Storing Brown Sugar

Need your input onsomething, folks.


I bought a HUGE bag ofbrown sugar at Costco with the intentions of keeping it stored for a longerterm while also making sure it stayed soft. My intention was to store itsimilar to how the brown sugar comes in the #10 cans which are air tight andhave an O2 absorber in there. I don't have the capability to seal tincans so I chose 1/2 gal mason jars. I filled the jars, added an O2absorber and sealed. At first I wasn't worried because brown sugar canstore for years in the pantry in a Tupperware without going bad. However,now I've got myself worried about the oxygen free environment and the moisturecontent creating an environment for botulism.


Is this a valid concern?I've done some reading that says the pure sugar content won't allow botulismand other reading saying that since the sugar has a high moisture content itcan't be stored that way. This is all online and I can't find ANY info inprint.


Which is right? Ifit's safe in the pantry in a sealed jar for a year, is it safe to assume it'ssafe for longer storage with O2 absorbers? How do the storage food places packbrown sugar in #10 cans with O2 absorbers without a botulism concern? Do theytreat it any differently than other dry goods packaged in #10 cans?

I've done a bit of poking around on the internet, because I had this question, too.

Much of what I've read says that as long as you sealed the container with an O2 absorber, it should be fine.

I was still a little concerned until I realized that brown sugar is nothing but white sugar and molasses. Why not pick up two bottles of molasses (one bottle of blackstrap for dark brown sugar and one bottle of regular) and plan on mixing it up when you need it? 1 cup of white sugar + 1 Tbsp of molasses. That would help you avoid problems.

When we canned at LDS, they said Do not use an O2 absorber, in the suger.

I have mixed molasses and white sugar before when in a bind, but it's not particularly easy and the baked goods never turned out tasting the same. Great idea for storage, but I wouldn't use it on a normal occasion so it violates my rule of store what I eat and eat what I store.

Some things I have read say just don't use an O2 absorber like the advice you were given at the LDS place. That's why I'm worried I've done it wrong. However, I bought a #10 can of brown sugar (I think it was Augason Farms or Provident Pantry) and it had an O2 pack inside.
It's not a lot of money if I decide to throw it all out. I just hate to do that if it's not bad. But unless someone else can tell me they've stored it with O2 packs and didn't later die, I think that's just what I'll do to be safe.

Fwiw I've had 25# of brown sugar inside a vita seal 5 gallon bucket for like a year and a half still soft As the day we bought it

Good to know. I also have a 5 gal bucket with Gamma Seal lid filled with brown sugar. In this case, no O2 packet because I use that bucket to re-fill my smaller pantry container when needed. That's only been in use for 2 months but it's still moist. But I'm trying to decide what to do with the 12 half gallon jars that I sealed with the O2 packs.

In the future I think I will store all my bulk brown sugar in a 5 gal bucket with sealed lid and no O2 pack. I was just trying to avoid that because opened bulk foods are not ideal IMO. My intention with the jars was that I would just be able to grab a new one from storage anytime my pantry canister ran low instead of refilling it from a bulk supply.

I package a lot of foods this way. For example, instead of bulk packaging oatmeal in a giant Mylar and 5 gal bucket, I package it in smaller 1.5 gallon zip top Mylar bags. When my pantry runs out, instead of refilling some container, I just go grab and new bag from storage. That way I never have to open a big bulk supply just to fill a small container. I only have smaller usable portions open at any one time, the rest stays sealed for long-term storage.

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Originally Posted by hollohas

I bought a HUGE bag ofbrown sugar at Costco with the intentions of keeping it stored for a longerterm while also making sure it stayed soft.

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I'd not be too worried about the staying soft aspect, brown sugar can return to it's natural state fairly easily (it starts out as a liquid brown mass in a vat when they boil the cane juice), and it's also quite simple to break it up and return it to "power' form.

Did you use a Food Saver (or something like it) when you put it in mason jars?

