Recipes for the Soul---Cooking With Sugar Substitutes

March 13, 2002

***Cooking With Sugar Substitutes***As requested:Heres a Conversion Chart for those of you in need of help measuring your subsitute sugars.*********************************Cooking With Sugar Substitutes:An easy way to cut back on calories without feeling deprived is to cook or bake with artificial sweeteners.

You can shave 360 calories from a cake recipe that calls for 1 cup of sugar by using an artificial sweetener in place of half of it. (You can't replace all the sugar with a substitute.

Start by replacing half, and if the food doesn't brown correctly or is too heavy in texture, increasethe sugar-to-sweetener ratio.) Not all substitutes will do for baking. Refer to the chart below.SWEET ONE (Acesulfame-k)4 calories per packet12 packets = 1 cup sugar1 packet = 2 teaspoons sugarCan be used in cooking andbaking without losing sweetness.EQUAL (Aspartame)4 calories per packet24 packets = 1 cup sugar1 packet = 2 teaspoons sugarLoses sweetness when baked athigh temperatures for a longtime. But can be used instir-fries or added during lastfew minutes of heating or cooking.NUTRASWEET SPOONFUL (Aspartame)2 calories per teaspoon1 cup = 1 cup sugar1 teaspoon = 1 teaspoon sugarLoses sweetness when heated.But can be used spoon for spoonin place of sugar in same foodsas Equal.SPLENDA (Sucralose)0 (zero) calories1 cup = 1 cup sugar1 teaspoon = 1 teaspoon sugarMay not work well in recipessuch as certain cakes that relyupon sugar for structure.SWEET 'N LOW (Saccharin)4 calories per packet12 packets = 1 cup sugar1 packet = 2 teaspoons sugarCan be used in cooking andbaking without losing sweetness.BROWN SWEET 'N LOW (Saccharin)20 calories per teaspoon4 teaspoons = 1 cup brown sugar1 teaspoon = 1/4 cup brown sugarCan be used in cooking or bakingwithout losing sweetness. Notethat measurements differ frompacket sweeteners.