Open a bottle of vitamins, a box of new shoes, or an electronics package and you'll often encounter a little packet of silica gel. Printed warnings usually tell you to throw it away (and don't even think about eating it), but silica gel can actually be put to good reuse in the kitchen.
Silica gel is a form of silicon dioxide, a naturally occurring mineral. As a desiccant, it helps prevent degradation or spoilage of products that are sensitive to moisture. That's why you'll find the sachets in everything from a new handbag to a package of beef jerky.
Kitchen uses for silica gel are practically endless. We have the packets stashed in our spice drawer, in containers of dried fruits and herbs, and with stored kitchen tools like cast iron pans, cookie cutters, and mason jar rings.
By the way, what would happen if you ate silica gel? Nothing, says Slate. While we'd still exercise caution (and toss any open packets), it's good to know that it's pretty safe to have around the kitchen.
Related: Tip: Dry Metal Cookie Cutters in the Oven
(Images: 1. Emma Christensen; 2. Stuart Dow/Shutterstock)
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Really?? This is pretty cool....
It's not in the kitchen but I put a couple in my fire safe to keep my documents from getting moldy.
They do eventually saturate with moisture, but you can put it in a very low heat oven for an hour or so to dry them out again.
I had been hoarding all the silica packets I could get my hands on for a certain type of instant film that has humidity problems, so I opened them all, combined them, will eventually dry it all out in the oven again and sew a little fabric pouch to hold it all.
I put them in my onion powder and garlic powder, which have a bad habit of getting clumpy. This makes me realize, I could use one in the brown sugar, too! So simple.
I keep a pack in my overnight hearing aid storage case to prevent moisture build up and make cleaning easier.
I hoard them and toss them in my potato/onion drawer. Makes a HUGE difference keeping down sprouting and keeping out rot.
Singapore is very humid. I use them in my salt containers to keep the condensation at bay. Works like a charm.
This is a great idea. I'm thinking they'd be great in a jar of cookies to keep them from crisp.
A tip for those of you who haven't been hording packets already or just would prefer to go the route of "don't put that in your mouth, you don't know where it's been!" when it comes to placing these near your food stuffs. Search for Silica Gel on Amazon. Not only are the 'vanilla' packets cheap, but they sell the powder in bulk and in other sizes. Silica Gel is a common ingredient for dehumidifiers used in many things.
I am going to second What Sam Groves said - silica packets, of all shapes and sizes, are really cheap and easy to find. The url escapes me but there is a major site that specializes in selling these.
These always make me laugh - I worked with a pharmacy technician once who didn't know the name of these, she just called them "do not eats".
My dad had a big cloth packet he kept with his photography equipment, and about once a year he would spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven for I'm not sure how long.
I keep the little ones from shoes with our bigger, lesser used camera, hoping it would deter mold.
@barlowgirl - You wouldn't want to use it in brown sugar - it would have the opposite effect you're wanting! They make terra cotta disks that release moisture, or I've heard a piece of apple, marshmallows, or slice of bread works, too!
I always store my brown sugar in the freezer to keep it from clumping.
That trick of using a piece of apple in brown sugar works. Even will soften it up after it has gotten hard and unusable.
I keep them around my books to prevent browning and moisture issues of the paper long term. (Some of my books are very old.)
so I could just put this into the minced onion container and it doesn't hurt it?
Wow, I was actually just wondering if these were food safe. I have some onion powder that is very clumpy and thought it would be great. I do know that they make a food-safe clay desiccant that I have seen in some camp foods. I just don't know where to get some.
An even better use for them is in a toolbox to prevent rust. They can also be stored with important documents to prevent mildew (if being stored in a basement for example).
My grandmother emptied a bunch of packets into a bowl and used it to dry my mom's wedding bouquet (sticking the flowers in headfirst).