Sugar is just an essential ingredient to be found in every kitchen. When we think of sugar, the first word that hits our mind is sweetness. The uses of sugar are many; it does provide texture to some dishes, adds flavour to others, and is also used as decoration. Apart from these, it also helps to provide stability for egg whites when making Pavlovas and meringues, helps to make dough tender, and help achieve a nice golden-brown colour to baked goods.

When we think of sugar, there are probably two or three varieties that come to our mind – white and brown sugar. But apart from this, there is a wide variety of sugars, all have different textures and uses. Though they have one thing in common, apart from sweetness, these are extracted from sugar beet or sugarcane plant extracted juices. A wide variety of sugars can be made from this juice and used in different ways in different dishes.

So, here is a variety of sugar that you must know.

•  Granulated Sugar

Also known as refined white sugar, it is highly refined and multi-purpose sugar. It is one of the most common types. This variety of sugar is mainly used in cooking and baking cookies and cakes.

•  Pearl Sugar

As the name suggests, pearl sugar is one of the white sugar varieties with a coarse texture and an opaque colour. It is also known as nib or hail sugar. It has the property of holding its texture when exposed to high temperatures. Therefore it is commonly used in Scandinavian baking to get the extra crunch in pastries, buns, and cookies.

•  Muscovado Sugar

Among all varieties of sugar available in the market, muscovado sugar is the less processed one, and due to which molasses are not removed from it. This sugar has a sticky, wet, and sandy texture which comes in dark and light varieties. The flavour of this sugar is much stronger and also provides the traditional butterscotch flavour to the food. Also, this can be a great substitute for Brown Sugar.

•  Dark Brown Sugar

It is darker in colour when compared to light brown sugar. It has more molasses, giving a more robust and more intense flavour. It provides a rich flavour and is majorly used to make a more complex caramel and toffee flavour.

•  Light Brown Sugar

It has the same ingredients as Muscovado Sugar, except for the proportions and processing time. It has a sticky texture and a subtle caramel flavour, but is less sticky than Muscovado Sugar. It is popular in baked goods and savoury recipes.

• Cane Sugar

Cane sugar is made from sugarcane alone and is minimally processed. Like granulated sugar, this sugar can be used in any product in the same way. This sugar is darker in colour, has a slightly larger grain, and also is higher in price.

• Caster Sugar

It is also known as superfine or bar sugar. It is made up of fine crystals and thus dissolves well in cold beverages and liquid than standard granulated white sugar.

•  Turbinado Sugar

Brown Sugar is often mistaken for its appearance, but the large and golden granules have more complex flavours. It is another slightly refined raw cane sugar with a delicate caramel flavour. It is commonly used in beverages like tea and coffee and is also used in baking.