Starbucks 'Trenta': How The New Size Compares To Your Stomach
Famous Death Row Last Meals
I'm already thinking about this month's Sugar High Friday: Low Sugar Edition. I like the challenge of coming up with recipes to fit a theme. But low sugar? I'll cut back on fat in a heartbeat, but I have to say that I would be hard pressed to give up sugar for any length of time unless I absolutely had to. Of course, one dessert does not a commitment make. Nevertheless, I wanted to know what I was up against, so I devised a little taste test with some fresh lemonade.
Let me first say that this was not scientific at all. It was not a blind taste test; I simply made two batches of lemonade and sweetened one with Splenda brand sweetener and one with sugar. Both batches tasted very good. The one with regular sugar tasted a little more complex, with the sugar having an obvious presence. The Splenda sweetened lemonade tasted a little brighter and more tart - it was difficult to measure how much I wanted to add from those little packets - but not artificial at all. The sugar version might have tasted a little bit more homemade, but the Splenda batch was very good, as well.
As far as ability to sweeten lemonade, I declared the test between Splenda and sugar a tie. Then I enjoyed the rest of my experiment with a bowl of chips on the side.
[Photo by Nicole Weston]
Jane Seymour's Modest And Modern Style
Broke Stars: 11 Celebrities Who Went Bankrupt
LOOK: Amazing Underwater Photos Of Dogs
Adele Five-Year Break? Singer Plans to Focus on Relationship, Write 'Happy Record'
Social Security Is Failing Even Faster Than We Thought
PHOTOS: How You Can Get The 'Miracle' Dress
Man Says Starbucks Discriminated Against Him Because He Has Half An Arm
Chris Brown, Grammys 2012: Embattled Singer Slams Critics
Janice Dickinson's Outrageous Style
Ford's clever Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ad features phantom model
3 Economic Misconceptions That Need to Die
Photos Of Dead Lacrosse Player's Injured Body Shown To Jury
Trace Adkins Reunites With College Crush, 30 Years Later
Van Gogh's Starry Night modded into beautiful interactive light and sound show (video)
PHOTOS: Model Falls At Dennis Basso Show
'Hooker Teacher' Forced To Resign, Now Can't Find Work
Lauren Scruggs Goes On Ski Vacation
WATCH AND LAUGH: Cops In 2-Hour Standoff With Empty Car
Woman's Dead Fiance Is Behind Her Disappearance: Cops
Stephen Wiltshire Draws Cities From Memory
PHOTOS: Remembering The People's Ballerina
We Meant There WERE Nukes In The Fire
1-09-2006 @12:52AM Marvo said... I've been thinking about switching to Splenda, but it's hard because a lot of the products out there that contain Splenda aren't very good. Because of this, I tend to call it Splenblah. However, your test with the lemonade gives me some hope.
Reply
1-09-2006 @1:27AM Berkana said... Since normal granulated sugar is sucrose, a disacharide of fructose and glucose, and since the fructose part is the only part that registers as sweet on our taste buds, you should hypothetically be able to make a lower calorie lemonade of approximately equivalent flavor by doing the following:
1) Start with a known mass of sugar, and make lemonade to taste. Re-weigh the sugar to find out exactly how much you used, in grams.
2) Using the molecular weight of sugar, find out how many moles of sucrose you used.
3) Calculate the mass of an equivalent number of moles of fructose, using the molecular weight of fructose.
4) Now, make a low-cal batch of lemonade with the same sweetness by using the amount of fructose you calculated in step 3. (Powdered crystaline pure fructose is sold in some specialty food stores. Berkeley Bowl sells it in bulk.)
Voila! lemonade with fewer calories and aproximately the same sweetness! (I have not personally tried this: this is simply my hypothesis. If anyone has the time and the money to do this, please report your findings. Thanks.)
Reply
1-09-2006 @2:26AM Prufrax said... I've found that splenda, whilst in general being the best tasting artificial sweetener, does tend to enhance sour and acidic flavours, and not always in a good way.
this seems to be especially true with yoghurt where I have found that the more acidic brands of natural yoghurt taste okay when sweetened with sugar, but taste off when sweetened with splenda!
Reply
1-09-2006 @11:30AM James Scott said... Sugar is still the best in the long run. From what I understand, Splenda is a chemically altered form of sugar. Do you really wand to add another modified product to your diet?
Reply
1-09-2006 @12:05PM kevin said... I've been making lemonaid with Splenda for a couple of years now. I think it's excellent.
Reply
1-09-2006 @9:25PM Matthew said... Scott,
A "modified product" is bad simply because it's modified? Caramel is modified sugar.
Why is sugar best in the long run?
Reply
1-21-2006 @11:49PM 0cdreamr said... As a regular user of Splenda (I'm diabetic & the use of a sugar substitute isn't a choice for me) I have successfully used it in many recipes. One thing I would suggest, though, is if you will be using a large amount (more than a spoonful) buy a box of loose Splenda. This can be used as an equivalent of regular sugar.
Reply