Facts Of Basics – Part 2, Sugar
To refresh your memory, a friend asked, in view of the rising prices, if she had to buy all of the different types of the basic ingredients listed in the recipes she would prepare for the holidays, or if she could save a bit of money by making some of them do double duty. I realize that “The Holidays” not only means those so many of us celebrate in December, but Thanksgiving and Halloween as well, which for lots of people involves cooking, especially baking, for classroom and organization parties in addition to family gatherings. It has become a long season!
Last posting I discussed flour, a major player in most holiday food preparations, and now turn to sugar. I will not go into artificial sweeteners. Having experience in cooking for both relatives and clients, who are diabetic or dieting, I’m aware that people form intense preferences and loyalties to specific brands and I don’t want to explore that whole field here. So I’m only going to talk about traditional sweeteners.
There are several substances in the generalized family of sugars used as food sweeteners. All are derived from plant tissue, and none have any nutritional value. No surprise there! Historically, only two crops contain sufficient amounts for commercial extraction; the sugar cane and the sugar beet.
Sugar cane is an ancient, tropical, perennial grass originally from Asia. Initially, it was chewed or soaked and pressed to yield syrup but around 550 B.C. in India a means was developed to cool and dry the syrup to form crystals, making it easily transportable and a valuable trading commodity. Compatible to cultivation, sugar cane is widely grown in the East and West Indies, as well as the U.S. and South America, and was introduced to the New World by Columbus. The most commonly recognized sugars are the products of the cane plant and the most familiar form of those is white granulated.
Briefly, to produce granular sugar, the cane is harvested and processed to extract the juice, which is heated and condensed into a thin syrup. The syrup is clarified with lime and then further condensed to form crystals. The resulting sugar crystals are slightly sticky, light brown and coarse, retaining a slightly molasses flavor. Actually called Turbanido sugar, but commercially labeled “Raw Sugar” they have become quite popular, mainly used to sweeten soft drinks and for baking. White “table” sugar requires further refining to bleach it and achieve a finer grain. Although granulated sugar contains no nutrients, it is important in cooking, not only as a sweetener. It adds a golden color to many cooked foods, keeps baked goods moist, enhances texture because the sharp edges of the granules create air pockets during mixing, stabilizes some other ingredients like egg whites and even prevents spoilage in some products.
White granulated sugar is ground to several levels of fineness, usually indicated by an “X” on the package. In addition to plain, everyday Table sugar they are:
1) Crystalline or screened sugar is large grained, chiefly used for decoration and often colored
2) Superfine or “Bar” sugar is very fine grained and quickly dissolves in liquid.
3) Confectioners or “Bar” sugar often marked 10X is the finest grind. Used in candy making and cake decorating, it usually contains about 3% corn starch to prevent clumping.
Brown sugar is granulated sugar mixed with molasses, which colors it, gives it a soft, moist constancy and adds a rich flavor more pronounced in the Dark variety and delicate in the Light. Because of its texture, brown sugar should be packed into any measuring container for accuracy. It’s often mixed with white sugar in baked goods to reduce the acidity of the molasses.
Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar refining process. It is what remains when the sugar is separated from the cane juice. Since this is done in three stages, there are three grades of molasses ,light, dark and blackstrap. The last is very bitter and should be confined to use in specific recipes. Light can be used as a table syrup and dark is better for baking, but a pinch of baking soda is wise to counteract its acidity, and the oven should be about 25degrees lower than other baked goods to prevent overbrowning.
All sugar products have long shelf lives if kept in air tight containers. Molasses will last a couple of years, and granulated sugars indefinitely. Brown sugars have a tendency to harden, but can be revived if microwaved for a few minutes. I have found that placing the soaked shard of unglazed pottery in the jar keeps it flexible longer.
Beet Sugar dates to the 16th century when the ability of the vegetable’s juice to form a syrup was discovered in Germany, but the actual extraction of sugar from the beet was delayed until the mid 18th century also in Germany. Napoleon became interested in the prospect of growing a crop in a temperate climate that could replace the expense of importing cane sugar. He ordered large fields planted and factories built to process the sugar and the progress of the sugar beet across Europe began. In the late 19th century it was brought to California, and is now grown extensively in the U.S. as well as Europe, Russia and several other countries with temperate climates.
