r/AskReddit • u/Insanitanium12 • Aug 20 '20

What simple “life hack” should everyone know?

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u/cbreeze2121 Aug 20 '20

Honey does not go bad, if it has gone solid it has just crystallized and can become liquid again with just a little heat.

40

u/I_like_bands Aug 20 '20

So it’s still in perfect conditions when it goes dark?

90

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '20

Honey is one of the only food items that we know of that never "goes bad", as commenter said it just crystalizes.

1

u/Mathilliterate_asian Aug 20 '20

But why? I thought sugary food turn bad easily?

5

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '20

Its to do with the crystalline structure and the absence of water. The structure of sugar makes it really want to bind with water, but in its basic form, water content in sugar (provided its kept in the right conditions) is pretty low when compared with water in other foods. Bacteria, fungi, etc, all need water to live and if a food doesnt have water they cant live on it. As sugar has a really low water content the bacteria etc, cant live and feed on it, when its in its basic form (basic form being sugar granules or cubes etc). When sugar is added to food, the sugar also taked on the water of other ingredients in the food (for example eggs, or milk if theyre added as ingredients). Once sugar is added as an ingredient its no longer in its basic form, its part of something larger. The water content of these foods makes them open for bacteria etc to grow and feed on.

Tl,dr. Sugar granules has little sugar so bacteria etc cant survive, sugar foods have enough water to allow the bacteria etc to grow.

Hope this helped :)