Avoiding the hard brown sugar “block”

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