Up until a few years ago I was a serious raisin hater. Didn't want them in cookies, didn't want them on my salad, didn't want them plain, didn't want them in fruit cake... raisins = blah. Somewhere in the past two years my brain decided to like raisins. Don't ask me why. Maybe adults have to like raisins (is it in the manual I never received?)... I haven't figured it out. But now, I like 'em. I'll toss them in my oatmeal, add them to a salad, definitely eat them in cookies, and now I really want to make Laura's caramel raisin pudding.
I started buying these large containers of raisins last winter when I made oatmeal on a daily basis for breakfast. But I quickly learned once you open the box of raisins they DRY out fast. And nobody wants a SUPER dried out, icky raisin. Trust me, they aren't tasty.
So a few months ago when I bought another box of raisins I figured something out. If I put them in ziplock baggies they stayed fresh. Duh.
But to keep the whole box SUPER fresh, I divide the raisins into 4 ziplock baggies. Squeeze all the air out of the baggies and zip them closed.
At this point (if sticky stuff weirds you out like it does moi) you might want to wash out the raisin box, since it will have sticky raisin residue on it. Then stuff in the four baggies of raisins. That way you only have to open 1/4 of the "box" of raisins at a time and all the remaining raisins will stay super fresh until you need them.
You're welcome. Now go make some of Karina's oatmeal raisin cookies. Clara swears by them!
Now you won't have to spend sleepless nights worrying over super dried out raisins. I'm glad I could help. :-P
