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wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 12:30 pm Post subject: Sugar

This might be better in chat - it's going to start as a bit of a rant anyway!

Why must manufactuers put so much sugar in things? I loathe oversugared readymade cakes and things, and never buy them anymore, but jam is always far too sweet, and loads of savoury things have added sugar.

As I make more and more things myself, I'm reducing the sugar in recipes, but so many of them still oversweeten things. The breadmaker said to put sugar in the bread, but I never do (on the advice of the flour producer), and the bread is fine. I halved the sugar in my jams, and they are much nicer and set fine, I reduce sugar in lemon curd, and improved the flavour no end. Yesterday I made Nigella's Chocolate, chilli and cinnamon pudding, and it was so overwhelmingly sweet, I couldn't eat it - you couldn't taste anything in it except sugar and chocolate. And mass produced chocolate is vile - full of sugar and vegatable fat. Proper chocolate is much less sweet, and nicer as far as I'm concerned. My guests all had two helpings of pud, so maybe I just don't have a sweet tooth!

Ok, rant over - what do you reduce the sugar in and by how much - or is it just me scrawling all over my recipe books?! What really needs the sugar and have you had any disasters with messing about with the quantites in recipes?

Deedee

Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 250
Location: Surrey

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 1:12 pm Post subject:

I agree there is way too much sugar in stuff.I made icecream yesterday and the boys all refused to eat it even though it was lovely they said it wasn't sweet enough and after they sprinkled loads of sugar on it then they ate it!! Kinda defeating the object

I am in the process of totally re-educating their tastebuds (wether they like it or not!) I was horrified to see just how bad their diets have become with all the sugar secreted into stuff where you don't expect it to be..I would be interested how little sugar I can get away with in 'breadmaker jam' as the boys eat that

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 1:24 pm Post subject:
I am pleased to say we are a "no puddings" household, and oddly enough a teenage children with no dental fillings household either, and that is despite a couple of total pains of children when it comes to habitually cleaning their teeth jema

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45670
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 1:26 pm Post subject:
My wife would leave me if I said we were going to be a no puddngs household

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 1:49 pm Post subject:

Totally agree about too much sugar in things. I stopped taking sugar in my drinks a couple of years ago, but I've not really had a sweet tooth.

We make most of our own jam now and I tend to only use 30-40% sugar at the most. No problems with setting either and as there's room in the fridge I put it in there in case their is too little sugar to keep it for several months. Still room to use a little less I think.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 2:32 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't tend to reduce the amount too much in cakes because I think it's a pretty important part of the chemistry...bics seem less crucial but still wouldn't want to mess around too much.

I make an oat biscuit every now and again which I find can take a good deal more oats and fruit than the recipe claims, but don't write it down. It makes a very nice substantial biscuit.

I believe apple juice can make a good substitute for sugar in many things, even in baking, so it might be worth looking out for things like that. Of course it's still sugar but I suppose it's less refined and I vaguely recall being told it tastes sweeter (or you get more of the taste, or something) so you do wind up with less sugar. I would definitley look for recipes though, I wouldn't like to go round sticking apple juice randomly in to recipes.

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 4:17 pm Post subject:

yes we dont have puddings either and have 2 teens with no fillings(lucky things)
Im making bread this week with my new breadmaker and was amazed to find 3 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt in the recipe (actually it says 3 tablespoons of sugar but that has to be a typo. Im using 1 tsp sugar,1tsp salt and it tastes fine.
My OH is the sugarholic in our family. He's also the most cavity afflicted AND the dentist phobic.
You can use honey instead of sugar. We have done this in Apple or Rhubarb crumble with success.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 6:06 pm Post subject:

Any chance of the oat biscuits recipe? We're not a pudding household at all (unless we have company) as we have no kids, but I find myself working in Bethnal Green for the next month or so (dying to get it over with!). I will be in for a long day and need snacks, which is what prompted it, as I need to do some baking to have something decent to eat while I'm out. I get hungrier out than when I'm at home too - annoying as there is less opporuntity to eat good food!

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 10:05 pm Post subject:
I think the sugar in the bread machine recipe is food for the yeast.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 10:16 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

My wife would leave me if I said we were going to be a no puddngs household

And I think you'll find that any sane judge in the land would give her house, children and your entire CD collection

Wellington W, certainly, it's dead easy too. I've got another one from OH's ma which I've yet to try out but which comes highly recommended. In fact, I have an idea for a new thread which I think I'll post the recipe on...watch out on a forum near you soon (do your own gravelly voiceover for that bit).

Alison...I know I've asked you before about the yeast, it occurs to me that the sachets have all sorts of additions, which might be why you can get away without the sugar. I'm inclined to think that's a bad thing so I'll have another experiment with the DovesFarm packet.

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 10:41 pm Post subject:
I use the Doves farm, instant yeast, but not in an individual serving packet. I measure it out from it.

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 05 9:40 am Post subject:

alison wrote:

I think the sugar in the bread machine recipe is food for the yeast.

yes it is but I make bread dough for pizza and use 1tp which is plenty.
Yesterday I made a 2lb loaf in the machine and added 1 heaped tsp of sugar instead of 3 and it rose just the same.
I use the Allinsons yeast in the little orange tin which works fine.
Also the amount of salt quoted in the recipe is far too much as it is just to take the sweetness away from the loaf so I reduce that too.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 05 12:19 pm Post subject:
I only use a teaspoon of sugar for mine too

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 05 12:29 pm Post subject:
In school H.E. lessons my B-I-L forgot to put any sugar at all into pineapple upsidedown cake and about three others, too embarassed to tell the teacher he kept quiet, only to be told they were the best in the class! Having tried the pineapple one I couldn't tell there was no sugar in it!

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 05 1:38 pm Post subject:

There used to be a apple and pear spread you could buy in wholefood shops that I seemed to remember you could use instead of sugar in recipes. Someone will tell if it still exsists. I think it used to be mentioned in wholefood recipe books or vegan ones- the sort of book that encourage carob dependancy!

We do like puds, but don't have them everyday. I don't want the kids to expect there to be one and avoid eating all the main in the hope of something better. Often its a piece of homemade cake or a visit to the fruit bowl. But I do like making a homemade crumble or ice-cream so I couldn't not make something at least once a week.

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