Sugar is more and more popular and familiar in everyone’s life. Baking sugar, sugar used in cooking, drinks, … helps to increase sweetness and add flavor to dishes and drinks. But are all sugars the same? How to distinguish different types of sugar? Can you substitute one for another? These are the questions of many people who are interested in cooking spices.
Thucphamkho.vn will introduce common sugars in daily life and their uses. Thereby, we will also help you choose the type of sugar that is smart and best suited to your needs. Thereby contributing to creating delicious “standard” dishes that are still good for the health of the whole family.
1. Diameter
Diameter (also known as white sugar) is a common type of sugar. It is the most used today. This type of sugar is produced in an industrial chain. Sugar is made 100% from sugarcane or other sweet plants such as beetroot (popular in Europe), pressed for juice.
This type of sugar has been treated with “impurities”. Sugar is applied activated carbon de-pigmentation technology, so it has an ivory white color. Strong sweet taste, easily soluble in solution. This is a seasoning commonly used to sweeten beverages. Such as coffee and tea. This refined sugar is also used in baking and cooking.
2. Powdered sugar
Powdered sugar (also known as confectionery sugar) is not in the form of granules but is always in the form of a fine powder. This is the ultimate refined sugar. People often mix a certain percentage of cornstarch in so that the sugar does not clump after grinding. It also helps to preserve it for a long time.
The powdered sugar is small and fine, so it dissolves faster than normal sugar. This type of sugar is often used in layers of desserts. Because this type of sugar has a texture that easily sticks to the surface of food.
3. Brown sugar
Brown sugar is completely handmade, usually in the form of a cake. This type of sugar has a dark brown color due to the presence of molasses or molasses surrounding and dyeing the outside.
Brown sugar enhances flavor and nutrients – something white sugar doesn’t. This type of sugar when exposed to high humidity will easily clump and bring a sweeter taste than white sugar, adding sweetness to skim milk, in addition to being used to keep moisture when making cakes. It is also used as a natural food coloring agent.
4. Alum sugar
Alum sugar is usually cooked manually but is very clean and pure, so the sugar water is very clear and beautiful. People make sugar by boiling white granulated sugar, diluting it with water. Because it is refined from white sugar, removing all impurities, rock sugar is less sweet, has a cool taste and better heat dissipation.
Sugar is used to cook tea, soft drinks, summer cooling ginseng water, which is very good for health. In addition, if you have a cough for many days or are hot in your body, you can use some remedies from alum to cure the disease very effectively.
5. Palm sugar
Palm sugar is considered a specialty of the land of Seven Mountains in An Giang. This sugar is made from palm juice. Sugar has a cool sweet taste, pleasant aroma, rich in vitamins and minerals. This type of sugar is used for cooking, creating colors and aromas to make dishes more attractive. And the sweetness of sugar is also very pleasant.
Palm sugar is a soft, smooth cake that can be easily removed with a spoon or razor, but the sugar is still smooth and not rough. Sugar when put in the mouth can dissolve immediately without feeling gritty, with a slight sour taste.
6. Liquid sugars
honey
Honey is a liquid solution, thick, sweeter than diameter, with a characteristic aroma and yellow-brown color. That is why people use honey to make cakes, to create moisture, color and sweet taste. The sugar in honey is completely different from other sugars. It does not contain cholesterol, has a beautiful effect on the skin thanks to its rich vitamin content, enhances the health of the cardiovascular system, stomach, …
Molasses
Molasses is also similar in form to honey, but is extracted from the sugarcane plant. This type of honey is used to cook various kinds of floating cakes, floating cakes, vegetarian cakes, etc. Molasses has been used for a long time. Along with the trend back to natural foods, people use more molasses, because the material is made entirely from natural, nutritious sugar cane.
Corn syrup
Corn syrup is liquid and viscous, with a clear white color. The ability to dissolve quickly and evenly when preparing food and drinks. Corn syrup can create plasticity, moisture, used to make marshmallows, caramelized popcorn, mirror cake, moon cake filling, ..
Malt
Malt is a soft honey produced from grains. It’s made from glutinous rice and other starches, and uses yeast in the grain to make sugar. This type of sugar has plasticity, dark yellow brown color, sweet taste, delicious sticky flavor. Malt sugar is both delicious and nutritious, an indispensable ingredient in the confectionery and beer industry.
With the above information, surely you already know how to distinguish the types of sugar, right?
Comparing Sugars: Which Sugar is Best?
The biggest difference between sugars is the different flavors of foods when they are cooked. If you use sugar properly, choose the right type of sugar for each type of food, the food will be more delicious and the taste of the dish will be different.
White sugar: Although not as sweet as brown sugar, the purity is relatively high. It has a pure taste, suitable for making fresh dishes.
This type of sugar is often used on cakes that require a homogeneous mixture and a lot of fat. Also used to make caramel (wine sugar). Thanks to its suitable grain size structure, it can be dyed and used for decoration.
Brown sugar: has a characteristic molasses taste. You can use it to cook tea, stew beans, make cakes, it will have a different and wonderful taste.
This type of sugar is used in natural coloring and flavoring of foods. It is often used to make cakes, make drinks, cook tea, bake cakes, braise meat, marinate meat or make sugar water, tofu.
Refined sugar: Has a sweeter taste. When cooking soups, vegetables or everyday dishes with a little refined sugar, the taste and feeling of eating will be better. The dish will look smoother.
Each type of sugar has a different taste. And often used, selected separately for each type of dish. Depending on the needs and nature of the dishes, cakes and desserts, you will choose the right type of sugar!
Use sugars, consider health
With the information that distinguishes the types of sugar above, you already know how to use each type. However, any type of sugar needs to be used appropriately to ensure health. Sugar helps to supply deficient calories, nutrients and other minerals in the body. However, sugar can absorb nutrients due to its digestive requirements. Not only that, different types of refined sugar can contain some substances that are harmful to the body.
You should limit the amount of refined sugar, choose foods that provide natural sugar. You can switch to organic sugar products. Sugars derived from nature ensure that they still provide adequate energy and nutrition for the body and are safe for health!
Sugar is an indispensable condiment in drinks, dishes, baking, ice cream, … It just adds flavor to the food without affecting the health of you and your family! Hopefully with this article, you know how to distinguish common sugars and know how to use each type accordingly.
Some other useful information in the News section you can refer to:
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