What's the difference between white and brown sugar?
What's the difference between white and brown sugar?
White sugar is highly refined and made from cane or beets. Brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar that has been mixed with molasses to color it and give it a more moist texture. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar.
Brown sugar should not be confused with raw sugar, that has a similar color and taste but is actually the residue from processed sugarcane.
How to make shrimp and scallop kebabs
How to make shrimp and scallop kebabs
Want to add some zip to your next barbecue? Then try making these shrimp and scallop kebabs coated in a ginger marinade. Learn how by watching Handmade TV's short and informative video.
Brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar (which is highly refined and made from cane or beets) that has been mixed with molasses to color it and give it a more moist texture. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar.
Brown sugar should not be confused with raw sugar, that has a similar color and taste but is actually the residue from processed sugarcane.
what you should know
What makes brown sugar brown? Molasses. That's what.
While raw sugar (like demarara or turbinado) comes by its golden color naturally, brown sugar is refined white sugar tarted up with a bit of molasses. (Dark brown sugar has more molasses than light).
pour some sugar The water in molasses adds moisture to brown sugar that makes it ideal for baked goods, giving them a crumbly texture and a deeper flavor than ordinary white sugar does.
keep it tight Be sure to store your brown sugar in a tightly sealed container to keep it soft and pliant.
dirty sugar Domino sugar launched a smear campaign against brown sugar at the end of the 1800s, replete with nasty photographs of benign microbes living in brown sugar.
sticky fingers Sugar formed one leg of history's most notorious triangle trade route, one of many taboo subjects that might have inspired Sir Lips when he sat down and wrote, "Gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields..."
what you need
Try this classic for some good, old-school ideas about how to use brown sugar.
Use these stainless steel measuring cups to dole out the sweet stuff.
Along with a song, brown sugar has inspired a movie and an album.
Winter's coming and with it hard times: stock up on this steel-cut oatmeal. Top it with brown sugar and raisins to make a wholesome and warming breakfast.
what you do
For a sweet but stimulating breakfast, try these carrot and ginger muffins.
Scandinavian gravlax gets an American twist with a brown sugar cure.
Dark brown sugar and red wine vinegar give this brisket its rich, balanced flavor.
Spicy squash would make a fine addition to the Thanksgiving (or any) table.
We always look forward to making these crispy spice cookies around the holidays.
Simultaneously rustic and elegant, black plum tarte tatin makes the most of brown sugar's caramel quality.
Featured: A deliciously autumnal recipe for Apple Almond Upside-Down Cake from Wine Imbiber won this week's Root Source Challenge. Congratulations, Rich and Leah!
Find more brown sugar recipes at Cookthink.com. And if you haven't yet signed up for a free account at Cookthink, do it now!
Once a prize kept under lock and key in wealthy households, sugar is now ubiquitous and comes in many forms. Most commercial sugar is made from cane or beet root. Here's a look at the most common types of sugar used in the kitchen.
Granulated white sugar: White sugar is highly refined and made from sugarcane or beets. This all-purpose refined white sugar has small but fairly coarse crystals and is used to sprinkle on food, sweeten beverages, or add to dishes during cooking. Golden granulated sugar is a brown sugar made from sugar cane molasses that is similar but has a light brown color.
Castor (caster) or superfine sugar: This refined white sugar has fine crystals that dissolve more quickly than regular granulated sugar, making it a good choice for baking meringues. Golden castor sugar is made from unrefined cane sugar.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar that has been mixed with molasses to color it and give it a moist texture. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar. Brown sugar should not be confused with raw sugar, which has a similar color and taste but is actually the residue from processed sugarcane.
Turbinado sugar: A sugar cane extract that is made by steaming unrefined raw sugar. It has large crystals and a slight molasses flavor. It's a shade paler than brown sugar and can be substituted for brown sugar in recipes. We like to use turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of muffins, cookies and scones. It holds its texture well and, when cooked, has a nice sweet crunch.
Demerara Sugar: True Demerara sugar is raw or partly refined sugar with large crystals, but some impostors are nothing more than white sugar stained with molasses.
Muscovado Sugar: This raw cane sugar comes in light and dark varieties and is used to make cakes and desserts.
Powdered, icing or confectioner's sugar: This sugar is made by reducing granulated sugar to a powder and mixing it with starch to prevent it from lumping up. It's used to decorate cakes and can also be used in making sweet dishes and baked goods.
How to cure a salmon into gravlax
How to cure a salmon into gravlax
Scandinavian-style cured salmon, or gravlax, is easy to prepare in a day. Salt and sugar draw out the liquid in the fish's flesh, while citrus zest, herbs and spices provide flavor.
The filets are sandwiched around the herb, zest and curing mixture.
After weights are added, the curing mixture starts to liquify and after 6 hours at room temperature, the filets are refrigerated for 24 hours.
The salmon filets are rinsed, dried and sliced thinly on the before serving.
