On 1/3/2011 4:35 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 03/01/2011 3:55 PM, Chemo the Clown wrote:
>
>>
>> Years ago, I bought this little clay flat disc. Soak in water for
>> about 15 minutes then pat dry and put into the ziploc that has the
>> brown sugar. The sugar will stay soft for months...and I mean
>> months...I still have some that is over 6 months old and it's still as
>> soft as the day I bought it.
>
> I bought one of those for my sugar bowl last year. It has a top, but it
> is not sealed. It helps a bit. Last week I gave up and stuck a small
> piece of bread in the bowl and it's doing a much better job.

I have canisters with airtight seals, but a couple of times I haven't
let them dry enough to keep white sugar from turning into a brick. I've
let them dry for a week at a time, and no matter what, it seems when
it's time to wash and refill, this happens. I've tried the bread trick
with white sugar, and no good. The last time it turned into a brick I
had to save it for hummingbird food because I couldn't even blend it
back to smooth. This last time I washed the canister, I just stirred
the sugar a few times the first day (and yes, it was already trying to
become a brick) and then once or twice the 2nd and 3rd day before I was
sure it wasn't going to "turn".

So maybe the bread trick only works when molasses is present. Just a guess.