The Different Types of Sugar and Their Uses

When you think of sugar, the first thing that you are likely to think of is the white table sugar you add to a cup of coffee. However, there are many different kinds of this sweet additive, although many are only used within the commercial baking and confection industry. Here are eight types of sugar and a little information on their uses.

#1 White or Regular Sugar

The most common form of sugar, you can find it a variety of textures ranging from fine to extra fine. It is easily available and is used to sweeten drinks and in regular baking.

#2 Fruit Sugar

This is the type of sugar you will find in powered drinks or gelatin and pudding mixes. It is finer than regular sugar and has a uniform crystal size. This prevents the settling of larger crystals to the bottom of a mix, which could make a drink mix less sweet when you use the portion at the top of the package.

#3 Baker’s Special Sugar

When dusting a donut or cookie, baker’s special sugar is often used to add a touch of sweetness. It is extremely fine and can usually be found in larger supermarkets.

#4 Super, Ultrafine or Bar Sugar

This is the best type of sugar to use when making delicate cakes or meringues. It is also often used to sweeten fruits. British cooks use it frequently to sweeten pastries and it’s called “caster” or “castor” because of the shaker it is packaged in.

#5 Course Sugar

Commonly used by bakers, this is the perfect sugar for fondants, liquors and confections. The crystal size is large and it comes from the crystallization of sugar syrups. The crystals have a high molasses content and a rich flavor.

#6 Sanding Sugar

Sanding sugar also has large crystals and is frequently used in the baking and confection industry. This type of crystal reflects light well to give the finished product a sparkly appearance.

#7 Brown Sugar

You’ll find a number of different kinds of brown sugar, such as light, dark and turbinado. It has a high molasses content and is often used in baking. Turbinado is often used to sweeten tea, because of the molasses flavor.

#8 Confectioners Sugar

Also called “powdered sugar,” this baking sugar is used in icings, whipped cream, and confections. Regular sugar is ground and sifted until powdery and mixed with 3% corn starch. The corn starch keeps the confectioners sugar from clumping and caking. There are three different degrees of confectioners sugar, based on the fineness. The one available to the average consumer is the finest, with the other two used in the commercial baking and confection industry.

While most people only use two or three of the above sugars in their regular cooking and baking, you might want to experiment with some of the others. The flavors are a little different, as are the textures. You may find that one of the less common types will suit your baking and cooking needs better than that teaspoon of your regular table sugar!

Anya created her daughter’s magnificent cupcake icing herself – and she’d never ever created any party cake in the past! As an average cook, she required some sort of recipe she could actually put together well ahead of the time, therefore she decided on easy cupcake recipes.

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