<p>Yes, CF, but I have a suspicion that some “purists” would remind that both could contain trace amount of impurities, so technically their composition is different. Pfft. 
</p>
<p><a href=“SUGAR, SUGAR / Cane and beet share the same chemistry but act differently in the kitchen”>http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SUGAR-SUGAR-Cane-and-beet-share-the-same-2939081.php</a></p>
<p>I’ll stick with cane sugar. The differences appear to be more than trivial in baking. </p>
<p>Shellz, I have heard that the major difference in the results is not due to trace impurities in the sucrose but due to granulation. How many of you actually weigh out the ingredients when baking? I thought so. We use volumetric measures such as cups and spoons. Granulation affects how much of the ingredient is actually packed into a given volume. </p>
<p>If you read the article, note the creme brûlée actually turned out very differently when direct heat was applied. That is surely not a result of mis measuring. I guess I’m a snob… No Splenda, artificial vanilla or buttery spread in this house. Old habits die hard.</p>
<p>And when I use European recipes I most certainly weigh my ingredients instead of translating grams/cups. A habit I got into long ago watching my mother bake German Torts and goodies :)</p>
<p>Granulation can also affect the rate of melting and caramelization. I am not dismissing the possibility that there could be some impurity influences, just offering a similarly plausible explanation of the results. </p>
<p>I have three different cane sugar varieties in my pantry. Each is used for a different purpose. It is funny that when I saw “German Torts” in your post, I immediately pictured a bunch of Germans suing each other for negligence, battery, etc., not the yummy baked goodies you meant. 
</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1841132985?pc_redir=1413886177&robot_redir=1”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1841132985?pc_redir=1413886177&robot_redir=1</a></p>
<p>Bahahaha BB. Good one 
Germans do tend to like to debate and argue!</p>
<p>But beet sugar is not being mislabeled when it is labeled “SUGAR.” It is sugar. Maybe cane sugar and beet sugar should be distinguished, but beet sugar manufacturers aren’t lying when they label their product “SUGAR.”</p>
<p>That’s right–beet sugar and cane sugar are both sugar–but they are not both cane sugar. If you made a product and advertised it as being made with cane sugar, you couldn’t honestly make it with beet sugar instead.</p>
<p>I think the reason people are more likely to side with “Just Mayo” is because this appears to be a relatively un-sleazy example of mislabeling a food item. There are much worse, such as what often happens with fish and meat. But the principle is the same.</p>
<p>I put in a thumbs up for Frank Cardulla’s Teaching Company chemistry dvds, btw. The first couple of lectures moved really slowly, almost painfully slowly as I recall, luring you into thinking chemistry is as easy as pie. Then he picks up the pace. This approach helps build confidence before more difficult material is tackled. It was fun for me to go through a number of the DVDs because I didn’t do high school chemistry or college chem. Science was never really my strong suit, which is very ironic.</p>
<p>We also enjoyed watching some of the videos on the The University of Nottingham site.
<a href=“http://www.periodicvideos.com/”>http://www.periodicvideos.com/</a></p>
<p>Not intending this as a “this is all you need” recommendation, just mentioning a couple of resources we liked. Nice when you hit on something you feel works. </p>
<p>O.K. you culinary chemists; where does “raw sugar” come from, cane or beet? I purchased some awhile ago from a local Caribbean food market. It didn’t taste as sweet as “regular” sugar to me. I forget what the label said.</p>
<p>Getting back to Hellmans vs. the universe…I think this thing is beginning to blow up in Hellmans face, if the idea was to marginalize ‘Just Mayo.’</p>
<p>Have I got this right, LakeWashington?</p>
<p><a href=“Sugarcane - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarcane</a>
“Sugarcane is any of several species of tall perennial true grasses of the genus Saccharum, tribe Andropogoneae, native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, and used for sugar production.”</p>
<p><a href=“Sugar plantations in the Caribbean - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_plantations_in_the_Caribbean</a></p>
<p>Is the difference between brown sugar and white sugar kind of like the difference between brown rice and white rice?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The result depends on the type of sugar used. The usual sugar for this dessert is cassonade and it is brown sugar derived from the sugar cane. Comparing cassonade to basic white sugar from either the cane or a beet might explain the differences. On the other hand, except for subtle differences in taste, the end result of using cassonade from cane of the similar product (that carries a name unknown in the US -vergeoise) developed from beets will amount to little to nothing. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Are Arabica and Robusta both coffee? Raw sugar comes from various sources, and cane and beet are interchangeable in the common versions sold commercially. The acceptance or availability of either product has much to do with geography and land uses. Western Europe is mostly a sugarbeet market and sugarcane considered a specialty product. This has to do with the commonality of the beet production and the fact that sugarbeets do not travel well. </p>
<p>Again, cane or beet is very much as Coke vs Pepsi dilemma. White beet sugar versus brown cane sugar is a different issue. </p>
<p>So saying I’ll have a Coke in the south…are you really asking for that particular brand or a soda of indeterminate identity? </p>
<p>Ok…carry on! Just a random rememberance from a friend who spent some time in the south being very confused ;-)</p>
<p>I heard a fascinating lecture about sugar a few months ago. Did you know Columbus brought sugar cane to the Caribbean on his second voyage? His mother had a sugarcane plantation in Madiera and he realized that the conditions would be right. The rest is sad, greedy, turbulent history. When Napoleon gave up on Haiti and it became independent, Europe started heading back to the sugar beet instead of sugar cane. They are both sucrose and nearly all commercial sugar is a mix of both. Dominos is labelled 100% cane sugar. </p>
<p>Anyone else have the C and H jingle stuck in their head now??</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.chsugar.com/sugar/detail/granulated-sugar-carton”>http://www.chsugar.com/sugar/detail/granulated-sugar-carton</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.chsugar.com/mm/files/San-Fran-Chronicle-3-31-99.pdf”>http://www.chsugar.com/mm/files/San-Fran-Chronicle-3-31-99.pdf</a></p>
<p>Full circle…</p>
<p>Xiggi, could you go over what you wrote in post #71 for me again? Make it real easy, please. Add any key details I might need to understand it better, but put it in “For Dummies” format, okay?</p>
<p><a href=“French Sugar - David Lebovitz”>http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/11/french-sugars/</a></p>
<p>Sorry for the lack of clarity. Here is my simple take:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the granulated white (cristal) sugar, one should find the sublest of differences between cane or beet sugar.
2 Brown sugar exist in both cane and beet form, and the differences will be more noticeable with more “exotic” overtones coming from the cane version (think cinnamon) and perhaps a more “burnt” or robust aftertaste from the dark beet sugar. </li>
<li>There are slightly different products that are less refined. Some sugars from Brazil take this form.</li>
</ol>
<p>All in all, I think that white sugar is white sugar. The differences in taste and flavor might be more apparent in the darker as the processing might include different compositions of molasses or juices. Perhaps more along the lines of what happens with the torrefaction of coffees. </p>
<p>Thanks, Xiggi. I think I got the gist of that. Now I’m going to go ask my spouse if he knows about and/or can tell me anything about torrefaction (I gather that’s something about the way coffee is processed?). He likes coffee and has a different knowledge base than I do. He might be familiar with it.</p>