Ripping into a fresh packet of biscuits and dunking one or two in a cup of tea is one of life’s small but satisfying delights. But if you don’t properly store your biscuits once they’re open, the result will be less than satisfying the next time you reach for a sweet treat.
Biscuits quickly turn soft and go stale when they’re exposed to the air, because they start to absorb moisture which causes them to lose that delicious crunchy texture. Biscuits with a high sugar content in particular are much drier than the surrounding air, so they absorb more moisture and turn softer. So if you leave your biscuits lying around uncovered once you’ve opened the packet it won’t be long until they go soggy, so good storage is key. According to food storage experts, biscuits need different treatments to keep them fresh depending on what type of biscuit they are. Soft biscuits, like cookies, need to stay moist and supple to maintain their texture, while harder biscuits need to keep a dry, crispy crunch.
Cookies should therefore be stored with a slice of bread in a tin. The bread has a higher moisture content than the biscuits and so it releases this into the tin, helping to rehydrate the biscuits and keep them soft, chewy and supple.
Explaining how to keep cookies deliciously soft and fresh, Hill Street Grocer says: “The solution is as simple as putting the biscuits in an airtight jar along with a small piece of bread (no more than half a slice). If you don’t have an airtight jar, a zip-lock bag also works well.
“The science behind it is that biscuits start to dry out as soon as you remove them from the oven. The moisture in the biscuits is constantly evaporating and the sugars and starches in the biscuit are solidifying, and all of this leads to dry, hard biscuits.
“When you add some bread to the container with the biscuits, the bread helps to keep the biscuits soft because the biscuits absorb moisture from the bread.”
But for the classic British biscuits – think bourbons, custard creams and digestives – you want to avoid moisture to keep that tasty crunch, so keep them stored separately inside an airtight container or sealable sandwich bag, away from the Hovis.
Waterbridge Confectionery says: “The best way to ensure your English biscuits stay fresh is by keeping them in an airtight container. Moisture and biscuits don’t mix well, so storing them in Tupperware is a good option.
“A cookie barrel is another fantastic way to keep your biscuits fresh and they also look stylish sitting on your counter or dessert table.”