# Help! honey is solid in plastic container.



## flower01 (Aug 1, 2007)

I don't know what to do besides heating the whole plastic container in a saucepan of water. But, i really don't want to do that since it's plastic. Does anybody have any suggestions? It is still soft enough that if I had a small enough spoon i could scrape it out of the container, but that would be difficult and I wouldn't know what to do with it after that.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

I'd just put it in a bowl of HOT water and let it warm up that way. Or if you want to you can try scraping it out and putting it in a glass jar (mason jar or some such) and heating it up in that if your more comfy with that...


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## hummingmom (Apr 18, 2008)

It should also work if you just use warm water, say 115-120 degrees. This takes longer than using hot water, so you'd have to keep replacing some of the water with hot tap water to keep it around the right temperature.

Another option is to put it in a picnic cooler along with a jug of hot water, and just leave it for a day or so.


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## gardenmommy (Nov 23, 2001)

What sort of container is it in? My honey comes in a plastic pail. I pour it into 2 quart glass jars with no problem. If it is in a gallon jug, could you pour out as much as possible first, then heat what remains so that it pours out easily? Then pour out that into your container?


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## flower01 (Aug 1, 2007)

Ok, so I think i'll just warm it up in a bowl of hot water. But, that will only work temporarily right. So it'll warm up and re-liquify, but it will harden again pretty quickly, won't it? So I'll have to warm it up every time I want to use it?

Is there any way to prevent it from hardening to begin with?

As for the type of container, it's just a typical 24 oz plastic jar with a flip to lid from TJ's.


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## JaneSmith1010 (Apr 22, 2007)

do not heat it in the plastic container. scoop it out and warm it in a bowl in a hot/warm water bath.


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## ChocolateNummies (Apr 9, 2007)

I think I'd scrape it out and store it in a glass jar then work from there. You can use a sharp knife or pair of scissors to cut off the top of the plastic container to make it easier to scoop out.


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## Magelet (Nov 16, 2008)

Yes, the honey will reharden. Honey crystallizes over time, its just what it does. It keeps forever (pretty much literally, unless water gets in and it turns into mead which still might keep forever, not sure.), but it crystallizes. Heat it up and transfer it, or scoop it, transfer it and heat it up, but do transfer it so you only have to deal with the "do I heat it up in plastic" dilemma once.


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## dogmom327 (Apr 19, 2007)

I'd scoop it out and use a glass bowl to very gently heat it (no more than 115 degrees).


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## artemis33 (Jan 5, 2006)

I'd scrape it all into a sterilized mason jar and place it in warm water to liquify it.


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

If it's raw honey (which it is if it is crystallized) putting it in hot water will pasteurize it. So says my uncle the beekeeper.


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## reeseccup (Jul 3, 2003)

Take good kitchen shears and cut the plastic bottle open, scrape out the honey and put in "jelly jars" or something similar that makes it easier to spoon it out in the future. For future reference, pour the new honey into smaller jars so it's easier to manage in the future (make sure the jars are sterilized with lids that are as well, before putting the honey into the jars).


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## JaneSmith1010 (Apr 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aniT* 
If it's raw honey (which it is if it is crystallized) putting it in hot water will pasteurize it. So says my uncle the beekeeper.

I doubt you would use water warm enough to pasteurize the honey. To my knowledge if you keep the water warm....like under 118F or so, it will slowly melt it but not kill all of the good stuff in it. I could be wrong though.


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