Can You Freeze Honey: Honey, as we all know, is a miraculously edible product packed with tons of health-beneficial nutrients. The shelf life of honey basically depends on the temperatures you are exposing it to. It is known as liquid gold and if you have a bulk of it then it is natural for you to be concerned about its storage in order to not waste a bit by spoiling it.
Thus, you must be wondering whether you need to freeze honey to keep it fresh for the longest time possible. Well, this article will let you know the best technique to store your liquid gold and also provide you with many other important tips to keep in mind regarding honey. So without any waste of time, let’s start!
- Can You Freeze Honey?
- Can You Freeze Honeycombs?
- How To Freeze Honey?
- Can You Freeze Honey In Ice Cube Trays?
- Best Tips To Freeze Honey
- How Long Can You Freeze Honey?
- Is Frozen Honey Bad For You?
- How To Defrost Honey?
- FAQs On Can You Freeze Honey
- Does Freezing Honey Destroy Nutrients?
- Is it OK to have frozen honey?
- What happens if you put honey in the fridge?
- Does honey go bad or expire?
Can You Freeze Honey?
Honestly, no, pure and raw honey will not freeze at all. If you freeze your honey at temperatures below -4F, it will eventually solidify to frozen solid, but some parts of the honey will still flow very slowly. Some people who have frozen their honey at temperatures below -4C have reported that it is not nearly cold enough to freeze honey.
Your honey can be stored inside the freezer keeping its flavour and quality intact regardless of what temperature you have set in your freezer. Raw honey doesn’t potentially go bad because of its anti-microbial components and a low pH level along with a very low level of moisture. Hence, freezing is an amazing way to keep your honey fresh if you don’t mind crystallisation.
Can You Freeze Honeycombs?
Yes, honey can be frozen in their frames or honeycombs and can also be sold and consumed like that. They are basically waxy structures with chambers filled with honey. Freezing honey in honeycombs is an amazing way to extract all the honey and not waste a bit after it is freshly harvested. Since honey has a lower moisture content, it doesn’t even expand and break the fragile honeycomb when frozen.
To freeze your honeycomb properly first set your freezer temperature to the required temperature setting and place the honeycomb in a sealable plastic wrapper bag. Make sure to pay close attention to prevent condensation from accumulating on the frozen honeycombs containing honey. You have to prevent the honeycomb from getting wet as this can cause mould to form in the comb.
How To Freeze Honey?
Now, let us look at the steps that you need to follow if you plan to freeze your honey:
First, extract all the honey from the honeycomb into a glass bottle or jar which has an air-tight sealable cap. Make sure to leave one-inch gap from the top to leave enough room for expansion and secure the lid tightly.
Air-tight containers will ensure that the components of honey don’t get fermented or oxidised due to exposure to air and the glass material will ensure that the honey doesn’t pick up any nearby flavours or odour and also prevent moisture from seeping in and contaminating the honey.
- After securing the container tightly, dip a piece of cloth in warm water and clean and spill on the container and make sure to dry it well too.
- Next, put this honey container in a sealable freezer-safe bag to prevent new odours from absorbing into your honey.
- Now, set the temperature of your freezer within the range of -24.8 and -4 degrees Fahrenheit and place your honey container bags inside.
Can You Freeze Honey In Ice Cube Trays?
Yes, you can freeze honey in ice cube trays and in fact it is considered to be a better approach to storing honey because you thaw only what you are planning to consume instead of thawing and refreezing the whole again and again.
To freeze your honey perfectly in ice cube trays you need to pour it evenly into the compartments of the ice cube tray leaving a little bit of space on the top to allow the honey to expand freely if at all it has to. Next place the tray inside the freezer overnight so that the honey is flash-frozen to solid after that transfer, these cubes into a sealable freezer-safe bag and put it back into the freezer for the next couple of years.
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Ingredients: Honey (100%)
Nutrition Information (Approximate values)
The number of servings per pack: 50 (Approx.)
