You often get ‘em for free, but they’re actually pretty handy for keeping pantry ingredients clump-free and meringues crispy.
recipes. But because I only use a couple of teaspoons at most per recipe, a jar of instant coffee can sit in the pantry for months. No matter how tightly I screw on the lid, the instant coffee grains always lump and solidify, making them unusable the next time I want to makeBut once I started throwing a desiccant pack into my instant coffee powder, it started lasting a lot longer. Long enough for me to use the entire jar to bake with, which is pretty impressive.
Once I figured out that I could throw desiccant packets into ingredient containers, I started adding them everywhere. There’s a desiccant pack in my powdered sugar to help prevent clumping, in my box of kosher salt, and in my cocoa powder. I stick a packet in any dry ingredient that I think might clump together or get moldy, including dried mushrooms, panko and regular bread-crumbs, baking soda, freeze-dried fruit, bulk dried herbs and spices, and hard candy.
The one clumping ingredient I wouldn't put a desiccant packet in, though, is brown sugar. Brown sugar clumps for the exact opposite reason that other ingredients like powdered sugar or instant coffee do. With the latter, moisture gets in, partially dissolves things, and clumping occurs. But because brown sugar is often white sugar processed with molasses, when the molasses loses moisture and dries out, it hardens.
And one of the best things about the desiccant packets that my husband bought is that they have dyed pellets that change color as they absorb more water. Once they go from orange to green, you know the packet has absorbed as much water as it can. Microwave the packet for 30 seconds and the water will be driven off, making the packets usable again!
The one caveat is clearly labeled on the packet itself: do not eat the packet! If you think the packet is broken or damaged, discard the entire content of the ingredients it’s sitting in or thoroughly wash the wooden or bamboo item. This scenario, by the way, has never happened to me, but it’s an important one to note. And if you have small children or someone who might mistake the desiccant packet as part of the food, you should probably avoid using it in your kitchen.
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