How do I soften a 5 pound bag of hard sugar?
Try putting it in the microwave at 15 second intervals.
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I have two 5 pound bags of white granulated sugar that is very hard. How can I soften it for use?
By Aldona S.
Microwave it for 1 minute. That should work. If not, place a piece of bread in the packaging & it'll take a day or so, but it'll loosen it right up.
How do I soften hard sugar?
By Mike from Kensington, CT
Sometimes you can soften it up if you put it in the microwave for a few seconds. I would try it in 10 second intervals to see if it works. I know it works on brown sugar.
Try putting a couple of wet paper towels on top of the sugar in an open bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds, check by gently stabbing with a fork and see if it is looser, then do another 30 seconds or so if needed. Don't want to get it too hot because it will melt.
Put a couple of saltine crackers in the container with the sugar. Also move it into a airtight plastic container.
Put one or two slices of fresh bread in with the sugar and seal. Works every time!
How do I soften a 10 lb. bag of hard sugar?
By MJM
Personally, I would put it in a plastic bag and beat it back to granules with a hammer. Other than that the only easy thing I know to do with it is melt it in water but you need something to do with a whole lot of sugar water.
If you can break it up, maybe you can run it through a flour sifter. I have done that to lumpy sugar.
If it's brown sugar, put it in a container with a tight lid, and stick a piece of bread on top of it. The next day the sugar will be nice and soft and the bread will be hard as a rock.
I never had a problem with white sugar that way. But if it is so solid, put it in a zip lock bag and use a wooden meat tenderizer or a large handled spoon and just beat it...just my 2 cents.
I would run it through a food processor or try the blender. Good luck.
Brown sugar can be softened by reintroducing moisture in several ways:
The 1st 2 solutions I list are my fastest solutions. The last solution... #6 I use to SLOW the hardening process in the first place.
1-Heat brown sugar in a 250 degree oven in an oven safe pan. Watch carefully and as soon as it is soft measure the amount you need. It will harden as it cools.
2-Place brown sugar in a microwave-safe container and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 30 seconds. Repeat process until it is soft. Again, Watch carefully and as soon as it is soft measure the amount you need since It will harden as it cools.
3-Place brown sugar in a plastic container with a small piece of plastic wrap or foil over the sugar. Put a damp paper towel or napkin on top of the plastic/foil. Cover tightly. Remove damp paper towel in a couple of days. Keep container tightly sealed.
4-Place a few apple slices or a slice of bread in an air-tight container with the brown sugar. Remove after the sugar has softened in a day or two.
5-Grind hardened chunks in a food processor. Be careful not to ruin your food processor.
6-Soak a piece of clay in water for 30 minutes. Dry the piece so it isn't dripping wet. Place the clay in the container with the sugar and seal. In a few days you should have softened sugar again. Leave the clay in as long as you like. You can actually purchase cute clay bears created for just this purpose.
How can I make a rock hard 5lb bag of white sugar usable again?
How can I get hard lumps out of my granulated sugar? What is the easiest way?
I bought bulk powdered sugar and stored it in plastic containers. Now it is hard and difficult to use. Can I use a piece of bread to soften it like I do with brown sugar? Any ideas are welcome.
Thanks in advance!
By Lori Morelli from Ohio
How should I store my C&H Granulated Sugar and C&H Powdered Sugar? Moisture makes granulated sugar hard and lumpy. Once this happens, there is no way to adequately restore it.
I don't know any tricks to soften it. Have you tried one of those clay disks that you can use with brown sugar? One idea might be to try using a hand grater to get it back down to a powdery texture.... You might try a blender or spice/coffee ginder etc., but I am not sure what that would do to it (at the higher speed than manual). You could always try with a small sample and see what happens!
It's been in a glass container on my counter for several months and I rarely use it. Now it's hardened in the glass container and I can't get it out. What can I do without destroying the container?
By Billie
While you may not be able to use it as pourable sugar, you can still use it. Pour water into the container over the sugar and shake it every now and then. The water will melt the sugar and make a syrup that can be used in drinks (tea, lemonade, kool-aid, etc), to sweeten cooked foods, to use in fruit syrups for pancakes or desserts.
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How can I soften granulated sugar which has hardened in the bag in which it was sold?
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