Can You Freeze Honey?
Quick Answer : Can You Freeze Honey?
Technically, you can freeze honey if the temperature in the freezer is consistently below -4 degrees Celsius. However, commercial honey makers always advise against freezing or refrigerating honey. It is because pure raw honey does not freeze but becomes solid when the freezer temperature remains below -4 degrees Celsius. However, some honey remains in the liquid form and continues to flow slowly.
Why Does Honey Not Freeze?
Honey crystallizes and solidifies when placed inside the freezer but does not freeze fully. However, it does not affect honey’s qualities in any way. Nevertheless, we suggest storing the honey in airtight containers to prevent oxidation.
How Do You Freeze Honey?
Please freeze honey only when it is necessary.
Freezing Honeycombs
Though honey does not freeze, you can freeze the honeycomb containing the honey without damaging the honey or the frame.
One of the best advantages of freezing the honeycomb is that you can extract all the honey when harvested. In addition, honey does not contain much moisture. So, it does not expand much even to damage the fragile honeycomb.
Another advantage of freezing honeycombs is to kill the wax moths and their larvae that live inside these combs. These moths do not survive at freezing temperatures.
The best way to freeze honeycombs is to wrap them tightly in plastic covers. Please ensure against exposing it to air or moisture that can cause oxidation. Placing it inside the freezer lets the honey solidify and prevents air and moisture exposure. So, it maintains its nutrients.
Freezing Honey Or Storing Honey In The Freezer
Instead of using the term freezing honey, the better word would be storing honey in the freezer. So, if you have a large container with honey, you can pour it into a small bottle or container for immediate use. Then, you can store the remaining honey inside the freezer. So, whenever you need honey, you can warm it, pour it into the small container, and place the large container back into the freezer for storage.
However, we advise you to check for crystal formation in the honey. Even if there is granule formation, it does not harm the honey. You can reverse the process without damaging the honey.
Does Freezing Honey Destroy Its Nutrients?
Freezing honey does not destroy its nutrients. On the other hand, it preserves its natural anti-microbial properties. However, subjecting honey to frequent temperature variations can cause crystal formation and impact its nutritional value. The crystals can melt when becoming warm. Thus, they add moisture to the honey and affect its quality.
Therefore, we suggest freezing honey with a specific plan of thawing it all at once. It enables the entire batch to come to room temperature. So, even if it crystallizes, you can warm it to restore its natural liquid state.
So, Should We Prevent The Crystallization Of Honey?
Scientifically, honey crystallizes when the glucose in it separates from the water. So, honey with a higher glucose concentration than fructose will crystallize more. But, there should not be any problems with consuming crystallized honey. Many people love it and prefer it to runny honey.
While crystallization protects the honey flavor, it is not always ideal because it makes the honey feel gritty. In addition, the crystals can sometimes sink to the bottom and leave thinner liquid at the top. Thus, it affects the honey’s consistency.
Therefore, storing honey in glass containers at room temperature can slow the crystallization process.
How Do You, De-Crystallize Honey?
The best way to de-crystallize hone is to place the honey bottle in a hot water bowl. Allow the bottle to sit there until it de-crystallizes completely. Placing plastic honey bottles in hot water is not advisable as the harmful chemicals from the plastic can leach into the honey and affect its purity.
If you have stored the honey in a plastic container, you can scoop it out and place it in a bowl or container comfortably sitting in a large hot water bowl. You can also microwave the crystallized honey if you do not have much time. The process requires microwaving for 30 seconds, followed by stirring.
Another method of de-crystallizing honey is to add it to the recipe you prepare. Again, the heat will deliquefy the honey and restore its texture.
Which Honey Is Better To Freeze, Raw Or Store-Bought?
Though both the honey does not freeze entirely, freezing raw honey is better because the store-bought honey contains preservatives that allow for extended shelf life.
How Long Do You Store Honey In The Freezer?
Honey does not become bad. So, you can store it as long as you like, but we advise protecting the honey from air or moisture contamination.
Can You Freeze Honey-Baked Ham?
You can freeze honey-baked ham for up to six weeks. We advise wrapping the honey-based ham in aluminum foil before freezing.
Can You Freeze Honeydew Melon?
It is possible to freeze honeydew melon. The process involves cutting the melon in half and removing the seeds. Then, you can slice or cube the melons and freeze them in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
Can You Freeze Honey-Glazed Carrots?
While honey-glazed carrots taste the best from the oven, you can freeze them after cooking and cooling them to room temperature.
Can You Freeze Honey-Baked Turkey?
It is possible to freeze honey-baked turkey as you froze honey-baked hams. Please wrap the honey-baked turkey tightly to prevent air and moisture contamination.
Can You Freeze Honey Buns?
It is possible to freeze honey buns, provided you wrap them perfectly and avoid air exposure. The honey buns can remain fresh in the freezer for three months.
Can You Freeze Honey Joys?
We do not recommend freezing honey joys. However, storing them in airtight containers in the refrigerator can retain their crunchiness for a week.
Can You Freeze The Honey Cake?
It is possible to freeze the honey cake and maintain its freshness for two months.
Can You Freeze Honey Butter?
You can freeze honey butter. The ideal method is to refrigerate honey butter and spoon it into an ice cube tray for freezing. On solidifying, you can transfer the cubes to a ziplock bag for freezing.
Can You Refrigerate Honey?
We do not recommend refrigerating honey because the cool temperature inside the fridge can cause the honey to become a semi-solid mass.
Final Thoughts
Can you freeze honey? It can be a tricky question because there are different schools of thought. While one side recommends against freezing honey, the counterpart does not see any harm in freezing honey. So, we can sum up our discussion by stating that you can freeze honey only if it is necessary. Otherwise, there are better storage methods.
