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Ripit sugar5/18/2023 ![]() ![]() Unlike granulated sugar, however, confectioner's sugar is between 95 and 97 percent sucrose, due to the fact that it contains 3 to 5 percent cornstarch by weight, to help it flow and prevent it from clumping. 10X is the finest consistency and is used to give a smooth consistency to icings, but it is prone to dissolving if used for dusting. Sometimes confectioner's sugar goes by the designations 10X, 6X, XXX, and XX. It's also commonly used for decorating or dusting the tops of cakes and other desserts. Because it dissolves so easily, powdered sugar is used extensively in candy making and also for making frostings and icings (which is why it's also sometimes called icing sugar). Just keep in mind that regardless of how finely ground a sugar is, 200 grams will be the equivalent of one cup in any recipe.Īt the most finely-ground end of the spectrum we have powdered sugar, or confectioners sugar, which is granulated white sugar that has been ground to a very fine powder. That means you need to be careful when measuring out sugar for your recipes and use a weighted measurement, instead of by volume or cups. Note that the more finely ground the sugar is, the more of it, by weight, will fit in a measuring cup. Sometimes called baker's sugar or caster sugar, these sugars are still crystalline, it's just that the crystals are ground more finely. This is where products like superfine and ultrafine sugars come in. In baking, it's often helpful to work with a finer-grained sugar, because it dissolves more easily and aids in producing cakes and cookies with a very delicate texture. Just like salt, the shelf life of granulated sugar is basically infinite. Both the cane and beet versions are 99.95 percent sucrose.īecause of its moisture-attracting properties, granulated sugar can form clumps when stored for a long time, but breaking those clumps up is easy to do, and other than that, sugar doesn't go bad. Made interchangeably from beets or cane (the manufacturer's label may or may not specify), this is the go-to sugar for everything from baking and desserts to sauce-making, salad dressing, brines, and marinades-to say nothing of cocktails and other beverages. ![]() White granulated sugar is the most common form of sugar and it's what most home bakers will use the vast majority of the time. While there is no standard labeling system for sugars, other than the various ways individual manufacturers choose to label their products, we can classify sugars by the size of their grains, and/or by the degree of refining they have been subjected to. This helps baked goods stay fresher longer, since the presence of sugar helps prevent the ordinary drying out, or staling, of breads, cakes, and so on.Īnd of course, sugar is the food for the yeast organisms that cause breads to rise. Sugar also has a property called hygroscopy, which means it attracts and retains moisture. For instance, sugar slows down the formation of gluten in wheat flour, which means baked goods will tend to be softer, with a finer texture, the more sugar they contain.īecause of they way it turns brown (aka caramelization) when heated, sugar gives color to baked goods. Sugar provides sweetness, and it also performs a number of interesting functions in baking. In the culinary arts, the word "sugar" refers to crystalized sucrose that is derived either from sugar cane or sugar beets.Ĭhemically, sucrose is a disaccharide, just like maltose (which comes from grain) and lactose (which comes from milk).
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