Suggested uses

Basic prep

Storage & handling

Store in a dry, cool place.

Ingredients

Sugar.

White Sugar, made up of more than 99% pure sucrose, is derived from sugarcane and sugar beets through heat extraction. This produces "raw" sugar that still contains some molasses color and flavor. From this point, it is further processed to remove the molasses, producing the refined White Sugar that is most commonly used in a variety of food and drinks today.

Superfine Sugar is distinguished from regular granulated white sugar by its smaller crystals. This finer sugar is often called for in recipes in which the sugar must be quickly dissolved and incorporated into a syrup, sauce or custard. The smaller crystal size allows Superfine Sugar to melt more quickly, producing a smoother, more consistent result. It is also ideal for sweetening cold beverages, such as iced tea and iced coffee, which often cannot dissolve regular white sugar crystals.

Refined sugar was only accessible to the wealthy before the 18th century. The British dominated the sugar industry, which drove them to the Americas, as well as many tropical countries, where sugarcane plantations became a major overseas commodity, introducing the trade triangle that intensified slave trade.

In 1801, the first European beet sugar factory was established, making domestic production popular and accessible to the masses and inevitably making sugar a household staple.

Today, roughly 70% of sugar is derived from sugar cane in tropical countries and 30% is derived from beets, mainly in Europe and North America. Several large sugar refineries have been built in the Middle East and North Africa, but the majority of refineries are still in North America and Europe.