How to use a silver sugar bowl?

August 29, 2022 2:47 AM

A relative has kindly bestowed a silver sugar bowl on me, the kind shaped like a tiny ornamented treasure chest on little paws. Going by markings it's solid sterling-ish silver, and the ornamentation is kind of pressed from the inside, creating multiple nooks and crannies. The brown sugar inside was in very good nick except in those nooks at the bottom, where there were small quantities of black grains, as if they tarnished along with the silver. How can I prevent it in the future?

Searching methods of use of silver sugar bowls only bring up cleaning instructions, which I have a solid grasp on. I've noticed that some period bowls are gilded on the inside, presumably to prevent it, but that's outside my budget now and would entail damage to an antique. Should I just make sure to avoid that bottom layer with tarnished grains? What did people do when these were in common use?

(The item was bought in a Leningrad antique shop in the 70s and looks to be Russian origin from the first half of the 19th century, sterling silver or just a little lower since that mark has rubbed off. We go through sugar slowly so it can sit with the same load for up to six months, and the lid is cracked open to admit the likewise sterling silver spoon.)

posted by I claim sanctuary to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Have you actually observed those black grains being created from brand-new sugar? Otherwise, it could also be possible that something was spilled into the original sugar and worked its way to the bottom, or that the original bowl was dirty when taken out of storage and not perfectly cleaned before use.

You might also try white sugar instead of brown, since it's possible the moisture/molasses in the latter would make it more reactive. (Wouldn't brown sugar harden up in a non-sealed container, anyway?)

If it really is the silver bowl depositing something onto the sugar, then you could probably seal the inside in a food-safe and nonpermanent way using paraffin wax, the kind they sell in grocery stores in the canning section. That has a very low melting point, so you'd just melt a bit of it in a pot on the stove, pour inside the bowl, and spread in a smooth layer to fill in the crevices at the bottom. The wax layer would come right off in a hot soap/water bath if you later wanted to remove it.
posted by Bardolph at 3:17 AM on August 29, 2022 [9 favorites]

What did people do when these were in common use?
I suspect that the piece originally had a [blue] glass inset which could be popped out for washing. That was the case for the mustard part of the Victorian cruet we used growing up in the last century. Replacement could be hard to source.
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:23 AM on August 29, 2022 [10 favorites]

Best answer: I would put down some parchment paper at the bottom and then use sugar cubes
posted by raccoon409 at 3:45 AM on August 29, 2022 [13 favorites]

I have something similar. I was told by the relative who gave it to me that it had a glass insert that broke long time ago.
I made an insert using small glass panes cut to measure which i glued together, sort of like a very small aquarium which sits losely inside. Because of the rectangular box shape this was not difficult, only fiddly. I suppose one could also use plexiglas. Or cardboard covered with pretty paper or adhesive foil.
posted by 15L06 at 4:17 AM on August 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

I would just put down a little "floor" of parchment paper and use it with great pleasure.
posted by nkknkk at 5:40 AM on August 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: What do you mean by “brown sugar”? In the US this term is used to refer to white sugar that has had some molasses added to it. It is slightly moist and tends to stick together. This kind of brown sugar is not pourable. Other sugars that are brown to some extent include so-called “raw sugar,” Demerara sugar, turbinado sugar and so on. These are different kinds incompletely refined sugar. They are granular and pourable. Why is this important? Molasses often contains trace amounts of sulfur, meaning that brown sugar contains trace amounts of sugar. Sulfur is what causes silver tarnish. So I would definitely not keep brown sugar in an unlined silver bowl.

It’s worth considering that most silver is intended for occasional special occasion use, not everyday use. I can’t think of too many silver pieces that are meant to store a food item more or less indefinitely. I have some solid silver salt shakers, for example, that should never have salt in them long term and must be emptied and cleaned after use.

It also seems likely that the bowl you describe was meant to contain sugar lumps/cubes.
posted by slkinsey at 5:48 AM on August 29, 2022 [6 favorites]

The fact that your piece has a tiny spoon suggests that it may have been a salt, with a blue glass liner. No reason it can’t be used as a sugar, with an alternative liner as suggested.
If it was a sugar, it would probably have had tiny tongs for the lumps.
posted by antiquated at 7:38 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

One more vote for a glass liner. Do you have any glass makers near you? I have successfully made designs and taken them to a local glass master. Alternatively, you could find a ceramicist who works with fine porcelain, who can make a liner from white or celadon porcelain.
posted by mumimor at 8:29 AM on August 29, 2022

Depending on the dimensions you may be able to find a pinch bowl or tea light holder that nests inside. That said, I’d probably not use it for sugar and instead fill it with tiny paper cranes and foreign coins and display it on a shelf in another room.
posted by Mizu at 8:57 AM on August 29, 2022

small quantities of black grains

I can't picture sugar "grains." Are you sure mice didn't get into it?
posted by ojocaliente at 9:08 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Before I did anything else I'd wash it thoroughly, dry it and then let it air dry, and I'd try it for a month or so and see if it happens again. There's no reason to go to a lot of trouble if this was just from storage. I don't have anything like this, but my mother used one for years with no problems.
I'd also make sure people don't use the sugar spoon to stir their tea and then put it back in the sugar, which is a barbaric habit but something we all do occasionally.
Even if this does recur, I'd imagine it could be dealt with by washing it out once every two or three weeks.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 10:08 AM on August 29, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I'll start with the parchment lining (after thoroughly cleaning the inside), and look for a matching 10x6cm glass insert in the future. It's probably the sulphur compounds in the Demerara sugar crystals causing the reaction, because my relative used it for white sugar without issue for decades before switching to Demerara some years ago for health reasons. Sorry for the language confusion, English is not my native language.

The spoon is a later addition definitely, completely different style. I found a similar chest style bowl that still has its matching tongs, for cubes or chips of sugar loaf, so good catch there too.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:08 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

here I deleted a double post due to sloppy typo editing, my bad.
posted by nkknkk at 1:38 PM on August 29, 2022

Oh gosh that's pretty. Consider prominently displaying it beyond its original purpose - you could keep your matchbooks or spare keys or extra business cards in it.
posted by nkknkk at 1:39 PM on August 29, 2022