FoodNet

Foods, their selection and preparation

1935

Page 25

Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar fre¬ quently is called cane sugar, since, for many years, sugar cane was its important source. Sugar identical in chemical composition with cane sugar now is separated from the sugar beet; and the two may be used interchange¬ ably. Maple sugar is a less purified form of sucrose prepared from the sap of the sugar maple. When sucrose sirups are boiled, the sucrose is broken down into its simple sugar components, levulose and dextrose. Then it is said to be inverted. This mixture is called invert sugar. The change is hastened by the addition of an acid. The high degree of purity of granulated sugar is due to the readiness with which it crystallizes. In the separation of sugar from either cane or beets the process is essentially the same. The sugar is removed from the pulp or fiber by solution in warm water and extraction under pressure. The extracted juice is clarified and concentrated and the sugar allowed to crystallize. The crystals are separated from the mother liquid by a centri¬ fuge, washed, sifted, and dried. Repeated crystallization or chemical precipitation may be necessary to separate the sucrose com¬ pletely. The thick sirup left after the sucrose crys¬ tals have been removed from the concen¬ trated cane juice is known as molasses. It contains any soluble mineral constituents of the sap not removed during clarification, and the invert sugar formed in concentrating the juice. Invert sugar does not crystallize [29] readily. Molasses also contains small amounts of sucrose prevented from crystallizing by the presence of other sugars, and some caramel and other products formed by the breaking down of the sugars. The composition of the mother liquid left after the removal of the sucrose from the beet sirup is such as to render it unpalatable. Any sugar remaining after the first crystalli¬ zation is usually precipitated directly by chemical means rather than by repeated crystallization. On the market, sugars are given com¬ mercial designations that indicate the degree of refining, the size of the crystals, and the form in which they are sold. Brown Sugar. Brown sugar and maple sugar, while largely sucrose, are not fully re¬ fined. The mother liquor left in gives them a characteristic flavor and color. This flavor is responsible for the demand for maple sugar. Brown sugars are classified as light, medium, and dark brown according to the degree of refining and the resulting color. The size of the sucrose crystals can be con¬ trolled by appropriate regulation of the crys¬ tallization. By management of this step the manufacturer is able to obtain uniform crys¬ tals of the size desired. The major portion of sucrose is sold as "granulated sugar,” which has distinct crystals. Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar is a pul¬ verized granulated sugar. It is available as "standard powdered” and as finer products, designated as "confectioner’s sugars.” The degree of fineness of these is indicated by the number of X’s following the name. XXXX or XXXXXX sugars are on the consumer market, and even finer grades are available to industrial consumers. These fine sugars are used in the preparation of uncooked con¬ fections and icings for cakes and breads. Lump Sugar. Cube and domino sugars are formed by pressing the hot crystals as they come from the centrifuge into molds