Stirring is used to make honey uniform and to control crystal formation. It is the most important process that works without heat.

Why stir

• Making batches uniform: Honey does not mix by itself; the top and bottom of a vessel can differ
• Making creamed honey: Controlled stirring produces very fine crystals
• After gentle warming: To prevent local overheating

Creamed honey — the main application

Honey crystallises regardless. The difference lies in the size of the crystals.

• Undisturbed crystallisation gives coarse, gritty crystals
• Controlled stirring gives very fine crystals and a smooth, spreadable honey

The advantage: the honey stays spreadable without heating. For fast-crystallising types that is a better route than repeatedly liquefying it.

The method in brief

• Add a small amount of fine-crystalline honey as seed
• Stir briefly each day over several days
• At a cool, steady temperature
• Bottle once the desired consistency is reached

Air is the pitfall

Vigorous stirring beats in air. The result is a foam layer and white streaks along the jar wall.

That is harmless but looks like a fault to the customer. Stir slowly and keep the stirrer below the surface.

Materials

Stainless steel or food-grade plastic. A stirrer that reaches the bottom and does not splash.

What it is not

Homogenising makes a batch uniform; it does not improve honey that is too wet or has been overheated.

And when combining batches, the separation by flow and apiary is lost — and with it the origin claim.

Cleaning

Warm water, dry completely, no detergent residue.