Sugar is used in various ways when in cooking including:
- Baking:Sugars contribute a major role in the texture and volume of food products. Through their ability for moisture retention, they allow the formation of soft crumbs and light structured baked goods such as cakes. They allow the creaming of fat by incorporating air and stabilizing egg white foams to form light and fluffy textured baked products. Moreover, they add volume and tenderness to baked goods, and through gelatinization- when they are combined with a gelling agent like pectin, they form gel-like products like jellies and jams.
- To enhance flavour: The Maillard reaction and carmelization allow for the enhancement in flavour and change in colour in baked goods and sauces.
- Used in beverages: Syrups are added in beverages to enhance their taste. They are utilized in some sauces to counter their bitter taste.
- Preservation:Sugars are also important in food preservation. Their ability to retain water decreases water activity hence inhibiting microbial development. The high sugar content hinders spoilage by increasing the osmotic pressure in a food, in turn limiting the growth of micro-organisms. They act preservatives in jellies, jams, confectionary, marmalades, syrups etc.
- In fermentation-Sugars are a key ingredient in alcoholic fermentation to produce alcoholic beverages such as beers, whisky, wine and ciders. They also act as a base for fermenting yeast when making bread by facilitating the rising of the dough.
- In making confectionery: Powdered sugars are used in baked products and confectionary. They allow a smooth crystalline texture for confectionary and ice-creams. Their ability to reduce freezing point allows the production of soft ice-creams.
You can use sugar in cooking in various ways such as in baking, fermenting, making confectionary, to preserve foods, to sweeten beverages, and to enhance the flavour and colour of foods similar to how it is applied in the food industry.