On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1259

Processing Honey Some honey is sold in its beeswax honeycomb, but producers extract most of their honey from the comb and then treat it to extend its shelf life They remove the honeycomb from the hive and spin it in a centrifuge to separate liquid honey from solid wax They then generally heat the honey to around 155ºF/68ºC to destroy sugarfermenting yeasts, strain it to remove pieces of wax and debris, sometimes blend it with other honeys, and finally filter it under pressure to remove pollen grains and very small air bubbles that would cloud the liquid The honey may be packaged as a liquid at this stage, or else crystallized to form a spreadable paste, or “cream,” that doesn’t run and drip the way liquid honey does Though it seems solid, 85% of cream honey remains in its liquid form, dispersed around the 15% that has solidified into tiny crystals of glucose Because all sugars become increasingly soluble as the temperature rises, cream honey softens and begins to melt into liquid honey when it’s warmed above about 80ºF/26ºC By the same token, liquid honey that has granulated during storage can be reliquefied with gentle heat Storing Honey Honey is one of our more stable foods, but unlike table sugar it can spoil This is because it contains some moisture and absorbs more from the air whenever the relative humidity exceeds 60% Sugar-tolerant yeasts can grow on the honey and produce off-flavors It’s therefore best to store honey in a moisture-tight container Thanks to its high concentration of sugars and the presence of some amino acids and proteins, honey is prone to undesirable, flavor-flattening browning reactions, not just when heated, but also when stored for a long time at room temperature If you use honey infrequently, it’s best to keep it at temperatures below 50ºF/15ºC Liquid honey ... grow on the honey and produce off-flavors It’s therefore best to store honey in a moisture-tight container Thanks to its high concentration of sugars and the presence of some amino acids and proteins, honey is prone to undesirable,... with gentle heat Storing Honey Honey is one of our more stable foods, but unlike table sugar it can spoil This is because it contains some moisture and absorbs more from the air whenever the relative humidity exceeds 60%...softens and begins to melt into liquid honey when it’s warmed above about 80ºF/26ºC By the same token, liquid honey that has granulated during storage can be reliquefied