Soak your ceramic brown sugar softener in water for 15 minutes, pat dry, and put on top of the brown sugar. JBK knows firsthand how frustrating it is when you go to the pantry or cupboard for the brown sugar, only to discover it is ROCK HARD and completely dried up! Our mothers and grandmothers used a piece of bread or apple to try to solve the problem, but there was the possibility of mold imparting an undesired flavor to the sugar, and the solution was short lived. The JBK Brown Sugar Saver will soften the hard brown sugar and keep it soft for up to 6 months when stored in a closed container. When sugar begins to harden, re-soak, pat dry, and use again. Use after soaking to soften and maintain moisture in brown sugar, granulated sugar, sugar in the raw, turbinado sugar, and sugar substitutes, baked goods, cakes, cookies, marshmallows, even dried fruit. Or, use it dry without soaking to absorb moisture and keep spices, salt, crackers, pretzels and chips dry and crispy.