A product so familiar to everyone may in fact be completely different from the way we know it. There are various types of sugar that differ in many ways. There is even a separate classification, which is based on the following criteria: raw material, color, type or texture of the sweet product. Interesting? Then we read!
Sweet family
Of course, the best known and most common is white granulated sugar or granulated sugar. In second place is the classic version of the refined product - lumpy. It is these two types that are most often found on store shelves, and are also used in everyday life and cooking. Lump and granulated sugar is obtained by processing sugar beets.
There is also brown sugar, which is not often found on store shelves. There is not much information about it, so ordinary buyers are very doubtful about this variation of the product familiar to everyone. Types of sugar are diverse, and it is worth getting to know each representative of the sweet family.
Granulated sugar
It is also known as granulated sugar, of which there are a great many varieties. However, this product is most often found in professional cooking, it is used to prepare delicious desserts - it is not so easy to find it on sale. Granulated sugars differ primarily in the size of the granules themselves. In addition, types of sugar and their characteristics underlie another classification - by purpose and field of use.
Sugar experts call Regular Sugar the most common sugar found in every home. This product is necessary for most recipes that are found in cookbooks. It is this variety that the hostesses use to prepare a wide variety of desserts. In fact, this is an ideal product that is suitable for use in the confectionery and culinary sphere. Common sugar is also found in food enterprises.
Types of sugar and their characteristics, as already mentioned, led to the creation of a classification based on the scope of use of the product. So, it is worth to get acquainted with unusual varieties that are not so often found on store shelves.
Types of Confectionery Sugar
At present, the confectionery and culinary sphere are developing along a special path. And often the special taste of a particular dish is due to the unique type of ingredient used. So, for example, there are specific types of sugar that are widely used in the professional field:
- Fruit sugar is in high demand among professional confectioners and culinary specialists. It's all about more homogeneous crystals and taste characteristics. This product is most often used to make all kinds of jellies and puddings, fruit gelatin and a dry drink. A more homogeneous structure of the fractions does not allow the product to settle to the bottom, which means that fruit sugar is an ideal component for preparing dry mixes.
- Baking sugar has even finer and more uniform crystals compared to its fruit counterpart. The name of the product speaks eloquently about the scope of its use. Baking sugar is made exclusively for professionals. This means that it is not on sale.
- Ultrafine sugar is somewhat similar to granulated sugar, but still different from it. It is widely used for making meringues and pies with a delicate texture. It is used to sweeten a variety of drinks, since this particular product is able to dissolve faster at different temperatures.
- Powdered sugar. Another kind of granular sugar familiar to everyone. In turn, the confectionery powder has its own classification, which is based on grinding.
In addition to all of the above varieties, there is also coarse sugar. It is clear that the size of the crystals in this case is larger than in a conventional product. It is used most often for the preparation of all kinds of confectionery sweets, liquors and fillings for desserts. Large crystals have one characteristic feature - even when exposed to high temperatures, they do not break down into glucose and fructose.
Brown varieties
There are a great many varieties of brown crystals, and the main difference is the concentration of molasses - a substance, the amount of which determines the shade of the main confectionery ingredient. Brown types of sugar are distinguished by raw materials, and they are obtained from sugar cane by the method of evaporation of the extracted syrup.
There are a great many variations of crystals with a pronounced or barely noticeable brown tint. However, attention should be paid to particularly noteworthy varieties that have found their application in the confectionery and culinary sphere:
1. Directly brown sugar itself, the color scheme of which varies from light brown to saturated brown. It is used to make various sauces, sweet pastries and glazes.
2. There are truly unique types of sugar, photos of which eloquently demonstrate their distinctive features. Even the most popular varieties of beet and cane sugar have their own characteristics and properties. So, for example, a common product obtained from sugar beets can be crystal white and yellow. It all depends on the degree of purification.
Mexican shades
- Turbinado is widely used for sweetening drinks and making pastry masterpieces. It is a relatively small crystals, the color scheme of which ranges from light brown to brown shades. It has a delicate smell of molasses.
- Muscovado. At its core, this is the most common unrefined cane sugar. It has a dark brown tint and a high molasses content. A fairly sticky product that is widely used to create a variety of pastries, soft drinks and desserts. Muscovado is an indispensable component for the preparation of numerous sauces and barbecue.
