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There are many different
types of granulated sugar which all
differ in crystal size. Each crystal
size provides functional characteristics that make it
appropriate for different types of recipes.
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Beet sugar is derived from sugar beets,
while cane sugar is derived from sugar
cane, which can make a difference in baking. Some manufacturers don't specify whether their product is beet or cane
sugar. Read
article and information on
C & H
Companies which have pure cane sugar are:
C & H,
Imperial and
Domino. Sugar cane grows in tropical and subtropical
climates: Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Hawaii, India, Brazil, Cuba, Thailand.
Sugar beets thrive in temperate climates: North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan,
Idaho, California, the former Soviet Union, Europe. |
GRANULATED,
REGULAR, TABLE SUGAR, SUGAR, CRYSTALLINE WHITE SUGAR, (SUCROSE):
Granulated white sugar is the one used most commonly
in recipes. It is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and
vegetable in the plant kingdom, but is found in the greatest quantities in sugar
cane and sugar beets.
White sugar is 99.9% pure sucrose,
its technical name, that is refined and processed into small crystals. The size
of the crystals (degree of granulation) determines the sugar's use in the
kitchen and all have equal sweetening power. The only
difference in content is that powdered sugar has 3 percent cornstarch added to
prevent lumping. Sugar will keep indefinitely
if kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Crystalline sugar is essential to
all baking recipes, but can be
substituted if necessary, without some of the same qualities. It is
integral to the creaming step for cakes
and cookies, and other baked goods. It is also essential when making
candy. Regular sugar is added when making
meringue.
Cooked sugar is added to beaten egg to
make a pâte â bombe (egg yolks) or an
Italian meringue
(egg whites).
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Regular sugar = table sugar = standard granulated sugar
is the regular or table sugar we're all familiar with.
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Superfine sugar
= extra-fine granulated = ultrafine sugar = bar sugar = instant dissolving
sugar = berry sugar = fine granulated sugar = castor sugar = caster sugar
dissolves more quickly, and is recommended for sweetening beverages,
and for making meringues, cakes, soufflés, and mousses. To make your own,
grind standard granulated sugar in a food processor or blender for about a
minute. |
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Baker's special has a grain size between standard granulated
and superfine. Bakers use it in cakes because the fine granules improve
the texture. |
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Sanding
sugar has larger granules that sparkle when sprinkled on
baked goods and candies. |
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Coarse sugar has a larger grain size than regular granulated
sugar. It tends not to change color or break down at high temperatures.
It's similar to (and often mistaken for) sanding sugar.
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Q: Is sugar
 bleached
to make it white?
A: No. There is no bleaching agent added at
any time during the refining process. Pure sucrose crystals are
naturally white. |
HOW REFINED WHITE SUGAR IS MADE:
Refined white sugar is processed from
turbinado sugar. The
turbinado sugar is heated again to a liquid state, centrifuged, clarified
with lime or phosphoric acid, and then percolated through a column of
activated carbon. This last process removes non-white material and all
calcium and magnesium salts. Finally, the sugar is pumped back into vacuum
pans, where it’s heated until it crystallizes. It’s centrifuged to remove
syrup (marketed as refiner’s syrup). It’s not possible to crystallize and
extract all the sugar in one operation, so this boiling process is repeated
several times. The sugar is then dried. The resulting sugar is 99.95 percent
sucrose. (Sugar that is refined anywhere other than the United Sates may be
somewhat gray in color and the protein impurities may cause foaming when the
sugar is added to the liquid in a given recipe.) The sugar is then sieved
and sorted for the different granulations. |
BAR SUGAR:
is the fast dissolving sugar named
after bartenders who use it regularly. This is simply labeled as 'superfine" or
"instant dissolving" sugar.
BURNT SUGAR:
Also called
Caramelized Sugar.
CANDY SUGAR: Large white crystals
from very pure sugar.
CARAMELIZED SUGAR: Granulated sugar
caramelized by cooking at high temperature. Prepared in specialty items
requiring a special flavor and color (i.e. crème caramel dessert). Not available
for purchase, but can be made at home.
CASTER (CASTOR):
Very fine crystals make this sugar excellent for sprinkling and
including in recipes. Use for sprinkling over fresh fruit or cereals or
including in creamed mixtures, meringues and baking. To
store: Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year and once opened
store in an airtight container to prevent the sugar from going hard or damp.
CHINESE
SUGAR: Finely crystallized refined sugar. Substitutes: granulated
sugar; substitute 1 tablespoon for each Chinese sugar crystal.
CINNAMON
SUGAR: 7 parts granulated sugar + 1 part cinnamon
COARSE SUGAR
CONFECTIONER'S
CUBED
SUGAR: These are small cubes of solid sugar.
Two types of sugar cubes are available - white and
demerara. They are a convenient,
ready measured (1 tsp) amount of sugar. Sugar cubes are used for sweetening
coffee and tea. Demerara sugar cubes are used to sweeten coffee and white cubes
for tea. Crushed sugar cubes are also used to sprinkle over sweet breads and
cakes to add a sweet, crunchy garnish. To store:
Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year and once opened store in an airtight
container to prevent the cubes from disintegrating and going damp.
DATE SUGAR:
Sugar from the sap of the date palm. Substitutes: granulated
sugar (not as nutritious).
DECORATORS
(DECORATIVE) SUGAR
DEHYDRATED CANE JUICE: Usually light brown in color , it comes in
solid and powder form.
DEXTROSE (GLUCOSE POWDER):
Dextrose (also known as glucose powder) is a
monosaccharide or simple sugar powder that is about 20% less sweet as cane
sugar. It is derived entirely from corn and contains no fructose or lactose.
Dextrose is commonly used as a sweetener, a source of rapidly absorbed energy
and a carrier in water soluble medications (D5W).
