There is a lot of sweet tooth in the world, and a product such as sugar is almost indispensable in the preparation of various cakes, pastries, cookies and sweets. Many craftsmen try to make all the necessary ingredients at home to be sure of the naturalness of the product. You can also make sugar yourself at home.
What is sugar?
Sugar is a food product that is obtained from cane or beets of special varieties. It is used in all industries related to the production of dessert treats. Sugar is also used as a preservative and additive in the preparation of convenience foods and various products.
Despite a number of useful properties, excessive consumption of this product can lead to diseases. One of these is diabetes. Making sugar is a laborious process and is carried out mainly at large enterprises, but craftsmen make a small amount of homemade product.
Sugar industry
For the manufacture of the product in an industrial environment, sugar beets are used. Usually it is bought from farmers in the fall, when it reaches the peak of maturity and picks up enough essential trace elements. Before starting the process, the raw material is examined and the amount of sucrose contained is measured.
Next, the beets are washed and cut into small sticks in special machines. To isolate sugar from the product, the sliced pieces are passed through water, the temperature of which is 70 degrees. The resulting solution was purified and evaporated, resulting in molasses. It, in turn, is crystallized in a special apparatus and transferred to a centrifuge, where the grains are separated from the remnants of thick syrup.
The result is wet sugar, which still needs to be dried. Then it is packed in bags and sent to the warehouse.
Raw materials
To make homemade sugar, you need to prepare raw materials. In the regions of Russia and European countries, it is easiest to get sugar beets. When buying, it is necessary to inspect the root crop, it must be clean, without rot and deep damage. Beets are cleaned from the apical residual leaves and washed thoroughly.
In warm tropical countries, sugar is the same common product as in Russia and Europe. Get it from reed, which is also grown on an industrial scale.
Home cooking
In the usual state, sugar is sand or refined cubes. A sweet product can get such a structure only under industrial conditions, when the crystallization process takes place in special machines. Home-made sugar is most reminiscent of molasses or thick syrup. It can be added to tea or in the manufacture of any confectionery.
For the process it is necessary to prepare two enameled pans, several slices of gauze and a press. As the latter, you can use any container in which you can draw water for weight.
First way
Washed and peeled beets are placed in a pot of boiling water. Boil the root crop for about 1 hour. After this period, the water is drained and the beets are allowed to cool. After that, the peel is thinly removed, and all the flesh is thinly cut. The finished product is placed in a gauze fabric, folded several times, and put in a container under the press. The resulting juice is poured into a separate bowl.
After some time, the remaining cake is again placed in a pan and poured with water. The volume of liquid should be half the volume of beets. Water should be heated. So the grated root crop should be insisted for 45 minutes, after which it should be thrown into a colander, above the container where the juice is going to.
Beets are again placed in gauze and sent under a press. The newly isolated liquid is mixed with the already obtained and filtered. Further, as in large-scale production, it is necessary to evaporate excess moisture. To do this, put the pot of juice on the fire and evaporate to a thick syrup. Such a sugar recipe at home is the most common and simple.
Second way
Beets must be washed and cleaned of the upper skin. Next, the fruits are placed in a pressure cooker. There, the root crop under pressure of 1.5 atmospheres should languish for about 60-80 minutes. After the beets have cooled, they must be crushed and placed in gauze under a press.
As a result, the resulting liquid is filtered and put on evaporation. The process lasts until the liquid acquires the consistency of honey. Such sugar can be poured into sterilized jars and rolled up for the winter. Use it, like a regular product, adding to teas and various products during cooking.
The properties
Sugar is the so-called sucrose that is found in many vegetables and fruits. In small doses, this product has a beneficial effect on the human body, stimulating blood circulation in the brain and spinal cord. But do not forget that excessive consumption of sweets, such as cakes, sweets, chocolate and the like, can lead to diseases.