Garum
Techniquebeginnerreviewed

Storing Christmas biscuits

Also searched as: storing cookies, biscuit tin, keeping biscuits fresh

In short: Store crisp and soft biscuits separately and airtight: moisture always moves from moist to dry.

Picture it

Like two rooms with the door open: the moisture spreads until both are the same.

What happens

Sugar draws in moisture. If soft and crisp biscuits share a tin, the soft ones give up water: they turn hard and the crisp ones turn soft. An airtight tin keeps the moisture where it is.

Why it matters

Stored properly, most biscuits keep two to three weeks, gingerbread considerably longer (as a guide).

How it’s done

Sequence · Step 1 of 4
1234

Let biscuits cool completely, or steam condenses in the tin.

All steps as a list
  1. Let biscuits cool completely, or steam condenses in the tin.
  2. Each kind in its own tight-fitting tin.
  3. Store soft biscuits and gingerbread with an apple slice, changing it every few days.
  4. Keep somewhere cool, but not in the fridge.

Rules of thumb

  1. Crisp with crisp, soft with soft.
Sources · 1
  • Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Zucker