- Demerara. This variety has common features with the previous variety. First of all, Demerara sugar has the same moist texture as Muscovado, contains a large amount of molasses and has a rich taste. This variety of the main culinary ingredient is widely used for the preparation of delicious pastries, exclusive tea or coffee. This variety is very popular in Moorish cuisine.
Unique types of sugar and their difference
Palm sugar is very popular in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The product is obtained from coconut, date or wine palm, as well as from sugar cane and arenga. Its shades range from light brown to brown. Molasses has a distinct earthy flavor. Palm sugar is widely used for the preparation of gourmet sauces, soups, desserts and other dishes of traditional cuisine.
Mexican sugar - Piloncilo - is widely used to prepare a wide variety of dishes of national cuisine. The product is most often found not in friable form, like its analogues, but in the form of small pyramids or pylons (by the way, this is exactly what caused the name of the sweet product). Piloncillo has a pronounced smoky and anise aroma, and after carefully tasting Mexican sugar, you can feel a strong smack of molasses.
Sugar Products
In the modern culinary and confectionery industry, there are not only special types of granulated sugar or refined sugar. There are also specific varieties of sweet products, which can also be attributed to types of sugar.
So, the list opens with invert sugar, which is obtained by the decomposition of sucrose. The product consists of equal parts of fructose and glucose, has a liquid consistency and is much sweeter than regular granulated sugar. This product is most often used in food industry enterprises for the production of alcoholic products or artificial honey. Invert sugar effectively retains moisture and slows down the crystallization process.
Light molasses is a type of invert sugar. This product is easy to prepare at home - just heat a small amount of water, citric acid and the granulated sugar itself. The resulting syrup can be used to prepare a wide variety of desserts.
Maple syrup
You already know what types of sugar are and which are the most common, now you should pay attention to another product, which also belongs to a motley group of culinary and confectionery ingredients. It's about maple syrup. Sweet treats are made from red, black or special sugar maple. Syrup is collected during the "crying" of the tree - starting in February and ending in April.
About 80% of all maple syrup production is in Canadian Quebec, and 6% of supplies come from US Vermont. Based on this, there was a classification of maple syrup: the American and Canadian varieties.
A special commission closely monitors the quality of the Canadian product. In Russia and Europe, it is quite possible to buy real maple syrup. The only question is the sum - pleasure is not cheap.
Sugar Features
Depending on the type of sweet product, granulated sugar and some types of refined sugar are isolated.
Pressed sucrose crystals, which actually resemble sand, are of the same name. Refined sugar is cubed regular white sugar. Cubes are good for making tea or coffee - after all, it is much more convenient to take a piece with tongs than to sprinkle it with a spoon. But for culinary or confectionery recipes, it is better to use a crumbly product.
Under appropriate conditions, the sweet dessert ingredient can be stored for up to 8 years, but manufacturers prefer to be limited to only two years of storage.
Sucrose may not always be beneficial. In the presence of certain diseases, pure granular sugar is best replaced with artificial or natural analogues.
Liquid sugar
Various types of granulated sugar and refined sugar are not always dry products. There is also a special type of sweet product - liquid sugar, which is often used in food industry enterprises. At its core, it is a common solution of crystals in water. Syrup is of several types:
- Liquid sugar of the Extra category is a sweet syrup for the preparation of which highly refined sugar is used. The syrup itself has a slightly yellowish tint.
- Liquid sugar of the first category.
Sugar syrup is used in the confectionery or culinary industry for the preparation of jelly, jams and other desserts.
Yellow varieties
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that there is simply a huge number of species of this sweet product. Special attention should be paid to yellow varieties of sugar, which differ in a soft consistency. They are produced in Latin America and India. Large sizes of crystals, molasses film on their surface, as well as a characteristic taste - these are the distinguishing features of this variety.
In some countries, soft grades of sugar are obtained from carefully refined cane sugar. To do this, it is artificially thickened and poured into containers, after which the mass hardens and is crushed into pieces.
There is a completely unique variety - candy sugar. It is a single crystal, the mass of which reaches 5 g. This variety is used for making tea, coffee and other drinks.
It turns out that even the most familiar product can be very diverse.