AIBU to think the world does not need......

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

granulated sugar?

It's more refined cousin Caster does everything it can do, but better.

So why is the sugar industry wasting a sucrillion pounds on this extraneous processing.

Well actually not more processing, but I'll bet my last pear drop that it's separate, ergo wasteful of the money type.

Question mark.

Maybe precisely because it's not so refined and therefore cheaper to produce? I only buy caster sugar if I'm making a cake. The rest of the time a bog-standard pack of Tate and Lyle seems to keep us going for quite a long time.

Isn't it castor sugar that has the extra process? You grind granulated sugar to make castor sugar?

I think castor sugar is a bit of a British thing isn;t it? Most places I've been you bake with granulated (or just "sugar" as we call it) and no one makes crunchy cakes.

I always presumed when making sugar they took out the granulated sugar first, then brummed up the rest to make caster sugar.

So I would have thought granulated sugar needs less processing,(it's cheeper, isn't it?).

But I agree caster sugar is way better than granulated sugar.

Yes

But

If there's 2 processes, that's got to be more coastly than one, non?

So just make one suagr and get rid of the superfluous one.

And that'd save printing 2 types of packaging.

See?

[sensnibble]

Does it bother you that there is crunchy and smooth peanut butter? After all, we only need smooth.

Yus.

Grapes perplex me too.

possibly castor sugar is a by-product of the granulated sugar industry

It would sort of fall down to the bottom of the granulation machine and through a tiny sieve into the castor sugar bagging area. Possibly.

Both are completely pointless. No nutritional benefit whatsoever. Don't waste your time or energy thinking about them.

They do have a nutritional benefit i.e. 'energy' calories. There isn't much going on in the vitamin and mineral department, admittedly, but it would be incorrect to say they offer zero nutritional value

Grapes perplex you?

YABU. Where would lemon drizzle cake be without granulated sugar!?

In the US, caster sugar is called "superfine" or "baker's sugar" and it's a lot more expensive than granulated. I've only ever bought it once and I really couldn't tell the difference. My cakes and pastries have never been crunchy.

So perhaps it's the caster sugar that should be done away with, especially considering it's more processed? I bet your cost would go down

I only ever buy granulated.

Well, granulated, and icing, and demerera, and muscovado... but I don't bother with caster.

If your beginning to worry about that make sure you buy Silver Spoon which is produced from sugar beet in the UK and therefore has many less food miles than Tate and Lyle cane sugar.

we always buy granulated. Only buy caster if a recipy specifies it.

No - there is no nutritional benefit. You can get all the energy you need from things that are far better for you. And it is the excess 'energy' that people eat that is converted to fat. Have sugar by all means, it tastes nice - but don't be under any illusions as to the nutritional value, or the damage it can do.

The problem with the 'sugar gives you energy' argument is that people think it gives you energy. It doesn't. All it does is provide you with fuel if you are being energetic. It won't make you feel like being energetic. If you eat the sugar and then do bugger all, it'll simply be converted into fat.

I do all my baking with granulated and its fine. I agree that its the castor sugar that it the waste of time (and money!)

Plus, the lemon drizzle point is an excellent one. lemon drizzle cake is no good without granulated sugar and the world is no good without lemon drizzle cake according to my DCs