Table Sugar
What can I say? It’s the standard in much of the world. A medium-small crystal size (about 0.5 millimeters), this sugar is made from very pure (over 99%) sucrose so as to be free of non-sucrose flavors or colors. White table sugar can be made from sugarcane or beets, with cane sugar being preferred for baking and especially candy making. Vegan versions are made the same way as standard, save for the fact that they aren’t passed through charcoal filters, which contain bone meal.
See below for more about how standard table sugar is made.
Are there differences in different brands of white sugar? Domino sugar dominates (ha), but I often buy El Cheapo supermarket brand. Tastes the same, behaves the same. Are they different?
Hey Chana!
Domino is a cane sugar and quite high quality stuff. Frequently the cheaper supermarket brands are beet sugar unless they specifically say “cane” sugar on them. To me they mostly behave the same as you say, though quite a few readers say they have had bad experiences with beet sugars. Cane seems the safer bet, I suppose. Thanks Chana!
– Joe
I have to admit I generally use the standard store-brand sugar, and I’ve never noticed any difference between it and the stuff that actually boasts of being pure cane sugar. I’ve always figured that by the time it gets to being white sugar it’s so far refined that it really doesn’t matter where it came from originally.
I think in general that’s true. Although I don’t rule out that bad batches can come along every so often.
Thanks Jane!
Hey Joe,
Firstly thanks for a F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S series on sugar. I have learnt so much already. Question. When I worked in kitchens as a young man the chefs always called granulated sugar A1 ie “We need 500gm of A1 in the Death by Chocolate”. Any idea why or is this just an Aussie Cheffy thing?
Rick
Thanks Rick! It was a good idea…more to come!
As for A1…it just means “standard granulated” in bulk grocery parlance!
– Joe