On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1235

constructfromitavarietyofinteresting
textures.
Onechemicalcharacteristicofsugarsis
especiallyimportantinthekitchen.Sugars
haveastrongaffinityforwater,sothey
readilydissolveinwater,andformtemporary
butstrongbondstowatermoleculesintheir
vicinity.Sugarsthereforeretainmoisturein
bakedgoods,keepfrozendessertsfrom
solidifyingintoasolidblockofice,forma
stickymatrixthatholdsfoodparticles
togetherinsuchthingsasmarzipanand
granolabars,maintainamoist,glossy
appearanceinglazes,andhelppreservefruits
bydrawingmoistureoutofspoilagemicrobes
andpreventingtheirgrowth.
KindsofSugar

Thecookworkswithjustahandfulofthe
manydifferentsugarsinnature.Allofthem
aresweet,buteachhasitsdistinctive


qualities.
Glucose Glucose, also calleddextrose, is a
simple sugar, and the most common sugar
from which living cells directly extract
chemical energy. Glucose is found in many
fruits and in honey, but always in a mixture
withothersugars.It’sthebuildingblockfrom
which starch chains are constructed. Cooks

encounteritmostoftenasthesweetsubstance
in corn syrup, which is made by breaking
starchdownintoindividualglucosemolecules
andsmallglucosechains(p.677).Achainof
two glucoses is calledmaltose. Compared to
table sugar, or sucrose, glucose is less sweet,
less soluble in water, and produces a thinner
solution.Itmeltsandbeginstocaramelizeat
around300ºF/150ºC.
SweetsAroundtheWorld
Sugar is universally popular, but different
cultures have made different uses of it.