Honey Basics
Dining with Honey
For best results, use recipes developed for using honey. When you substitute honey for granulated sugar in recipes, begin by substituting honey for up to half of the sugar called for in the recipe.
With experimentation, honey can be substituted for all the sugar in some recipes.
When substituting honey for sugar in baked goods:
- Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
- Add about 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.
- Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees to prevent over-browning.
For easy measuring and clean-up, coat measuring cup or spoon with cooking spray before adding honey.
A 12-ounce jar of honey equals a standard measuring cup.
What is Honey’s Nutritional Profile?
- 17 grams of carbohydrates
- 64 calories per tablespoon
- Honey contains a variety of flavonoids and phenolic acids, which act as antioxidants
- Generally, darker honeys have higher antioxidant content than lighter honeys.
Honey Storage Tips
Store honey at room temperature – your kitchen counter or pantry shelf is ideal. Storing honey in the refrigerator accelerates the honey’s crystallization. Crystallization is the natural process of glucose sugar molecules aligning into orderly arrangements known as crystals. It is not an indicator of spoilage, impurity, age or quality.
My Honey has Crystalized?
If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve, or place the honey container in a pan of water, with the lid off and set the stove top at simmer, the crystals will dissolve back into honey! Do not boil or put honey in the microwave as this destroys the health benefits of honey.