The process of transforming the beet into sugar is similar to that done with cane. The vegetable is milled and the pulp removed. The juice is then transformed into syrup and distilled in several stages to remove the water and extract the crystals. The crystals are white and need no further refining. Though widely used in other parts of the world, beet sugar is mainly limited to commercially produced products in the U.S. More recently, it is combined with granulated cane sugar to increase the supply, hence the marking “Pure Cane Sugar” on packages.
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Corn syrup is derived from a grain called Maize, or in English “Corn,” which was cultivated by the native people of the Western Hemisphere as early as 3000 B.C. When introduced to Europe in the 16th century, it gained immediate popularity because of its ability to adapt to different climates. Corn is unique among grains in that the kernels of the immature sheaves or “ears,” are eaten as a vegetable. The mature grain is used in many ways, but milled it yields a starch, which when processed with water and a certain enzyme produces thick, clear, sweet syrup; the more extensive the processing, the higher the fructose level. This level is stated on each package as DE (dextrose equivalent). Dark corn syrup has caramel added, which gives it a denser flavor and browner coloring desirable for making candies and pastries like Pecan Pie. It’s often referred to by a trade name “Karo Syrup.” Corn syrup is used in making candies, frostings, jams and jellies. In baking, it lightens texture, adds volume and increases flavor and renders low-fat cookies crisper.
Honey has to be the oldest and most natural method of sweetening requiring only a minimum of handling between its source and the table. Its flavor variations and color depend on the flowers growing near the hives rather than artificial manipulation. These variations are prized in cooking for the taste modifications they can impart to different dishes. In baking honey is desirable because it provides a crisp crust while retaining moisture in the item. However, its nutritional value is about the same as other sweeteners. Honey has an infinite shelf life, and should be stored at room temperature in an air tight container. Over time its flavor may fade, its color darken and if too cold, it may crystallize, which can be cured by microwaving it for about a minute or less, but it won’t spoil.
Now to answer my friend’s question about substituting ingredients to cut expenses, once again; yes it is possible. Let’s start with white granulated sugar.
1) Decorating sugar has no replacements because it’s a large grain not usually sold retail n larger quantities. Though possible to color it at home, it’s not always successful, and there’s no saving because the cost of clear is the same as colored.
2) Table sugar on the other hand can provide real savings. To make cup for cup:
A) Bar sugar run it through a spice grinder, usually only once. This can also be done with a blender.
B) Powdered or Confectioners’ sugar run it through a spice grinder until desired consistency. 7/8 cup granulated + 1 Tbs. cornstarch = 1 cup powdered. Don’t forget to add the cornstarch.
3) Table sugar can also replace – again cup for cup:
A) Light Brown sugar by using 1 cup granulated sugar + 3 Tbs. molasses Or ½ cup granulated sugar + ½ cup dark brown sugar
B) Light Corn Syrup by using 1 cup sugar dissolved in ¼ cup water or liquid named in recipe.
C) Honey by using 1 ¼ cup sugar + ¼ cup liquid named in recipe.
Light Brown sugar used cup for cup can replace white granulated sugar in baking yielding a moister product with a slight butterscotch flavor. In cooking it can also replace honey in the same proportions as granulated sugar with the above affect on the flavor.
Dark Brown sugar can replace 1 cup dark corn syrup by using 1 ¼ cups +1/4 cup water.
Honey can replace granulated sugar per cup by using 1 ¼ cups honey and reducing the fluid in the recipe by ¼ cup in general cooking, but in baking don’t replace more than half the sugar required to insure the desired results.
There is no substitute for molasses.
Actually, I’ve learned a lot in researching sugar. Of course, the ingredients you buy, especially for holidays, depend on family traditions and favorite recipes. You want to insure that the familiar flavors will be the same. Fortunately, the foods in this category don’t spoil and, even if only used once a year, will keep, but what about replacing them? For my part, I have a bottle of corn syrup and some powdered sugar I’ll be glad to see used up, and rather than buy more, I intend to try these alternatives. If they work, I’ll be happy to be able to make just what I need and not have to push containers with the remainder around on the shelves all year. It goes without saying I’ll save money too, by buying one thing and using it extensively, rather than several and using only a part. So I’m taking my advice to my friend to heart myself and experimenting in eliminating some items on my holiday food shopping lists.