I didn't realize that it was not an easy mix hen making brown sugar. I'm learning!

I didn't realize they made zip-top Mylar bags! Do you get them around here? What's your impression of them?

I heard O2 absorbers with sugar have undesired effects? Following this thread for more info.

Keep the brown sugar in its original seal package and store it in your 5 gln bucket w/ gamma lid. Done


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Originally Posted by ChunkyMonkey

Keep the brown sugar in its original seal package and store it in your 5 gln bucket w/ gamma lid. Done


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I agree with this. Sugar is a preservative itself. You should only have to keep pests/moisture away from it.

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Originally Posted by rbeau30

I agree with this. Sugar is a preservative itself. You should only have to keep pests/moisture away from it.

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Buy smaller sealed packages instead, if you want to prevent hardening. Once you open a large package, the clock starts ticking. So smaller packages are simply smarter. If your brown sugar hardened from exposure, throw a few slice if apple in the bag and deal it for 24 hours. It breaks apart much easier.. Don't know the science behind this, but the better half's family bakes and cans, so I am leaning a lot from her family side.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChunkyMonkey

throw a few slice if apple in the bag and deal it for 24 hours. It breaks apart much easier.. Don't know the science behind this

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-humidor in a baggy.

Sorry for the bad auto corrects. Hatidua is
Correct


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Smaller bags cost A LOT more. And they aren't air tight. I have had small pound sized unopened plastic bags from the grocery that went ROCK hard after only a few months. I know all the tricks to getting hard sugar soft again. Apple slices, bread slices, etc, I've done them all and they all work. However they all take planning ahead. In other words, if I got a hankering for some cookies, I want them today. Not tomorrow after the sugar has time to soften. Yea, I like immediate gratification.
So rather than go through the trouble of having the deal with softening it, I want to keep it from getting hard in the first place.

Of course all of that is moot anyway because that doesn't tell me if the 6 gallons I stored are safe to eat. I will revise my future storage methods as necessary.

Grey - the zip top mylar are awesome. You still have to heat seal them for storage, but they give you a handy re-sealable bag after it's been opened. I buy them from www.usaemergencysupply.com. those folks have always treated me right. Once or twice they have run out of stock of something I ordered and they have called me up to make sure it's ok if they instead send me a different, and more expensive, size for no charge so I don't have to wait for backorders.

I seal my mylar with:

http://www.amazon.com/Remington-S550...1204856&sr=1-2

< 20 bucks and you can set the heat to be perfect. It also does a 1 inch wide seal.

Ha! That's the exact iron I use! Mine's even purple! I "borrowed" it from the wife...permanently.

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Originally Posted by hollohas

Smaller bags cost A LOT more. And they aren't air tight. I have had small pound sized unopened plastic bags from the grocery that went ROCK hard after only a few months. I know all the tricks to getting hard sugar soft again. Apple slices, bread slices, etc, I've done them all and they all work. However they all take planning ahead. In other words, if I got a hankering for some cookies, I want them today. Not tomorrow after the sugar has time to soften. Yea, I like immediate gratification.
So rather than go through the trouble of having the deal with softening it, I want to keep it from getting hard in the first place.

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Hence the bucket and gamma lid


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChunkyMonkey

Hence the bucket and gamma lid


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Yup. I got that setup going too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hollohas

Ha! That's the exact iron I use! Mine's even purple! I "borrowed" it from the wife...permanently.

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If it breaks I don't feel bad either.

Plus a regular mylar handheld sealer is like 200 dollars?

LDS store told me to fill and seal brown and white with no 02 absorber, makes it clump.

I did a monster bag in about 8 cans. Found some articles on The interwebz say no to can brown, but well see.

Attachment 41231http://www.amazon.com/Pack-Original-...ugar+bear+clay


Available at any cooking supply store. Works for only 3-6 months unfortunately. Although if sealed...?
Or just go smash a terra cotta pot.