A Quick Note on Sugar and Salt

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I started out writing this blog to my oldest daughter, with my goal for it to be a way for us to actively share family recipes and talk about cooking and all things kitchen related. This became important to me after she moved out on her own once she finished college and I suddenly felt like I needed to share. Things around here at Delectable Musings have evolved from those early beginnings and one of the major items I have never clarified - because Caitlin already knows all this of course so originally it would have been stating the obvious - is that I don't actually cook with 'white' sugar and all salt I use is kosher salt unless it is clearly stated as something else, like pickling salt for example. Dun dun duuuunnnnn!

Although that may seem like a minor thing, in reality it can greatly affect the texture and taste of your cooked dishes if you are following along on a recipe I have published and you are using table salt, for example. Erp.

Wholesome® Sweeteners Evaporated Cane Juice Organic Sugar Close-up of sugar

I use Wholesome® Sweeteners Evaporated Cane Juice Organic Sugar which my local Costco carries in 10lb resealable bags. The sugar itself tastes, cooks and is used exactly like any white sugar. I have found even though it is a pale tan / cream color it does not negatively impact the color of my final products. I did use this same sugar in my Lime Sauce recipe and as you can see from the pictures there it looks great. If you have been wondering how these less than sparkling white 'white sugars' work I can strongly endorse them with a "Great! You can't tell the difference at all." All of my recipes on this site use this sugar without any adverse results or adjustments needed. I was not contacted by Wholesome® Sweeteners or in any way compensated for these statements. I am just sharing my own experiences.Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt

The last confession I need to make is that I use Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt which I can get at my local Safeway or Fred Meyers in the 1lb box. If you don't also use a coarse kosher salt it is very possible that the amount of salt my recipes call for may be too much and causes salty dishes. If you regularly cook with table salt, for example, 1 Tablespoon coarse or kosher salt = 2 teaspoons table salt. You could be ending up with salty bread, desserts, soups and other things from my recipes because of this. Ugh. I will try to go back through the site and change all references to salt to kosher salt so that it is more accurate but that will take me a bit of time.

I prefer kosher salt because of its taste and that it lacks additives that can turn preserves that I make a funny color. I even use kosher salt in my baking even though the crystals are larger and have the potential for you to end up with an occasional 'salty' bite. I don't find that to be an issue. I was not contacted by Morton® or in any way compensated for these statements. I am just sharing my own experiences.

Ok, I am done with all my true confessions for now at least. I still have so much to learn and I really appreciate how many are now following along with me on our family adventures and all the great support you provide. Thank you.