Cane vs Beet Sugar

[Meowmie]

Do you have a preference when it comes to sugar? It's something I never thought of until at a Tupperware party we played a game where we were blindfolded, and smelled different items, trying to guess what the were. Everyone agreed that one of the containers had dirty socks in it.

It was beet sugar!!! I have not bought anything but pure cane sugar since then.

Most beet sugar is GMO now, too. Cane sugar for the moment, is non GMO but they are working on ruining that.

What is your preference?

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I have never noticed that there was a different smell to either kind, but then I have never tried smelling sugar with a blindfold on either.
I remember that there is a sugar beet factory in Washington State, and when you drive past the area, you can sure smell the beets being processed; so maybe there is more of a smell, and maybe it depends on if the got it processed right.
I don't think there is any difference in the taste between the two; and the price is not that much different; so it is easy to buy whichever one you prefer.

 

[DiLupo]

I grew up on cane sugar and so I'm not too sure about what beet sugar is like. I heard that it is a lot milder than cane sugar. I guess I have to get some myself to try out!

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I really like the raw sugar crystals. They are expensive, so unless you have lots of money, you would not be using them for baking and stuff where you need a lot of sugar; but for sweetening tea or coffee, and even a spoonful on cereal, it has the most delicious flavor.
Raw sugar is the processed sugar cane, but it has not been through all the chemical whitening that regular sugar goes through, so the flavor is more the natural flavor of the sugar cane, not just a sweet taste.

 

[Meowmie]

Happyflowerlady, one of my cats looks a lot like your avatar, minus the 'hat'.

I like raw sugar too. I use it on top of pies and things.

Since the Tupperware party I've had many people smell their beet sugar. They all say it does smell like dirty socks. lol At least is doesn't taste that way.

 

[DiLupo]

Beet sugar tends to have a slightly musty smell compared with cane sugar but luckily it doesn't taste like old socks!

I use a lot of sugar in my tea and coffee and a friend of mine told me that in India, raw sugar is so inexpensive that people use it in most types of cakes and sweets. I guess it depends on where you live in.

 

[Kitty Reeves]

I don't really like beet sugar personally, I use Sucunut and Turbinado sugars. Though, in a pinch I will use plain ole cane sugar. Usually the organic/natural "chunky" sugars taste the best, in my opinion.

 

[JGPangi]

I've never had beet sugar before. We mostly use raw cane sugar or, increasingly due to my parents' high blood sugar levels, coconut sugar. I find it more caramel-flavored and the smell is just a bit sweeter than cane sugar. It depends on where it comes from and how it's processed, of course, but at least it doesn't smell like socks!