As you may know, for the last couple of years I have been slowly shifting to using organic products in our home. My ultimate goal with going organic is to help the environment, although I am also learning that there are some real health benefits as well, which is just an added bonus for me. But I must admit, there are a few things here and there that I’m just not sure will work if they’re organic. Sugar was one of those things.
A few months ago I was at Costco and noticed the woman in front of me had organic cane sugar. I asked the Costco worker if he’d ever used it in place of refined white sugar and he was excited to tell me that he had and it worked great. Funny enough he had once worked at a sugar refinery. He said if I knew what they did to make the sugar white I would never eat it again.
Now, I don’t know anything about the process or if there really is anything evil about the way sugar is refined, but I DO know that going organic is something I’m very interested in. Alas, I was chicken to try the sugar out. The crystals are darker and much larger than white sugar and I wasn’t sure how it would work in my regular cooking and baking.
I finally bit the bullet, bought a bag and am TOTALLY happy with the sugar. I’ve used it in baking and with the homemade ice creams we’ve been whipping up lately. I honestly haven’t noticed a difference. Please note this is a very unscientific experiment. That’s how I roll, people.
The Costco dude said when substituting the regular refined white sugar for organic, use a bit less than what is called for with white sugar. Again, I’m not sure how correct he is, but I’ve found that using the same amount or a bit less than the recipe calls for has worked great.
So, go forward and enjoy your organic sugar with abandon!
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
I know refined white sugar is not vegan… I think there are animal bones involved, at least with Domino brand. I always use organic cane sugar at home and just use it the same way I would white. No difference at all in my opinion.
i can’t believe refined sugar isn’t vegan…that’s nutso! I guess the costco dude was right, eh? so glad you commented, really interesting.
and I agree, I have not noticed a difference, which is awesome.
hmmm, good to know! i bought organic sugar once to make bath salts but i’ve never baked with it.
that’s so funny! yes, you should try cooking with it for sure!
Just a clarification–sugar isn’t considered vegan because SOME manufacturers use the bone char filtration process and NOT because there are actual animal bones in the product. Many companies now use the ‘activated carbon’ or ion-exchange process instead of bone char. A quick search shows that, indeed, Domino, C&H, and Savannah Foods have verified they are still using the bone char method.
Just felt the need to clarify a bit. Thanks.
so glad you did clarify! so interesting! thank you for doing the searching! 🙂
I’ve been using organic cane sugar also recently. I think we’re on the same kick at the same exact time! I also have slowly been changing over to organic and environment-friendly packaging for my son’s lunches and snacks. Getting back to the sugar, I find baking cookies and crusts with the ogranic cane sugar almost makes it a little better than with refined sugar. I can’t put my finger on the reasoning behind this, but they just “taste” better…
it probably has a bit more flavor in it since it’s not processed to death…I believe it!
We watched a show all about how sugar is made and it blew my mind. It takes so much effort and it seems like a lot of energy to get the sugar cane into white sugar. The first step is extracting the molasses so I try to use molasses whenever I can because it is the least processed. Ever since I watched that show I’ve been more thankful and little bit guilty about the white sugar when I bake.
that show sounds fascinating. it’s crazy the amount of resources we humans use to do things that in the grand scheme just don’t matter so much…I’ll have to keep an eye out for sugar documentaries! 😉
Thanks for the review (and for everyone’s comments!)! I think I’m going to make it my next “non-processed” conversion food!
you should definitely try it!
Dear Jane, Good to hear that you enjoy Organic Sugar, We are the suppliers for Costco Organic Sugar and besides the fact that this product is 100% Organic, Gluten Free. GMO free, Vegan, Halal and Kosher certified, we also promote a several environmental and social programs in our factory in Brazil, check out our webpage. Again , thanks for your support !!!
thanks for making a wonderful product!
I just bought a bag at Costco and love the sugar, but how to do seal the bag back up. It has a zipper lock thing on one side of the bag only.
Have you figured it out?