Cooking with Honey
So, Cooking with Honey. Many people ask “Should I heat or cook with honey?” Well, the answer to that question is a sure YES, when you understand exactly what happens to honey when it is heated.
Honey has been in use for the longest time imaginable. Early societies across the globe consumed honey as raw food in addition to using it for medicinal purposes.
If you have already gone to the trouble to obtain Pure Natural Raw Honey from Bella Bees, then you will already know that honey is composed of antioxidants, vitamins, probiotics, amino acids, minerals, and enzymes. It is particularly known for its antibiotic and antimicrobial properties, measured by the Total Activity ranking system, so that makes it an excellent medicinal product.
We recommend using Bella Bees Pure Natural Raw Honey as a marinade, a glaze or a finishing touch to a dish, rather than heating or “cooking” with honey.
When you heat honey to above 98.6 ºF (35 ºC), its beneficial nutrients dissipate. At temperatures of 104 ºF (40 ºC ) and above, the beneficial invertase enzyme found in honey will be lost, and if you continue heating to 122 ºF (50 ºC) and above, honey transforms to caramel sugar. Too much heat not only affects the health properties of honey, but it also affects its taste. In summary, Cooking with Honey, heat damages the nutritional benefits of honey. It also changes the flavour.
So, we know that prolonged exposure of honey to high temperature completely changes everything. Whether you use a grill, microwave or any other cooking vessel, excessive heat will degrade the beneficial enzymes and also alter the flavour. The original taste of raw honey is completely lost when all its components are destroyed or changed.
That said, in the recipes, we offer on the website, we do sometimes call for honey to be heated in a sauce. We recommend using Bella Bees Pure Natural Raw Honey as a marinade, a glaze or a finishing touch to a dish, rather than Cooking with Honey. Where a recipe calls for a sauce to be cooked through or reduced, you should use our honey sparingly to maintain its nutritional benefits.
Perhaps the biggest concern for everyone who is cooking with honey. Studies have proven that heating honey will alter its chemical composition. Fortunately, the heat does not make honey toxic, such that it can harm you. The makeup of honey changes when heated, and this has a negative effect on enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and other components. It, however, does not make these components poisonous or result in any disease.
We recommend keeping Bella Bees Pure Natural Raw Honey, at room temperature, to consume it uncooked, as a marinade, a glaze or a finishing touch to a hot or cooked dish.
Reference – www.beekeepclub.com/heating-honey/