
Q: What should I do if my brown sugar smells bad?
Q: What should I do if my brown sugar smells bad?
Q: What should I do if there are black spots in my brown sugar?
Q: How can I restore brown sugar back to its normal texture?
Q: How can I restore brown sugar back to its normal texture?
Q: What are the white spots in brown sugar?
Q: What are the white spots in brown sugar?
Q: Is there another way to use hardened brown sugar?
Q: Is there another way to use hardened brown sugar?
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You Can Prevent Brown Sugar from Going Bad
Now that you know that brown sugar can’t really go bad, I hope you’ll take the time to save it and restore it should you find that it has already hardened up.
It would really be wasteful to just throw it away if you can still save it (or at least use it in some other way), right?
If you have other concerns about brown sugar, just drop me a line and I’ll see what I can do.
Also, if you found this article to be useful, feel free to share it with your friends. Perhaps, they need to save their brown sugar, too.
