Sugar, Sugar - Our Sweet Sweet Love

Stories | Chef’s Table Kitchen Intelligence

Sugar isn’t just “sweetness.” In a chef’s kitchen it’s colour, texture, structure, balance and preservation — the quiet force behind everything from caramelised onions to crisp crackling and perfect pavlova.

If you’ve ever reduced sugar in a recipe and thought, “Why did this go weird?” — that’s because sugar isn’t only flavour. It’s chemistry.

A Chef’s Take

Think of sugar like salt:
Sometimes it’s the star. Most of the time it’s doing support work — rounding out acid, taming bitterness, or creating the texture you actually want.

Sugar can:

• Sweeten (obvious… but not the whole story)
• Brown (caramelisation + Maillard help)
• Build structure (meringues, pavlova, mousse)
• Lock in moisture (soft cookies, cakes)
• Preserve (jam, chutney, syrups)
• Balance (acid, salt, chilli, bitterness)

The Sugar Line-Up (what to use + where it shines)

White granulated sugar

Best for: baking, syrups, jams, drinks
Chef’s take: clean sweetness without adding flavour — your everyday workhorse.

Caster sugar

Best for: meringues, pavlova, sponge, whipped mixes
Chef’s take: dissolves fast = smoother texture and better structure.

Icing sugar

Best for: buttercream, frosting, dusting, stabilising whipped cream
Chef’s take: great for smooth finishes. Watch the anti-caking in some brands.

Raw / Turbinado sugar

Best for: crunchy toppings, fruit roasting, coffee
Chef’s take: rustic crunch and golden colour — not for silky bakes.

Brown sugar (light + dark)

Best for: cookies, sticky puddings, marinades, BBQ sauces
Chef’s take: moisture + toffee depth.

• Light: softer caramel
• Dark: deeper molasses punch

Demerara sugar

Best for: crumble tops, brûlée-style crunch, grilled fruit
Chef’s take: finishing sugar. Big crystals, big impact.

Muscovado sugar

Best for: sticky date, gingerbread, fruitcake, BBQ marinades
Chef’s take: “soul sugar” — deep, dark, rich. Use when you want warmth and drama.

Palm sugar

Best for: Thai/Indonesian cooking, curries, dipping sauces
Chef’s take: this is sugar as seasoning — balances chilli, salt and sour like a pro.

Coconut sugar

Best for: baking, sauces, marinades
Chef’s take: caramel tone, handy substitute, but it will darken the final colour.

Glucose syrup

Best for: caramel, confectionery, ice cream
Chef’s take: stops crystallisation — keeps things silky.

Golden syrup

Best for: ANZACs, tarts, puddings
Chef’s take: chew, shine and that nostalgic buttery sweetness.

Molasses (blackstrap)

Best for: gingerbread, BBQ, dark sauces
Chef’s take: intense and earthy — a little goes a long way.

Honey

Best for: glazes, marinades, baking, dressings
Chef’s take: flavour depends on origin. It browns fast — watch your heat.

Maple syrup

Best for: breakfast, glazes, dressings, sauces
Chef’s take: brilliant with pork, pumpkin, bacon, nuts — sweet with savoury backbone.

Agave

Best for: cold drinks, raw desserts, vegan baking
Chef’s take: dissolves instantly and is sweeter than you think — use less.

The 3 chef rules that save you (and your dessert)

1) Match sugar to the job

Crunch? Demerara/raw.
Structure? Caster.
Moisture + depth? Brown/muscovado.
Asian balance? Palm/coconut.

2) Sugar browns faster than you think

Honey, maple, brown sugars and syrups can burn quickly — especially in hot ovens or air fryers.

3) Sugar isn’t always “sweet”

In savoury cooking, a touch of sugar can:

• calm acidity (tomato sauce)
• soften bitterness (greens)
• balance heat (chilli sauce)
• help caramelise (onions, roasts)

Mini challenge

This week, use sugar in a non-dessert way:

• caramelise onions properly, low and slow
• add a tiny pinch to tomato sauce, then taste
• balance a spicy dressing with a touch of honey or palm sugar

It’ll change how you think about “sweet.”

Chef Ian’s final word

Sugar is more than sweet — it’s balance, body, and browning.
The trick is knowing when to let it shine… and when to let it quietly do the heavy lifting in the background.

Chef Ian