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blake murphy[_2_]

On Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:18:03 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

> On Apr 24, 12:41Â*pm, blake murphy > wrote:
>> i came across these paragraphs in a recent *straight dope* discussion on
>> whether beet sugar contains hydrogen cyanide:
>>
>> Now: what's the difference between cane sugar and beet sugar? A perfectly
>> accurate answer is "not much" €” table sugar is 99.95 percent or more pure
>> sucrose, which is chemically the same whether it comes from cane or beets.
>> However, since commercial advantage is at stake, you do get people arguing
>> about the significance of the .05 percent. The C & H Sugar Company claims
>> the trace minerals in cane sugar are different from those in beet sugar and
>> that cane sugar is superior. The Sugar Industry Biotech Council claims
>> there's no difference. C & H, no surprise, sells only cane sugar, while the
>> council represents producers of both.
>>
>> The real question, and I realize this doesn't rate with metabolic
>> asphyxiation on the fright scale, is whether cooks see any difference
>> between beet and cane. Food staffers at the San Francisco Chronicle did
>> some head-to-head testing in 1999 and reported that cane made significantly
>> better cookies and subtly better pound cake. They also had real trouble
>> getting creme brulee to caramelize properly with beet sugar, ending up with
>> burnt topping instead. Always game for an experiment, particularly when it
>> involves food, my assistants Una and Fierra spent a night preparing creme
>> brulee: three batches with beet sugar, three with cane. Result: The beet
>> and cane versions were indistinguishable in appearance, but the cane
>> batches tasted sweeter, their caramelized topping especially. It was a
>> Pepsi vs. Coke difference, though: while Una preferred the ones made with
>> cane sugar, Fierra fancied the faintly bitter bite of the beet.
>>
>> €” Cecil Adams
>>
>> ...so in the interest of food arcana, i thought it would post it here. Â*the
>> box of store-brand sugar i have is labeled cane sugar, but i suppose in
>> some areas of the country it would be beet sugar. Â*or is that mostly used
>> by food processors?
>>
>> anyhow, the cyanide discussion can be found he
>>
>> <http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2861/does-beet-sugar-contain...>
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> I read somewhere that when both beet sugar and cane sugar are refined
> there are a few leftover fructose molecules in the sugar (table sugar
> or sucrose consists of a molecule of glucose and a molecule of
> fructose). The cane sugar contains more of these extra fructose
> molecules than the beet sugar does.
> Some people say they can't tell a difference in the taste but I
> definitely can. To me beet sugar just tastes sweet. Cane sugar
> tastes sweeter and tastes like sugar should; it tastes like sugar. I
> really noticed the difference when I made homemade ice cream one
> time. I used the same recipe I'd always had and I knew I had measured
> everything perfectly, but for some reason it just didn't taste as
> sweet as it should have and the flavor wasn't right either. It was
> then that I noticed that the bag of sugar I bought said, "Made with
> sugar beets." The next batch was made with cane sugar and it made all
> the difference in the world.

interesting. you must be really sensitive to the difference to taste it in
ice cream.

your pal,
blake