To make a brown sugar saver, you can utilize a "water soap dish" to maintain the brown sugar's moisture, preventing it from hardening.
Keeping brown sugar soft and pliable is essential for many recipes. A simple and effective method, as demonstrated in the provided reference, involves using a "water soap dish" in conjunction with an airtight container. This DIY approach helps retain the necessary moisture in your brown sugar.
What You'll Need
To create your own brown sugar saver, you will need just a few items:
- Brown Sugar: The main ingredient you want to keep soft.
- A "Water Soap Dish": As seen in the reference, this item is placed directly into the sugar. While the term "water soap dish" is used, it refers to a small, porous item designed to absorb and release moisture, often made of terra cotta or ceramic, similar to commercially available brown sugar savers.
- An Airtight Container: Crucial for sealing in the moisture and preventing the brown sugar from drying out.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to make your brown sugar saver:
- Prepare the "Water Soap Dish": Before use, ensure your "water soap dish" is clean. It's often recommended to soak such items in water for 15-20 minutes. This allows the porous material to absorb water, which it will then slowly release into the brown sugar.
- Place in Sugar: As the reference states, "Then I place the water soap dish in the brown. Sugar." Gently embed the soaked dish into your brown sugar.
- Cover with Sugar: "They pour the rest of the sugar on top." Ensure the "water soap dish" is adequately surrounded or covered by the brown sugar.
- Store in Airtight Container: "And I keep it in an an airtight container." Transfer the brown sugar with the embedded saver into an airtight container. This step is critical as it seals in the moisture released by the "water soap dish," maintaining a humid environment around the sugar.
Why This Method Works
The principle behind this brown sugar saver method is moisture regulation. Brown sugar contains molasses, which is responsible for its soft, moist texture. When exposed to air, the molasses dries out, causing the sugar to clump and harden.
- Moisture Release: The "water soap dish" (acting as a humidifier) slowly releases the water it absorbed, preventing the brown sugar from losing its natural moisture.
- Airtight Seal: The airtight container acts as a barrier, preventing external air from reaching the sugar and trapping the moisture released by the "water soap dish," creating a consistently humid environment that keeps the brown sugar soft and easy to use.
By following these steps, you can effectively keep your brown sugar fresh and ready for all your baking and cooking needs.
