Page 1 of my thirteenth edition of my
Fannie Farmer Cookbook starts with a chapter titled “About the
Kitchen”. In these 62 pages contain such things as explanations
for pinch and puree, wok and sesame oil, meal planning for dinner
parties and picnics. Also in these pages include a description of
the different types of sugar used in the cookbook's recipes as well
as how to store brown sugar to avoid it hardening to a block and how
to soften it if does.
The easiest way to avoid the hard brown
sugar “block” is to buy granulated brown sugar, although using
this in baking may yield unexpected results. Also, depending upon
when I need to buy brown sugar, I may not have the time to go to the
local supermarket which stocks this. Many a time I have patiently
labored with a butter knife over a large dinner plate scraping brown
sugar from the “block” to get the amount required by a recipe.
Since I adopted the below several years ago, I have been saved from
having to do such.
“Brown sugar should be stored in an
airtight container in a cool spot or in the refrigerator. Add to the
container a small slice of apple [or apple core] in an open plastic
bag; it will keep the sugar soft. If your brown sugar becomes hard,
soften it by putting it in a covered bowl with a few drops of water
in a warm (200 degree farenheit) oven for about 20 minutes....”
example of brown sugar stored in
airtight container with apple core in
a plastic bag
