Truly scrumptious | Sugar
Sugar is one of the most important ingredients used in preparing pastries and sweets. The process of extracting and purifying sugars from sugar cane and sugar beet allows for the production of a large variety of sugars.
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
Sugars may differ in colour, flavour, sweetness and crystal size. Each of these characteristics allows sugar to perform a variety of functions in food products, in addition to providing a sweet taste. Sugar is available in different types, differing mostly as to the degree of refinement. Selecting the right type for the purpose required is important, for example using granulated sugar when making a meringue means the sugar will not dissolve by the time the meringue is completed.
Essential function of sugar
Apart from being used as a sweetening agent, sugar has other essential functions.
- It delays the coagulation of the proteins in eggs.
- Promotes aeration and colour in baked products.
- Lowers the freezing point in ice cream preparation
- Increases the shelf life of cakes.
White sugar
Granulated sugar - Granulated sugar is the most common form of refined sugar and is available in varying crystal sizes, including coarse, medium, fine or extra fine and are used for general household purposes.
Coarse sugar, as its name implies, contains the largest sugar crystals. Coarse sugar is recovered when molasses-rich, sugar syrups high in sucrose are allowed to crystallise. The large crystal size of coarse sugar makes it highly resistant to color change or inversion (natural breakdown to fructose and glucose) at cooking and baking temperatures. These characteristics are important in making fondants, confections and liquors.
Castor sugar - Castor sugar is a form of granulated sugar which is very fine. This allows it to dissolve almost instantly, making it useful for sprinkling over cereals, to add to creamed mixtures or in making meringues.
Icing sugar - Icing sugar is finely ground granulated sugar which contains approximately 3% cornstarch, an anti-caking agent to prevent clumping. It can also be known as confectioner's sugar, fondant sugar or powdered sugar. It is particularly useful in glazes and used for icing cakes and doughnuts and some sweet pastries.
Brown sugar
Raw Sugar - Raw sugar is essentially the product at the point before the molasses is removed (what's left after sugarcane has been processed and refined). Popular types of raw sugar include demerara sugar from Guyana and Barbados sugar, a moist, fine textured sugar. Turbinado sugar is raw sugar that has been steam cleaned to remove contaminates, leaving a light molasses-flavoured, tan colored sugar.
Brown sugar (light and dark) - Brown sugar retains some of the surface molasses syrup, which imparts a characteristic pleasurable flavor. Dark brown sugar has a deeper color and stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes. The rich, full flavour of dark brown sugar makes it good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, and other full flavored foods.
Demerara sugar is a light brown sugar with large golden crystals, which are slightly sticky from the adhering molasses. It is often used in tea, coffee, or on top of hot cereals and for use in cocktails.
Muscovado sugar, is very dark brown and has a particularly strong molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly coarser and stickier in texture than 'regular' brown sugar.
