The Citrus Peel Hack That Makes Brown Sugar Easier To Use

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Have you ever reached for brown sugar in the depths of your pantry only to retrieve what seems like a solid, unusable brick? Suddenly, your chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe or homemade barbecue sauce hangs in the balance. While granulated white sugar doesn't normally fall prey to this problem, the molasses that is added to brown sugar, which gives the ingredient its signature toasted caramel notes, is the culprit. When exposed to air, the moisture in the molasses evaporates, and the sugar crystals start to clump together in an unpleasant way.

While there are methods like using the microwave to soften brown sugar that seem rather fossilized, here's an all-natural trick that will prevent your brown sugar from crystallizing into a solid form in the first place: add a citrus peel into the bag. Just one piece of orange or lemon peel will do the trick. 

To try this hack for yourself, simply use a vegetable peeler to harvest a sizable piece of rind from your favorite citrus fruit, making sure to remove any remaining fruit flesh that may still be attached. From there, rinse the peel, pat it dry, and toss it into your brown sugar, burying it a bit within the container. The natural oils in the rind will keep the sugar soft and ready to use.

Most people don't use brown sugar on a daily basis, so storing brown sugar properly is the first line of defense in ensuring the ingredient is ready to use when the need arises. A good rule of thumb is to always store brown sugar in a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid. The less air this ingredient comes in contact with, the better. You can insert gadgets like JBK Pottery's terra cotta sugar saver into these containers, but a citrus peel serves the same purpose. This hack also relies on something you likely already have around the house, and even gently perfumes your brown sugar with notes of citrus.

Even if you forget to add the citrus peel when you first store your brown sugar, it will still perform its softening trick if you add it to the container later on — as long as you give it a day to work its magic. From there, you are set up for success the next time the baking urge strikes. Then, when you're done with the peel, give one of the absolute best ways to use up leftover citrus zest a try. Consider candying it, making citrus curd, or even using the zest to flavor some of that brown sugar to create a whimsical sugar rim for your next cocktail.