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Questions tagged [sugar]

Questions about sugar or substitutions for it for culinary purposes.

This tag covers all sorts of sugar (granulated, powdered, brown, cane, beet, etc) and substitutions for it (aspartame, saccharin, honey, etc); basically all kinds of sweeteners that can be used for preparing food.

Questions with this tag could be about the components (what is sugar made of), the chemistry (how does it react with which temperature), the proper usage, or differences between types of sugars and/or sweeteners.

Questions with this tag should not be about health-related issues like nutritional value nor location-related issues (why is brown sugar more expensive in Europe than in the US).

416 questions
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What is the purpose of creaming butter with sugar in cookie recipes?

I got distracted while assembling the dry ingredients for a cookie recipe and added the sugars, which were supposed to be creamed with the butter first. Fortunately, the sugar was added last and I was able to salvage enough to cream it. What does…
apaderno
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Does it matter what kind of sugar is used in baking?

The baking recipes I use specify many kinds of sugar e.g. caster, raw, white, soft etc. Generally, I always just use raw sugar, mainly for convenience. Does it really make a difference?
rbrayb
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How can I tell the difference between unmarked sugar and stevia?

My wife just started back on her doctor-recommended ketogenic diet (due to a medical history of high blood pressure and Crohn's disease in her family). She's to have reduced carbohydrates and sugars, and to use artificial sweeteners for anything she…
Zibbobz
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How to quickly soften hard, dried out brown sugar

I had some brown sugar that didn't get properly sealed and so now it's too dry and solid as a rock. What's the quickest way to soften it up and get rid of the clumps? Folks have suggested leaving an apple with it in a bag overnight; any suggestions…
notpeter
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9 answers

How to dispose large amount of wet sugar?

I semi- regularly make my own dried, aged meat. As the first step, I keep it for 24-48 hours in sugar. Sugar sucks water out beautifully and when I'm done with it, it's dripping wet. So I have 10kg of dripping wet sugar that cannot go into compost…
Mołot
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4 answers

Why is sugar a wet ingredient?

The last time I checked, most sugar is really dry (unless it's something like brown sugar). So why is it categorized as "wet"?
Dave DeLong
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How can I make this antique ginger wine recipe using ingredients available today?

I have this old family ginger wine recipe, but some of the ingredients are hard to find or may not exist any more... Essence of Ginger 12mls Tincture of Capsicum 9mls Essence of Lemon 5mls Solution of Burnt Sugar 25mls 2 1/2 lb sugar 1 oz Tartaric…
Rich
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13 answers

The difference between beet sugar and cane sugar

My initial guess was that refined sugar has to be the same no matter its provenance, but now I wonder if cane sugar has a different ratio of sucrose/glucose/fructose than beet sugar. Is there any reason why packages of refined sugar advertise 100%…
Neil G
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Why is carrot juice so sweet?

Certain brands of carrot juice taste sweeter than any raw carrot I've ever eaten, yet are made only with carrots, with no added sweeteners. Are carrots sold in supermarkets just not ripe enough?
papin
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Can something have more sugar per 100g than the percentage of sugar that's in it?

If this is the wrong place to ask this, please direct me to the correct place. I am a big fan of cereal, and I like to eat a fair amount, but don't like to have too much sugar. I recently started eating Shreddies, which claims to have only 13g of…
NotAPro
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How did people make bread before sugar was 'discovered'

Modern recipes (as far as I know) for bread includes sugar. Sugar gives the yeast a food source, which supports it growth and allows yeast to give bread many of its qualities. It hit me the other day that sugar (produced from sugar cane) is a…
Hoytman
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Is granulated sugar (American) the same as caster sugar (UK)?

I have an american cake recipe which includes 'granulated sugar', would this be uk caster sugar? It is for the stage when you beat in with the butter?
user3909
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Super-saturated sugar solution gone wrong

An interesting recipe here provides this as a recipe for making a geode-looking sugar crystal. The finished product looks really great and is basically this: 3 cups sugar 1 cup water food coloring Heat water and sugar until sugar is…
Matt W
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does white sugar have a shelf life?

i have had a sealed container of white sugar for about 5 years now, we have been using it slowly, but is it safe/healthy to continue using it because of its age? or should i replace it?
julie
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How can I prevent simple syrup from crystallizing?

When I store it in the refrigerator, my simple syrup always seems to crystallize. How can I prevent this? How long should I expect simple syrup to keep?
KatieK
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