what exactly is granulated sugar?how is it any different than normal sugar?

Question

its mostly used in recipes such as cookies, drinks etc.

Answer 1

Granulated Sugar

Granulated sugars are the most versatile and widely used white crystalline sugars. The 'standard', granulated sugar is a high purity and free-flowing sugar.

TStandard Granulated Sugar
Standard granulated sugar is recognised as the 'gold standard' which alternative sweetener systems strive to match and is probably one of the most undervalued food ingredients.

Standard granulated sugar is a 'general purpose sugar', suitable for use in many varied food and drink manufacturing processes.

Providing texture and structural properties to many food and drink products, standard granulated sugar really is the essential ingredient. Like all sugars, it can act as a flavour enhancer, emphasising desirable tastes or masking undesirable ones. By decreasing water activity, it has a preservative effect, inhibiting growth of micro-organisms in jams and jellies.

Speciality White Granulated Sugars
This range of sugars, specifically manufactured and selected to meet the needs of particular food manufacturing processes, complements the 'standard' granulated product. Providing all of the benefits of the 'standard' product, each of the sugars in this range brings an added benefit to the process for which it has been designed.


Select Granulated Sugar
A high quality, white granulated sugar carefully screened to provide a consistent particle size - at least 92% greater than 250 microns of which no more than 2.5% of crystals are larger than 1.0mm.

This regularity is essential for biscuit manufacture where the use of Select Granulated sugar contributes to consistent biscuit texture and a uniformity of size.

Granulated No. 25 Sugar
An enhanced grade of sugar with a standard particle size distribution and lower solution colour. (not exceeding 25 ICUMSA units).Where it is necessary to produce soft drinks, fondants or sugar confectionery with low levels of colour, Granulated No. 25 will meet the requirement.

BP/EP Granulated Sugar
BP / EP granulated sugar is guaranteed to meet the requirements of the British and European Pharmacopoeia and can therefore be used in pharmaceutical preparations where BP/EP compliance is required



Where as Standard Sugars

White granulated sugar is the standard ‘general purpose sugar', suitable for use in a wide variety of food and drink manufacturing processes. When dissolved in potable water it produces our other ‘standard’ product - water-white liquid sugar.

Answer 2

actually it's made from sugar. If you have a powerful enough blender you are able to make your own. I know with the BULLET that you see on tv you can do it. My uncle has it and when I did it, the sugar came out perfect.

You use it in some cookies for a different consistency. And for making icings and toppings.

Answer 3

granulated sugar is normal sugar. Look at the bag of "regular" sugar and read it for yourself.

Answer 4

It is regular sugar. Powdered sugar however is a finer product.

Answer 5

it is made different than regular
it is less powerful but good

Answer 6

White Sugar

There are many different types of granulated sugar. Some of these are used only by the food industry and professional bakers and are not available in the supermarket. The types of granulated sugars differ in crystal size. Each crystal size provides unique functional characteristics that make the sugar appropriate for a specific food’s special need.

“Regular” or white sugar, extra fine or fine sugar
“Regular” or white sugar, as it is known to consumers, is the sugar found in every home’s sugar bowl, and most commonly used in home food preparation. White sugar is the sugar called for in most cookbook recipes. The food industry stipulates “regular” sugar to be “extra fine” or “fine” because small crystals are ideal for bulk handling and not susceptible to caking.

Fruit Sugar
Fruit sugar is slightly finer than “regular” sugar and is used in dry mixes such as gelatin and pudding desserts, and powdered drinks. Fruit sugar has a more uniform small crystal size than “regular” sugar. The uniformity of crystal size prevents separation or settling of larger crystals to the bottom of the box, an important quality in dry mixes.

Bakers Special Sugar
The crystal size of Bakers Special is even finer than that of fruit sugar. As its name suggests, it was developed specially for the baking industry. Bakers Special is used for sugaring doughnuts and cookies, as well as in some commercial cake recipes to create a fine crumb texture.

Superfine, ultrafine, or bar sugar
This sugar’s crystal size is the finest of all the types of granulated white sugar. It is ideal for delicately textured cakes and meringues, as well as for sweetening fruits and iced-drinks since it dissolves easily. In England, a sugar very similar to superfine sugar is known as caster or castor, named after the type of shaker in which it is often packaged.

Confectioners or powdered sugar
This sugar is granulated sugar ground to a smooth powder and then sifted. It contains about 3% cornstarch to prevent caking. Powdered sugar is ground into three different degrees of fineness. The confectioners sugar available in supermarkets – 10X – is the finest of the three and is used in icings, confections and whipping cream. The other two types of powdered sugar are used by industrial bakers.

Coarse sugar
As its name implies, the crystal size of coarse sugar is larger than that of “regular” sugar. Coarse sugar is recovered when molasses-rich, sugar syrups high in sucrose are allowed to crystallize. The large crystal size of coarse sugar makes it highly resistant to color change or inversion (natural breakdown to fructose and glucose) at cooking and baking temperatures. These characteristics are important in making fondants, confections and liquors.

Sanding sugar
Another large crystal sugar, sanding sugar, is used mainly in the baking and confectionery industries as a sprinkle on top of baked goods. The large crystals reflect light and give the product a sparkling appearance.



Brown Sugar

Turbinado sugar
This sugar is raw sugar which has been partially processed, where only the surface molasses has been washed off. It has a blond color and mild brown sugar flavor, and is often used in tea and other beverages.

Brown sugar (light and dark)
Brown sugar retains some of the surface molasses syrup, which imparts a characteristic pleasurable flavor. Dark brown sugar has a deeper color and stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes. The rich, full flavor of dark brown sugar makes it good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, and other full flavored foods.

Brown sugar tends to clump because it contains more moisture than white sugar.

Muscovado or Barbados sugar
Muscovado sugar, a British specialty brown sugar, is very dark brown and has a particularly strong molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly coarser and stickier in texture than “regular” brown sugar.

Free-flowing brown sugars
These sugars are specialty products produced by a co-crystallization process. The process yields fine, powder-like brown sugar that is less moist than “regular” brown sugar. Since it is less moist, it does not clump and is free-flowing like white sugar.

Demerara sugar
Popular in England, Demerara sugar is a light brown sugar with large golden crystals, which are slightly sticky from the adhering molasses. It is often used in tea, coffee, or on top of hot cereals.



Liquid Sugar

Liquid sugars
There are several types of liquid sugar. Liquid sugar (sucrose) is white granulated sugar that has been dissolved in water before it is used. Liquid sugar is ideal for products whose recipes first require sugar to be dissolved. Amber liquid sugar is darker in color and can be used in foods where brown color is desired.

Invert sugar
Sucrose can be split into its two component sugars (glucose and fructose). This process is called inversion, and the product is called invert sugar. Commercial invert sugar is a liquid product that contains equal amounts of glucose and fructose. Because fructose is sweeter than either glucose or sucrose, invert sugar is sweeter than white sugar. Commercial liquid invert sugars are prepared as different mixtures of sucrose and invert sugar. For example total invert sugar is half glucose and half fructose, while 50% invert sugar (half of the sucrose has been inverted) is one-half sucrose, one-quarter glucose and one-quarter fructose. Invert sugar is used mainly by food manufacturers to retard the crystallization of sugar and to retain moisture in the packaged food. Which particular invert sugar is used is determined by which function – retarding crystallization or retaining moisture – is required.

Home cooks make invert sugar whenever a recipe calls for a sugar to be boiled gently in a mixture of water and lemon juice.