FOOD #1 Marshmallows
Marshmallows have a tendency to become hard and stale over time. To restore their freshness, place the stale marshmallows and one slice of white sandwich bread in an airtight container. After 24 hours, the marshmallows will be soft and ready for snacking or floating on hot chocolate.
FOOD #2 Cookies
Sure, you can try to eat an entire tin of soft, chewy cookies before they grow stale and harden—or you can store them along with tortillas and parchment paper. The tortillas fit tidily into the tin, where their moisture keeps cookies soft for days. Start by tracing the bottom of a cookie tin on a sheet of parchment paper, then cut it out and repeat as needed. Layer the parchment, a tortilla, parchment, and layer of completely cooled cookies in the tin. Repeat until the tin is full, ending with a layer of cookies.
FOOD #3 Honey
All honey hardens and crystallizes over time, but there’s no need to toss it. To bring honey back to its translucent, liquid state, just place the opened jar in a saucepan filled with about an inch of water and place over very low heat, stirring often, until the crystals melt. Alternatively, heat the opened jar in the microwave on high power in 10-second increments, stirring intermittently, until it has liquefied. Once cooled, use the honey or screw the lid back on for storage. Like these? See more quick tips at Cook's Illustrated.
About the Author: America's Test Kitchen
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It seems that commercial marshmallows have been changed, again, and now no longer get stale. This is a disappointment to be because I like them a bit chewy.
To keep cookies fresh I make a small boat, approximately 2″ square, out of aluminum foil and then I put a damp folded paper towel in the boat. Put the boat in the cookie jar, put the lid on the jar and the cookies will stay soft. If necessary dampen the paper towel again. The boat and paper can be reused for the next batch of cookies. Just store it in the empty cookie jar.
great tips thanks
This might be a stupid question, but corn or flour tortillas?
Don’t put a plastic honey jar in the microwave or on the stove. I transfer honey to a glass canning jar when I buy it–if it’s in one of those squeeze bottles. Might not be as convenient to dispense, but, since I don’t use very quickly, I know it will crystallize before I use it all and I can put it in a pan on the stove.
Never allow metal to come in contact with honey or molasses. Metal (spoons, knives, etc.) makes it crystallize MUCH faster than not. I only use plastic or wood, and my honey and molasses rarely crystallize.