How long does real, natural honey keep for in the fridge?

Answer 1

Its life span is indefinite. However, leaving it in the fridge will make it crystallise - which can be rectified by popping it in a saucepan of warm water for a while.

BUT, it can separate if left for too long after opening (as in a decade, not a period of weeks or months!) or if it's not in an airtight container, leaving a paler crystalline sediment at the bottom and a layer of rich, chestnut brown liquid on the top. This, if you're really lucky, will be mead.... Mmmm... Fermented honey, very nice.
If you're not lucky, it'll just be rather unpleasant vinegary goo, which may well have yukky bacteria in it.
But honey's a preservative and should keep well regardless of where you keep it!

Answer 2

You shouldn't store honey in the fridge, mainly because when you move the jar in and out of the cold, condensation forms inside, and this (water, that is) will eventually cause the honey to go bad, mainly by fermentation - you'll notice a distinct sour smell when this has happened.

Room temperature is optimal. Anything too warm, however, is no good either, because when you heat the honey above body temperature (which can happen if you leave it out in a sunlit room at the height of summer at least) you'll change the sugar structure and can also destroy the many valuable nutrients, enzymes, etc. that exist in honey and make it the wonder-stuff that it is.

Incidentally, honey should in most cases be solid or semi-solid at room temperature. Honeys which remain runny have often been treated (eg. pasteurised) and/or stored at too high temperature, and are effectively just sugar syrup (see above).

When stored correctly, honey will basically keep forever - there have been honey pots found in ancient burial sites, where the honey was still fine after thousands of years.

Answer 3

Honey, as long as it's sealed properly, is in the fact the only animal product that cant go bad.
Honey has being found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it was still fresh.

Answer 4

Never put honey in the fridge, it will crystallise. Natural honey lasts forever. If it does crystallise put the jar in a saucepan of boiling water for a couple of minutes to warm and de-crystallise it.

Answer 5

100% natural honey does not need any refrigeration. Putting it in the fridge will make it solidify, but it will never go off.

Answer 6

Don't refrigerate honey. It has natural antibacterial and antibiotic properties and keeps just fine on the shelf. If you refrigerate it, it will crystalize pretty quickly.
It keeps a very long time - years, in fact.

Answer 7

Honey contains a lot of sugar and sugar is a natural anti-biotic because is destroys any bacteria that it comes into contact with by dehydrating it so it will keep for as long as you want

Answer 8

You don't even need to keep it in the fridge. Honey does not spoil.

Answer 9

Jars of honey found in Roman remains were still edible. You don't need to keep it in the fridge - if anything, you'll reduce its life because the sugar will crystallise out - and it'll become harder to pour.

Answer 10

Honey lasts forever. It's the only food product that will never go off!!