What Is Creamed Honey And Is It Sweeter Than Regular Honey?
Honey has been used as a sweetener since ancient times. It's been used in foods, medicines, and candies. The ancient Egyptians were the first to cultivate honey — but in the millennia since, humans have refined the process in several ways.
In 1928, Professor Elton J. Dyce of Cornell University developed a new method for processing honey. He claimed his invention was superior to the standard honey products you can buy at the store. In its unpasteurized state, honey tends to harden and form coarse crystals, Dyce explained. Alternatively, the texture of pasteurized honey is drippy and thin. Dyce's method produced a soft, smooth honey with a thick consistency and a light, creamy color — the perfect solution.
This is called "creamed honey," also known as whipped honey, spun honey, churned honey, or honey butter. However, despite its advantages, creamed honey has never really caught on commercially. Reports show that customers mistakenly assume that the product is moldy and miss out on the buttery-smooth treat.
What exactly is creamed honey?
Based on its name and milky appearance, you might assume that creamed honey contains dairy, but unlike treats like honey whipped cream, creamed honey only contains one ingredient: pure, raw honey.
Raw honey is the unpasteurized version of the honey you typically find at supermarkets — the purest form, straight from the hive. Many people love raw honey, but if you've ever bought it for yourself, you've likely noticed that it begins to crystalize after a few months.
When honey crystallizes, it changes from a glassy, viscous liquid to a hard, grainy solid. While crystallized honey is perfectly safe for consumption, most people find the texture unappealing. So what should you do with crystallized honey?
Well, one option is to turn it into creamed honey. The Dyce method involves controlling the crystallization process so the crystals are smaller and more evenly shaped than the ones that occur naturally. This gives creamed honey its smooth, buttery texture. It may sound complicated, but you don't need any special equipment to make it. With a little time and patience, you can learn to make creamed honey in your own kitchen.
How is creamed honey made?
Nutritional information about creamed honey
Honey is highly nutritious — and creamed honey is no exception. According to the National Library of Medicine, honey has been used medicinally for over 8,000 years to treat everything from hepatitis to hiccups. Though not all of these purported medicinal uses are backed by modern science, honey still has an impressive list of health benefits. Honey is anti-bacterial, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Medical-grade honey can be used topically to help heal wounds and burns, and studies suggest that it could treat a host of other medical conditions, too. There's evidence that honey could help treat gastrointestinal issues, heart disease, and depression.
While honey has more calories than sugar, Healthline notes that it's often seen as a healthier alternative. It's better for regulating blood sugar, too, so some people with diabetes use it as a substitute. Still, use it in moderation.
You may already use honey medicinally, as a common remedy for a cough or sore throat. WebMD suggests that using honey as an alternative to cough syrup could be particularly beneficial to children since over-the-counter cough medications aren't recommended for young kids. Don't feed honey to babies, though. Children less than a year old haven't built up resistance to the germs or spores sometimes found in honey, so they're at high risk of developing botulism. According to one study, roughly 20% of cases of infant botulism reported in the U.S. each year are related to honey.
Spread on toast, biscuits or bagels: It’s a delicious alternative to traditional butter or jam and can be flavored with additional ingredients like cinnamon or vanilla extract.
Topping for pancakes or waffles: Whipped honey can be drizzled over pancakes or waffles for a sweet and flavorful breakfast treat.
Baking ingredient: Whipped up honey can be used as a natural sweetener in baking recipes. Its light and fluffy texture makes it easy to incorporate into cake batters, muffins, and other baked goods.
Glaze or marinades for meats: Surprisingly, it can make a good glaze for meats, like ham or chicken. Simply mix it with other ingredients like mustard or soy sauce to create a flavorful and sweet glaze.
Whipping honey makes it a good alternative to cloying, overly rich traditional syrups. Since it is lighter and less dense than syrup, or even regular honey, whipped creamy honey can be used more sparingly and melts wonderfully over the top and down the sides of your favorite morning stack.
