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TIP OF THE DAY: Demerara Sugar & Turbinado Sugar: The Difference



[1] Demerara sugar (photo by Glane | Wikipedia).


[2] Turbinado sugar (photo by Leena | Wikipedia).

 

Demerara sugar is natural brown sugar made by partially refining sugar cane extract.

It’s a more nutritious product than what we know as “light” and “dark” brown sugar. These are made by adding molasses to fully refined white sugar, which is stripped of its nutrients.

Molasses itself is a by-product of sugar cane refining. It’s the residue that is left after all the sugar crystals are extracted from the cane juice.

Demerara sugar is named after the Demerara colony in Guyana, a small independent state on the north coast of South America, where the style of sugar was first produced.

  • Demerara is very similar to turbinado sugar, made in Hawaii and popularized in the U.S. as Sugar In The Raw.
  • Both are sparkling tan to golden in color, which is the natural color of cane sugar before the color is stripped to white in the refining process.
  • Both are dry with pronounced crystals (turbinado is more coarse, demerara is more fine), as opposed to brown sugar, which is moist from the molasses.
  • And both are delicious when used in baking and to sweeten beverages, cereal, fruit and yogurt. In addition to sweetness, they add a bit of natural caramel or molasses flavor…which brings us to today’s tip.
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    SUBSTITUTE DEMERARA SUGAR

    Quite a few dessert and candy recipes call for caramelized sugar, which means placing white granulated sugar in a pan and heating it until the sugar browns and takes on a caramel flavor.

    It’s easy enough to do, but you have to continuously stir the sugar so it doesn’t burn.

    But you can skip this step entirely by substituting demerara sugar.

     
    We also like the added flavor demerara sugar brings to cookies, cakes and blondies—more complex and less cloying.

    Note that in recipes requiring a cup or more of sugar, more butter or other fat needs to be added to compensate for the lower moisture compared to brown sugar.

  • See all the different types of sugar in our Sugar Glossary.
  • Consider giving bags of it as stocking stuffers to friends who love to bake (or who consume a lot of sugar in their coffee and cereal).
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    PRODUCT: Pretzels With Pizzazz

    In 1888, H. K. Anderson started a storefront bakery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Every day, customers would show up for fresh, hand-twisted pretzels baked in brick ovens.

    More recently, the company has put a nice spin on its line of pretzels.

    In additional to the familiar, thin Salty Stix, there are Honey Wheat Braids in better-for-you whole wheat, Peanut Butter Nuggets and Double Baked Butter Balls—a joy for butter lovers.

    Read the full review of H.K. Anderson Pretzels, which includes new ways to serve pretzels.

    You’ll also find the history of the crunchy snack—created in 610 C.E. by a European monk to bribe children into memorizing their prayers.

    Have some Peanut Butter Nuggets with your
    peanut butter sandwich. Photo by River
    Soma | THE NIBBLE.

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    GOURMET GIVEAWAY: Keurig Special Edition Home-Brewing Coffee System

    One coffee lover will be in java heaven if he or she wins this week’s prize from Keurig.

    The Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System is ideal for busy people on the go. It brews a fresh cup of gourmet coffee, tea or cocoa in less than a minute.

    The machine uses single-serving K-Cups, available in more than 70 varieties of coffee, tea and cocoa from a number of premium brands, including Millstone and Folgers. All you do is insert a K-cup and press a button. There are no messy coffee grounds to clean up—the K-cup gets tossed in its entirety.

    With an extra-large water reservoir—73 ounces—you’re set for the week.

    Featuring chrome accents and a blue, backlit LCD display, the Special Edition Keurig allows you to program water temperature, set a digital clock to brew while you’re still in bed, and make coffee for three cup sizes. The removable drip tray accommodates travel mugs.

    A delicious cup of coffee with no messy clean-up! Photo courtesy Keurig.

    Along with this beautiful machine, the winner will receive two glass mugs and four 12-pack boxes of coffee K-Cups, including:

    • Folgers Black Silk
    • Folgers Lively Columbian
    • Millstone Breakfast Blend
    • Millstone Hazelnut Cream

    Tea and cocoa capsules are not included but are also available. Learn more about Keurig Single Cup Coffee Brewers at Keurig.com.

    Retail Value Of Prize: Approximately $182.00.

    • To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Coffee Section and click to enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, November 22nd at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!

     

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Things To Do With Fudge Sauce

    No cocoa? Mix milk with fudge sauce.
    Photo by Elton Lin | THE NIBBLE.

    If that jar of fudge sauce (a.k.a. chocolate sauce or hot fudge sauce) has been sitting on the shelf because you’re not into ice cream sundaes, how about turning it into hot chocolate, a milkshake or some mocha coffee?

    For hot chocolate, just place two spoonfuls of fudge sauce in a mug of milk. Microwave for two minutes, stir (a mini whisk is best for mixing) and enjoy.

    Add two spoonfuls to a milkshake (with or without ice cream), and a small spoonful to a cup of coffee.

    If you have any fudge sauce left, use it:

    • As spoon candy—dip a spoon in and enjoy your chocolate fix
    • Drizzle over plain cake (angel-food cake, pound cake, cheesecake) with an optional garnish of berries and whipped cream
    • Make fondue: dip bananas, apples, orange segments, pineapple, strawberries, pretzels, cookies and cake chunks
    We find that microwaving the jar for 15 seconds at room temperature or 30 seconds from the fridge does the trick.

     

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    PRODUCT: Sundaes Best Hot Fudge Sauce

    With regrets to those who don’t eat sweets, we’ve been on a sweet streak over the last week, tasting products for review.

    Sundaes Best is a line of hot fudge sauces, specializing in flavored fudge. Apart from the plain dark chocolate Original, the flavors include Cherry, Hazelnut, Java, Mint, Orange, Peanut Butter and Raspberry.

    Raspberry is the best-selling flavor, but we preferred Cherry—the flavor of maraschino cherry deftly blended into the fudge sauce. Peanut Butter Hot Fudge is another favorite (PB and chocolate fans will love it), as are Orange and Mint.

    While the company uses the finest cocoa, Cabot butter and half-and-half from an award-winning dairy, we preferred the flavors to the Original fudge sauce. It’s less common to find a flavored fudge sauce; and with Sundaes Best, there’s a favorite flavor for every palate to give a special lilt to everything you serve with it.

     

    A box as a gift, a jar as a stocking stuffer.
    Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

     
    The company makes large (15-ounce), medium (8-ounce) and small (3-ounce) sizes. Jars can be custom-labeled for custom gifts and wedding/party favors. Learn more and purchase online at SundaesBest.com.

      

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