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Sugar We all know sugar adds sweetness, but it has many other purposes in cooking too. Here’s how best to use it – and how to include it in a balanced diet
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rom stabilising meringues and adding crunch to biscuits, to balancing flavour in savoury dishes and preserving fruit, there’s more to sugar than just sweetness. But eating too much is bad for your health, so we need to be careful how much we eat.
WORDS TABITHA WARD, ROB GOODWAY PHOTOGRAPHY KRIS KIRKHAM FOOD STYLING EMMA JANE FROST PROP STYLING MORAG FARQUHAR
WHAT IS SUGAR? Sugar is produced from plants like sugar beet and sugar cane, and is also found in fruit, veg, honey and dairy products.
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WHITE VS BROWN Refined brown sugar is essentially white sugar with added molasses (the treacle left over after sugar is extracted from the cane) to give a caramel-like taste and a darker colour. Brown sugar is also stickier in texture because it contains more liquid than white sugar.
ICING SUGAR This is finely ground sugar mixed with cornflour to stop it clumping together. It dissolves quickly in liquid and picks up colour well, so is ideal for using to decorate cakes or biscuits.
GRANULATED SUGAR Also known as table sugar, this has larger crystals than caster or icing sugar. It’s often used for making jam, as the larger grains dissolve slowly and evenly when heated.
AGAVE SYRUP Also known as agave nectar, this syrup is produced from agave plants and has become a popular vegan alternative to honey. It’s sweeter than regular sugar, so you’ll need to use less.