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When you think of sugar, what is the first one that pops into your head? White sugar? Brown sugar? Maybe even powdered sugar. There are many different kinds of sugars, and they all have their own purposes. Here are 10 different types of sugar and how to use them.
Table of contents
Types of Sugar
There are so many different types of sugar, but they all have the same purpose – making a dish sweet. Some sugars are needed in a recipe to cool down the heat or even to add sweetness to savory dishes.
However, sugar can do much more than add sweetness to the recipe. It can help by adding flavor and texture. Think like sugar crystals on top of Snickerdoodle Muffins. It is also used for decoration on things like Pignoli Cookies or Chocolate Chess Pie.
10 Types of Sugar and How to Use Them
Whether you’re baking, cooking, or even making drinks, there are certain sugars that you should use.
Granulated or White Sugar
The most commonly used sugar is granulated sugar. You may also know of it as “regular sugar.” It is made by refining sugar cane or sugar beets and removing any impurities leaving you with chemically pure sucrose.
It is about the size of a grain of salt and can be found in any grocery store or market.
This sugar is most commonly used for baked goods, sweetening beverages, and sweetening savory or sour foods.
Confectioners’ Sugar
Confectioner’s sugar is granulated sugar that has been ground down into a super fine powder form. Whereas white sugar is coarse, powdered sugar is almost chalky. Nowadays, most confectioners’ sugar has cornstarch in it to keep it from clumping.
This sugar is used best for making frostings, marshmallows, and dusting over doughnuts or funnel cakes. This is also a common sugar to use in beverages because it dissolves so quickly.
Cane Sugar
Simply put, cane sugar comes from sugar cane. Unlike granulated sugar, cane sugar is boiled to produce molasses and is then crystallized. This is how it gets its caramel color.
It is great for cookies, cupcakes, and other desserts. It is also great for adding to warm drinks or on top of fruit muffins.
Brown Sugar
Both brown sugars are made from molasses and crystalline sucrose. This helps give it a light brown to dark brown color, depending on the molasses content.
These types of sugar are great for making sauces, cookies, and rubs for meat.
Light Brown Sugar is the most commonly used brown sugar. If you have a recipe that calls for brown sugar but doesn’t specify which kind, it is probably light brown sugar.
Dark Brown Sugar has more molasses in it, making it much heavier, and also contains more rich flavors and colors.
Superfine or Caster Sugar
If you’re wondering what superfine sugar is, it is just like your regular white types of sugar but has been ground into a more fine texture.
This sugar is great for desserts and whipped creams and is perfect for cold drinks. Because it is so fine, it can dissolve in the cold, unlike other coarser sugars.
Pearl Sugar
This sugar is great for when you’re baking, and you don’t want your pieces of sugar to melt or dissolve completely. It is made by compressing granulated sugar until it becomes a pearl form.
Pearl sugar is great for baking desserts and topping certain baked goods.
Turbinado Sugar
Turbinado sugar is somewhat like granulated sugar, but it is much less processed and refined. Instead of being white in color, it is more of a caramel or golden brown because it is made up of crystals that are spun off of the molasses in sugar cane.
It is great for putting on top of baked goods, desserts, and oatmeal because it doesn’t melt easily because of its texture and coarseness.
Liquid Sugar
Liquid sugar is produced from pure white sugar or raw cane sugar and water. This simple syrup is made up of one part sugar and one part water. It is typically clear in form but can also be amber.
It is great for any coffee, tea, or other drinks.
Artificial Sweeteners
While you will rarely see me use any artificial sweeteners, there are many different types of sugar out there. Here are the top five low-calorie artificial sweeteners.
- Stevia
- Sucralose
- Aspartame
- Monk Fruit
- Erythritol
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