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Cooking with Honey

by The National Honey Board

For best results, use recipes developed for using honey. When substituting honey for granulated sugar in recipes, begin by substituting honey for up to half of the sugar called for in the recipe. With a little experimentation, honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes.

When baking with honey, remember the following:

Reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.
Reduce oven temperature by 25° F to prevent over-browning.

Because of its high fructose content, honey has a higher sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.

When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey. The honey will slide right out.

A 12-ounce jar of honey equals a standard measuring cup.

Storing Honey

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 in which liquid in honey becomes solid.

If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. Or, place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid off and microwave it, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey.

Note: Honey should not be fed to infants under one year of age. Honey is a safe and wholesome food for children and adults.

Color, Flavor and Form

Honeys differ in color and flavor depending on what blossoms the honey bees visit in search of nectar. Honey color ranges from almost colorless to dark amber brown and its flavor varies from delectably mild to richly bold. As a general rule, light-colored honey is milder in taste and dark-colored honey is stronger.

Honey comes in a variety of forms including liquid, whipped and comb. Free of any crystals or wax, liquid honey is extracted from the comb in the hive by centrifugal force, gravity, straining or other means. Whipped honey (also known as cremed honey) is finely crystallized so that it remains creamy and spreadable. Comb honey is honey that comes as it was produced – in the honey bees’ wax comb.

Health Benefits

Research has shown that unlike most other sweeteners, honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants.

Honey, a rich source of carbohydrates, provides a quick source of energy.

Honey’s unique composition makes it an effective antimicrobial agent, useful for treating minor burns and scrapes, and for aiding the treatment of sore throats and other bacterial infections.

For more uses for honey, including recipes visit http://www.honey.com/

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ARTICLE POSTED MARCH 10, 2003