SUGAR IN COOKERY As sugar is an important soluble carbohydrate and is easily assimilable, it is valuable in the diet. Candy contains a high pro portion of sugar (or glucose), but no dish for the table should do so. In adding sugar to fruit, more is needed if it is cooked with the fruit than if added when the cooking is completed.
These are the principal sugars used in cookery. They dissolve in one-third their own bulk of cold water, and in a smaller amount of hot water. Their melting point is 32o° F. If cooled at that point, they become barley sugar; if cooked beyond that point they become burnt sugar or caramel. Fine granulated or castor sugar is generally used in cookery. For icings, meringues and whips, powdered or pulverized (icing) sugar is used, the finest form being confec tioners' sugar. All powdered sugars must be rolled and sifted fine before using. These sugars are all pure white refined products. Brown and yellow sugars, which are produced by evaporation, are also used in cookery when there is no objection to a dark colour, and some of them have a delicious flavour. They vary in both colour and flavour, the best known being Demerara or coffee sugar, and dark brown or Barbadoes sugar.
Glucose is less sweet than sucrose, and the commercial form is cheaper. It is used in many manufactured
candies, jams and syrups to economize, but is not much used in the home. Commercial grape sugar is a dextrose. Maple sugar (sucrose) is much )rized for its special flavour, but is made in comparatively small quantity, as is also palm sugar. Ame is a Japanese sweetening material that contains dextrin and maltose. Saccharin is not a sugar, and has no food value, but it is very sweet and is sometimes substituted for sugar, usually on a physi cian's orders.
This is marketed ready prepared, for use as "browning" for sauces, gravies, stews and the like, and also as a flavouring in such dishes as caramel custard (custard with caramel below or around it). It can be prepared at home by melting granulated sugar in a saucepan over a low fire, with con stant stirring. It may be used at once as it is, or after removing from the fire, boiling water (-I cup water to I cup sugar) may be added very slowly, again with constant stirring. Return this mix ture to the fire and cook to a rich dark brown (8 to Io minutes). This hardens on standing, but can be melted over hot water. (See also TREACLE, HONEY.)