Purchase
/ Click for recipes.
EXTRA FINE
FINE:
The term “fine granulated” is not to be confused with “superfine,” which is much
finer.
FLAVORED SUGAR: How to make.
FONDANT SUGAR
For a crispy top, such as
in pies and
muffins, a sugar sprinkled on top
will make a crisper surface. For a pie, try brushing the surface with a
simple sugar solution (water and granulated sugar) just before the baking is
completed. For a muffin, sprinkle sanding sugar on top before baking. |
FRUCTOSE: in crystal form, made from cane or
beets, is nearly twice as
sweet as sucrose and is more expensive. Fructose attracts more water than sugar,
therefore, fructose sweetened products tend to be moist. Baked products made
with fructose will be darker than if they were made with sucrose. See also
liquid fructose. Purchase:
Bob's Red Mill
GLUCOSE
GRAPE:
Similar to cane sugar, but less sweet and tends to attract and absorb moisture.
ICING SUGAR
INSTANT DISSOLVING
LUMP OR
LOAF SUGAR: Fine crystalline white sugar in block form. Substitutes:
castor sugar. Uses: good for jam making.
PEARL SUGAR:
Also called Decorative or Sanding Sugar. Used as a decoration in baking.
POWDERED =
CONFECTIONER'S = ICING:
Called by all names, it is finely crushed white sugar ground to a smooth
powder and then sifted before putting it in a box or bag for sale. Confectioners
sugar is available in different finenesses; 10X is a certain size grain, vs.
say, 4X. The higher the number, the finer it is such as the 10X confectioners
sugar available in supermarkets. You can't make finer powdered sugar at home
because no home processor will grind it to that powdery texture.
Confectioners' sugar dissolves
rapidly in liquids and fats at any temperature, making it ideal for sweetening;
do not substitute it with regular granulated sugar. It is used in
icings, confections and whipping cream. It is also used to thicken because it
usually contains about 3% cornstarch to prevent caking. Its powdery
texture also works beautifully to dust
on desserts. For more of a "restaurant-style" presentation, sift confectioners'
sugar over the entire plate and garnish with drizzles of raspberry or caramel
sauce.
See also Snow White Sugar for a nondissolving
powdered sugar.
PRESERVING SUGAR:
This type of sugar has the largest crystals which dissolve quickly when
stirred into a liquid, this reduces the risk of the sugar burning. Preserving
sugar dissolves quicker than granulated sugar. Used in jams, jellies, marmalades
and pickles where it dissolves quickly to give a good set.
RAW SUGAR
SANDING: Also know as decorator's sugar or
coarse sugar. A large crystal sugar that is sprinkled on top of baked goods,
usually before baking. They reflect light and give the product a sparkling
appearance. I like to decorate cookies
with it. Sanding sugar can be purchased from cookware or specialty stores.
SNOW WHITE SUGAR:
is a confectioners'-type sugar that won't melt and disappear when sprinkled on
top of a lemon tart, pastry or doughnuts. Obtain it from
http://www.kingarthurflour.com
SORBITAL: A
sugar-derived alcohol from the skin of ripe berries, cherries, and plums. It
comes in powder, flakes, or granules. It serves as an anti-crystallization agent
and is used as a thickener in candies and a stabilizer and sweetener in frozen
desserts.
SUBSTITUTES or ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
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Superfine
sugar is available in many supermarkets in a one-pound box.
You can
make your own superfine sugar, but it
doesn't work as well as the kind from the store when
using it for
creaming. To make your own,
place an equal amount of granulated sugar into a food processor fitted with
a steel blade. Process at high speed in three bursts of 10 to 15 seconds
each, until the sugar is as fine as sand. Beware:
when processing, the sugar crystals scratch the blender container
(plastic scratches more easily than glass). I once wrecked mine doing so.
So, think twice. A spice grinder also works, but you can only grind a small
amount of sugar at a time. |
SUPERFINE = ULTRA-FINE = EXTRA-FINE =
INSTANT DISSOLVING = BAR = BERRY or FRUIT SUGAR:
Available commercially, this sugar is also known as fruit sugar
because it is used in the preservation of fruits. Most professional bakers use
this granulation as their all-purpose sugar.
But unlike confectioners' sugar, superfine sugar is granulated. It is found in
the grocery store, and use it one for one with regular granulated sugar. Strain
it before using as it always clumps.
When used in cakes, superfine sugar results in a
fine crumb and lighter texture because, with smaller crystals, more surface area
is available to trap air. In the
"creaming step", the
sharp or angular surfaces of the crystals catch air. If the surface were smooth,
as with powdered sugar, the grains would just clump together and not allow air
in between. The more crystals there are, the more air will be incorporated.
Cookies made with superfine sugar are smoother
and have fewer cracks. Finer sugar also dissolves more easily and is perfect for
making delicate
meringues
(which weep if there's any undissolved
sugar). Superfine sugar also quickly dissolves well in cold and room-temperature
liquids.
SURE-
JELL (powdered pectin): Fruit
pectin for homemade jams and 'Jellies. It contains dextrose (corn syrup), fruit
pectin, and furnaric acid (which assists in the gelling process). Most grocery
stores carry it. I use regular Sure-jell, but it is also available as Sure-jell
Light or Slim-Set.
TINTED:
Tint sugar with food colors to decorate with.
ULTRA-FINE
UNREFINED NATURAL SUGAR:
A natural and unrefined sugar that tends to vary in color. Comes in either
granular or liquid forms. Look for certified organic varieties.
VANILLA SUGAR: This
sugar is made by burying two to three vanilla beans in about one pound of sugar.
It is then covered and allowed to stand for at least one week. (This is a good
use for used vanilla bean pods after they’re dried.) It can be stored
indefinitely at room temperature in an airtight container.
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