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Although sugar is a staple in everyone's cupboard, do your customers know that a single sugar type will not fulfill all of their culinary needs? In fact, sugar is an important ingredient that can add the right texture and flavor to a wide variety of foods from a favorite barbecue sauce to a light and fluffy meringue. The variety of sugars available often confuses customers, so they simply choose the same sugar they use for their coffee as they do for their baking. Providing your customers with education can help them realize that they should store more than one kind of sugar on their kitchen shelves. Once they experience the results obtainable through the use of different types of sugar, you're sure to enjoy a sales boost in this staple product category.

Sugar is a naturally occurring carbohydrate in fruits and vegetables. The greatest quantities are found in sugarcane and sugar- beets, from which it is separated for commercial use. The removal of sugar from sugar- cane transforms this bamboo-like grass from a tough fibrous state to a more palatable one. The cane is pressed to extract the juice, which is then boiled until it thickens and the sugar begins to crystallize. Next, the crystals are spun in a centrifuge to remove the syrup, leaving behind only the raw sugar. That raw sugar is then sent to a refinery where it is washed, filtered, dried, and packaged to create refined sugar. (The beet sugar processing is similar, minus the raw sugar stage.)

All sugarcane or beet sugar undergoes some processing to yield sugar, and the distinction between refined and unrefined sugar is attributable to the different processing methods. Unrefined cane sugar endures only a single process in its country of origin, whereas refined sugar is the result of a two-stage process during which 'impurities' in the sugar are removed, leaving only the sucrose. The term impurity in this method refers to anything other than pure sucrose, including the molasses (which is naturally occurring, edible, and nutritious).

According to Liverpool, England-based Billington's, a privately owned company specializing in natural cane sugars, the process is as follows:

"The cane is cut, and then transported to a local mill, where it is crushed to release the juice. The juice is then clarified through the simple process of sedimentation (by gravity), which removes any impurities. This clarified juice is then evaporated (to remove excess water) and crystallized -- normally in three stages. As the juice passes from the first to third crystallization, a proportionately greater amount of molasses is retained within the crystals, explaining why each successive sugar type is richer in color and flavor. The sugars are then centrifuged to remove excess syrup and carefully bagged prior to shipment."

At this point, the processing ends for unrefined sugar. Its natural brown appearance and distinctive flavor are the culmination of the process in which a portion of the molasses is retained.
Refined sugars are those which have been processed to remove all impurities. All that remains is the cane's sucrose content. The process removes the molasses film from the sugar crystals, which then undergo further filtration through a decolorization process to create the final product. A refined brown sugar is created by adding the refined white sugar to the cane molasses that was separated from it during the refining process. The result is a refined white sugar intermingled with cane molasses. It is not brown throughout the crystals.

The most common sugars used in the home are granulated, brown, and liquid sugars.
Granulated sugars come in a variety of different types, each differing in crystal size that renders it appropriate for specific needs.

Regular sugar or white sugar is stocked in nearly every home. Used to sprinkle onto cereal or spoon into coffee, white sugar is also the type most often called for in recipes. Generally, it is described as fine or extra fine. Superfine or "ultrafine" sugar varieties are ideal for fine-textured cakes and meringues, as well as their crystals being the perfect size for dissolving easily when being used to sweeten iced drinks.

Confectioners or powdered sugar is a granulated sugar that is ground to a smooth powder and then sifted. Cornstarch (3 percent) is added to prevent the sugar from caking. Typically what is sold at retail is the finest of the three "grades." Powdered sugar is an ingredient in icings, confections, and whipping cream. Industrial bakers use the remaining two grades of powdered sugar.

Likewise, several different types of brown sugars are available. Turbinado sugar is a partially processed raw sugar from which some of the surface molasses has been removed. The color is somewhat blonde and it offers a mild brown sugar flavor, making it a good choice for use in tea.
Light and dark brown sugars differ in the amounts of molasses syrup they have retained. Dark brown sugar is darker in color and has a stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar, which is generally used in baking, or for making condiments, glazes, or even butterscotch. The rich flavor of a dark brown sugar makes it a great choice for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, or plum pudding.

