Caster Sugar, Raw Sugar,…,

“Good Morning! One large flat white take away with 2 sugars, thank you. You use Raw Sugar, don’t you !?” ….

Pretty much every Café uses raw sugar. But why? We have been told for many years that white sugars (same goes for white flours,…) are bad for us because they are heavily refined. Indeed they are basically sugar cane sticks boiled and evaporated, then chemicals  (like sulphur dioxide, lime and phosphoric acid,..) are used to obtain a clean white sugar without impurities. Unfortunately, those impurities are mostly minerals (especially magnesium).

But what about Raw and Brown sugar?….We would think and hope they are less processed… Unfortunately, the vast majority of those are made from…. white refined sugar. Indeed, it is just sprayed with Molasses (syrupy by-product of the refining, which contains a few minerals and traces of vitamins). So I guess in one way they are putting back a little bit of goodness….After taking it away with heavy chemicals….?!

From Top Left Corner, Clockwise. White Sugar, Raw Sugar, Fine Brown Sugar, Rapadura

Is Organic Raw Sugar better then, would you ask? Well…It’s made from organically grown Canes. So that’s a big difference (non-organic is definitely NOT pesticides free..!), but that’s about it..

If you are after true non modified/refined sugar, you have to look for Rapadura or Panela. Demerara is still most of the time a little refined…

From a cooking point of view, the latest bring much more moisture and “real” sugar flavor into a cake (great in gingerbread, or “pain d’épices” in french), whereas caster sugar dissolves better (especially for meringues) and caramelized way better….

Who thought there would be so much politics, science and economy involved in a french meringue..??!! 😉