Most baking ingredients such as sugar, flour, baking powder, syrups, and flavourings can last for a longer period, and you can even use them even after the expiration dates.
That said, if you enjoy baking, here are some tips you might want to consider:
- Sugar will get hard when it’s damp. What you can do is to reheat a bowl in the microwave and cover it with a paper towel to absorb the moisture.
- You can reheat syrup, or honey if they crystallise by placing them in a container with hot water.
- Store dry ingredients in an airtight storage bottles or containers or even a sealed plastic bag to last longer.
- If your eggs are nearing expiry dates, separate the yolks from whites and place them in the freezer.
- If you have unopened packs of baking ingredients, store them properly for the next baking session.
- Opened pack baking ingredients and homemade cakes can be frozen – just wrap your cakes such as tarts and pies in slices to defrost quickly if you want to have a bite.
- Biscuits that are exposed to air and have softened can be crunchy again by reheating them in an oven.
- Herbs and spices can last for more than a year, but you may want to use them up as their flavours fade off with time.