Muscovado sugar is very dark brown and delivers a strong molasses flavor. Its crystals are a bit coarser and thicker than regular brown sugars. Demerara sugar is a light brown sugar that has large, slightly sticky, golden crystals. Often, it is used to top hot cereals and in coffee or tea.
Finally, liquid sugar comes in several types, with liquid sucrose being the most common for home applications. It is liquid granulated sugar and may be substituted for dissolved granulated sugar wherever it might be used.

Ice Cream Makers
During the 1830's, the modern ice cream churn was patented in the U.S., helping make this frozen sweet a part of our culinary heritage. While hundreds of different flavors are available for purchase that offer immediate satisfaction, for the true ice cream gourmand, nothing beats making this treat in the comfort of his/her own home and savoring the decidedly better flavor. And, as more and more consumers become concerned about consuming the preservatives and other additives found in their foods (ice cream included), ice cream makers have reemerged as ideal kitchen accessories.

Making ice cream in a home machine can be easy and fast, but with the numerous models available at price points varying from $25 to more than $500, how do you direct your customers to the best machine for their ice cream-making needs?

The classic old-fashioned canister in a wooden bucket ice cream maker comes in both hand-crank and electric versions. Unlike many ice cream makers (discussed below), the bucket does not require placement in the freezer at least 24 hours prior to making ice cream. Instead, it must be chilled with a mixture of ice and salt. Typically, these machines produce larger quantities of ice cream than most of the electric machines available -- 6 quarts compared to 1 or 1.5 quarts at a time. While there is a certain charm to preparing ice cream in this manner, it does require exacting measurements and precise preparation to create perfect ice cream. And, since there is little price difference between this machine's hand-crank versions and the electric ice cream makers, many consumers opt to pay the few extra dollars for the added convenience.
Electric ice cream makers come with the motor on the top or the bottom. However, on some models, the motor is located on the container's side and either turns the paddle or rotates a bowl while the paddle remains stationary. These models require freezing the canister for at least 24 hours, meaning not only that you must have enough room in your freezer to accommodate the canister, but you also can not whip up ice cream on a whim. These ice cream makers are considered mid-range in pricing -- from about $30 - $125.

Since they have refrigerator units built right into them, commercial-grade ice cream makers don't require the user to put the canister in the freezer. Users can simply switch on the machine. These high-priced fully automatic units remove the guesswork from the concocting of frozen delicacies. They are convenient and easy to use, and some say that they actually produce a denser ice cream than those made in units with a frozen canister. The drawback is that they are heavy -- some can weigh 40 pounds -- requiring that you will most likely need to dedicate permanent space on your counter for such a machine. Additionally, these commercial-grade makers can be quite costly -- up to $500. But if your customers are big ice cream consumers, these are definitely the top choice.

What features are available in ice cream makers? Removable bowls are a plus, as they make cleanup much easier than those units that have an attached bowl. Plus, a removable bowl allows the user to have an extra bowl on hand for making an additional batch while the first bowl is in use. To accommodate families with differing flavor favorites, there are electric units that come with two bowls that allow the user to simultaneously prepare two different types of ice cream.
A feeder and a see-through plastic lid can make the addition of ingredients convenient and monitoring during the mixing process easy.

The size of the bowl is important. Usually, they range from one- to six-quart sizes, and become an important consideration, especially if you're going to feed the family at the Fourth of July picnic.

Durability is of course a must, and is best exemplified by machines with all-metal casting.
Noise is another issue, but one that is rarely discovered until the consumer returns home and starts to make ice cream. If possible, test the units you have for sale so that you can properly inform customers about the noise level produced by the different machines while they're in operation.

Units that include a recipe booklet further add to their usefulness. Be sure to inform your customers that ice cream makers are practical for making a variety of frozen treats, including sorbet, frozen yogurt, or even frozen drinks. Multiple speeds are a particularly helpful feature for these endeavors.