Nobody likes to be cheated. Especially not when it comes to our health and that of those we care about. Unfortunately, the reality is that millions of people are unknowingly being mislead every day with processed foods. The worst part in all of this is that these fake foods actually offer no benefit to your health and can actually be harmful.
For some reason, there is a perception that honey that crystallizes has “gone bad” or that it is a sign of contamination. No! It’s actually a sign of high quality honey. It's fairly simple to turn your honey back into a smooth liquid again by heating it. The best way to do this is by to put your honey in a bowl of warm water and slowly letting it warm up. If you happen to have an ultrasound machine that produces waves at 23 kHz lying around, that works too. Microwaving overheats the honey and doesn’t heat evenly, so that’s not recommended unless you are in a hurry. The problem with heating up your honey is that it loses all of its health benefits.
The fact is, with artificial honey, the added liquid-fructose in fake honey actually promotes inflammation! So it's good to know what you are consuming and how it was brought to you. If you want to avoid fake honey, here's a list of 5 simple tests and experiments that you can do at home to see if the honey you buy is real or not:
Test 1: Using water
- Pour water into a glass.
- Spoon out a tablespoon of honey from the honey jar, you want to test.
- Place the spoon in the glass of water.
- Gently shake the glass.
Result: If the honey starts to dissolve and mix with the water, it’s not pure and some amount of water has been added to it. But if the honey forms a small lump and sinks to the bottom of the glass, it is pure in quality.
Test 2: Using methylated spirit/denatured alcohol
- Mix equal parts of honey and equal parts of spirit in a glass.
Result: If the honey forms a lump and sinks, it is pure. But if it is adulterated, it will dissolve in the spirit and turn it milky white.
Test 3: Using fire
- You will need a candle with a cotton wick.
- Dip the wick into a small amount of honey.
- Allow the excess honey to drip off.
- Now light a match and hold it to the wick.
Result: If the candle wick burns, the honey is pure. But if it fails to burn, water has been added to the honey.
Test 4: Using paper
- Use a blotting paper or a white cloth.
- Drop a few drops of honey on the paper/cloth.
Result: If the honey is pure, it will remain solid on paper. Impure honey will be absorbed by the paper. With the cloth, try washing off the honey. If it does not stain, it is pure.
Test 5: Testing the swirl of honey
- Dip a honey dipper or spoon into some honey.
- Hold the dipper above a plate and pour the honey.
- Watch how the honey falls.
Result: As it falls, pure honey will flow from the spoon in a clockwise direction. It will do so very slowly. You flick the spoon upwards and the flow will slowly stop. A layered step formation of honey is formed on the plate. If adulterated, the honey will flow rapidly and smoothly and will pool on the plate.
Bonus Tip: Crystallization
Real honey will crystallize after some time, while fake honey will keep its liquid, syrup-like composition. You can learn more about this here.
So there you have it, these are the fastest and easiest ways for you to avoid fake honey. And always make sure to check your labels when you buy your honey!