Serving Measure: 20 g (1 Tbsp.)
| Nutrients | Per 100 g | Per Serve % RDA |
| Energy (kcal) | 325 | 3 |
| Protein (g) | 0.25 | |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 81 | |
| Total Sugars (g) | 81 | |
| Added Sugars (g) | 0 | 0 |
| Total Fat (g) | 0 | 0 |
| Saturated Fat (g) | 0 | 0 |
| Trans Fat (g) | 0 | 0 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 | |
| Sodium (mg) | 13 | 0.1 |
Recommended Dietary Allowance for Average Adult per Day.
Best Tips To Freeze Honey
Now that you have learned how to perfectly freeze your honey, let us share some amazing tips with you, following which you are guaranteed to get the best results out of your frozen honey:
- Remember to close the jar very firmly to prevent your honey from getting oxidised or fermented due to outside moisture.
- Don’t open your freezer door unnecessarily unless you absolutely need to, in order to maintain the temperature level and avoid accidentally defrosting your honey.
- Try to use glass containers for freezing honey instead of plastic because plastic is porous and not that durable. Also, it allows air to pass which will cause the air from other food items to get passed onto your honey.
How Long Can You Freeze Honey?
Frankly, honey stays fresh for an infinitely long period of time. Frozen honey, if kept sealed and clear of all contaminants, can last for 100s to 1000s years at a stretch, provided the temperature remains stable throughout.
However, it may start losing quality after two years and start getting cloudy, still keeping it safe to be eaten but just not tasty as before. This is mainly because of the high content of sugar that prevents the growth of most bacteria and fungi. Honey has very low moisture hence there is no water to support the life of fermentation-causing organisms.
Honey is also acidic with a pH of less than 4 which kills bacteria. Additionally, bees secrete a very special enzyme that preserves and increases the antibacterial properties of honey, keeping it fresh for an infinitely long period of time.
Is Frozen Honey Bad For You?
No, frozen honey will not be bad for you if you are ok with the crystallisation that occurs in it. Honey generally crystallises when the glucose in it starts to separate from the water. This happens most prominently in honey that has more glucose than fructose and when the honey is frozen.
So, if your honey crystallises on being frozen then instead of being bad it is actually better in preserving the natural flavour and thick texture of raw honey. Crystallisation, however, can sometimes make your honey feel gritty when the crystals sink to the bottom leaving the thinner liquid on the top.
Filtered Honey, on the other hand, is safe in this respect because it is smoother due to the absence of tiny honeycomb debris particles that initiate crystallisation when frozen. In case you don’t want your honey to crystallise at all or slow down the process then try storing Honey in glass jars at room temperature or warmer.
Any temperature below 50 degrees F is likely to start crystallising your honey. To decrystallize your honey, boil water and pour it into a pot or bowl and let your jar of honey sit there in the water until it melts completely to its original liquid golden state.
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How To Defrost Honey?
A common mistake we make while defrosting honey is heating it to fasten the process. Always remember heating or constantly exposing honey to fluctuating temperatures will adversely affect its nutritional values. It will also harm the quality of honey because the crystals formed inside will be warmed up and cooled again adding moisture to your honey.
Though it is not necessary to freeze honey, if you have, then make sure to thaw it all at once to let it come at room temperature, and if you want to hustle up the process then put your glass jar of honey in boiled water.
FAQs On Can You Freeze Honey
1. Does Freezing Honey Destroy Nutrients?
No, freezing honey to preserve it is never going to destroy its ingredient, instead it will preserve the natural antimicrobial properties present inside the honey.
2. Is it OK to have frozen honey?
It is absolutely fine to consume frozen honey but make sure to keep the quantity small because eating a large chunk or portion of honey in one go will cause problems like diarrhoea, stomach cramps and loose motion.
3. What happens if you put honey in the fridge?
Out of everything else, the only place where you should never store your honey is the refrigerator because it does nothing but increase the speed of crystallisation, turning your honey into a thick, dough-like sludge instead of being liquid.
4. Does honey go bad or expire?
Generally, honey does not expire or spoil as long as it is not contaminated and properly stored.
Closing Line
Wrapping everything up, honey is highly susceptible to chemical and physical changes over time. It may tend to lose its original flavours and also darken in colour if not stored properly or exposed to unstable temperatures. Hence, make sure you follow all the points mentioned in detail in this article. We hope you found this article. Make sure to keep visiting our lane for more such interesting articles like Can You Freeze Jelly.