OK - here's a challenge for you - what do you use as a substitute for corn syrup

[hedgehog]

in various recipes?

[Melissa G]

1. rice syrup/ n/t

[sarge43]

2. Honey n/t

[cbayer]

3. I would make a simple syrup of sugar and water and cook until thickened a bit.

[msanthrope]

4. Nothing--I only use it about 2-3 times a year, if that, so I don't worry about it.

I'm a great cook, but not as great a baker, so I seldom sub in stuff in baking.

[HappyMe]

5. Probably nothing.

I rarely make anything that requires it. If a recipe called for it, I would have to go buy some. I don't substitute when I bake.

[hedgehog]

6. I've used either honey or molasses depending on the recipe -

pecan pie made with unsulphered molasses is sublime. I think I'm looking for a neutral flavor for items such as a chocolate glaze where honey or molasses would be overpowering. Golden syrup, maybe?

[Warpy]

7. I haven't used it for many years

but back when I did, it didn't say anything about being high fructose corn syrup, it was the ordinary, unfortified stuff.

There are some things like fudge and taffy where any substitution will make an inferior product. I cooked for health food purists from time to time and I tried.

My own philosophy is that desserts are junk food and it's supposed to be junk, so go ahead and use the real thing. Just don't eat the stuff every day or you'll run into trouble eventually.

[Major Nikon]

9. High fructose corn syrup is a different animal

Regular corn syrup is called for in many candy recipes because its high in glucose which prevents crystallization. The glucose molecule interferes with sucrose's propensity to crystallize. As you discovered, substitution isnt a good idea.

High fructose corn syrup is made from regular corn syrup by an enzymatic process which converts some of the glucose to fructose in order to approximate the sweetness of sucrose(table sugar). The reason is because it's cheaper to produce(at least in the US).

[HappyMe]

15. Alton Brown, is that you?

I kept hearing the 'Good Eats' theme when reading your post.
Thanks for the info.

[Major Nikon]

16. It's a shame he doesn't do them anymore

He has explained the role of corn syrup in candy making a time or two. I don't know if he has explained the difference between HFCS and plain corn syrup, but I haven't seen all his shows. Both are made using enzymatic processes, but both aren't the same chemically.

[Major Nikon]

8. I don't substitute

I always keep a bottle of Kayro light on hand. Pretty much the only thing I use it for is in various candy recipes and there simply is no good practical substitute. In theory you could leave it out entirely, but you're inviting crystallization which leaves you with a mess rather than the intended result. I'm not sure why you'd even want a substitute unless you were out. In that case I wouldn't make the recipe until I had some.

Some older recipes may call for it as a basic sweetener because granulated sugar wasn't readily available and/or it was expensive. If that's the case you can usually substitute regular sugar, but it's going to be sweeter so you'd have to experiment with the volume.

[Phentex]

12. I have an unopened bottle for some reason...

Thinkng it was for a candy i never got around to making. Dated Sept. 9. 2010, lol.

[Major Nikon]

13. It doesn't go bad

I haven't checked the date, but I'm sure my bottle is older than that. You generally don't need that much for candy making, and I don't make that much candy anyway.

[pipoman]

17. Yep, this is the correct answer..

there are some alternative chemical emulsifiers, but that is substituting a worse product and they really don't work as effectively as corn syrup anyway. I tried skipping it in my hot fudge and the fudge was definitely grainy on the reheat..some of my customers actually liked it better grainy, but I am a bit of perfectionist with my scratch made ice cream..

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Why would you want to substitute? Corn syrup has...

a fairly high glycemic index, which makes it trouble for diabetics, but generally no other problems. Even the dreaded HFCS isn't as bad as some make it out to be, although the glycemic index is even higher. Most corn syrup is primarily glucose, maybe mixed with some other monosaccharides that you also get by eating peaches or beets.

You're not drinking the stuff straight out of the bottle, so the little bit used in baking shouldn't be a problem for anyone without a glucose intolerance problem or diabetes. And they shouldn't be eating the rest of the stuff in that goodie anyway.

However, should anyone wish to experiment-- honey, pure maple syrup and agave syrup have much lower glycemic indices and maple syrup is even rumored to have properties that reduce sugar absorption. So, if they work and the flavors are right, you've got righteous substitutes and some bragging rights.

(Maple syrup I would be tempted to drink straight from the bottle-- I may have some time ago.)

[Major Nikon]

14. I just see its primary use as as crystallization preventative in candy making

Glucose is the reason why it works. I don't know of anything else that would work nearly as well in that situation. For that use you don't need more than a tablespoon per cup or two of sucrose. Diabetics shouldn't be eating sugar based candy anyway.

It's not that great of a general sweetener because it doesn't taste as sweet as table sugar which almost always works better. Back in the day when table sugar was prohibitively expensive, people used it more which is why you see it in some recipes.

[no_hypocrisy]

18. Is there organic corn syrup, not made from GM corn?

[Catherina]

19. There's no corn syrup where I am, so here's my substitute

This makes about 2 cups and takes about an hour

2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch salt

Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to a simmer and put cover for a few minutes so sugar crystals won't form on the sides of the pan. This is very important.

Uncover, keep stirring on a simmer until it reaches the soft ball stage.

Cool and store in a covered container at room temperature.



Whatever you do, don't skip the cream of tartar because that's what breaks down the sugar into fructose and glucose:

Sucrose is actually two simpler sugars stuck together: fructose and glucose. In recipes, a little bit of acid (for example, some lemon juice or cream of tartar) will cause sucrose to break down into these two components.

...

One way to prevent the crystallization of sucrose in candy is to make sure that there are other types of sugar—usually, fructose and glucose—to get in the way. Large crystals of sucrose have a harder time forming when molecules of fructose and glucose are around. Crystals form something like Legos locking together, except that instead of Lego pieces, there are molecules. If some of the molecules are a different size and shape, they won’t fit together, and a crystal doesn’t form.

A simple way to get other types of sugar into the mix is to "invert" the sucrose (the basic white sugar you know well) by adding an acid to the recipe. Acids such as lemon juice or cream of tartar cause sucrose to break up (or invert) into its two simpler components, fructose and glucose. Another way is to add a nonsucrose sugar, such as corn syrup, which is mainly glucose. Some lollipop recipes use as much as 50% corn syrup; this is to prevent sugar crystals from ruining the texture.

...

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar.html

[Major Nikon]

20. That's a good idea

Any acid will break the molecular bond between fructose and glucose in table sugar. That's why the case against HFCS being less healthy than sucrose fell flat. Sucrose is broken down almost immediately in your stomach to its component sugars. It doesn't take much for candy making. Just a few simple sugar molecules floating around will prevent sucrose from forming crystals.

[Catherina]

21. Necessity being the mother of determination lol

I even had to learn how to make Velveeta for a special dish that won't work with anything else.

[kestrel91316]

22. I don't use recipes that call for corn syrup. I used to make fudge and divinity

from scratch with it, but that was just a holdover from my mom. I haven't had it in my cupboard in many years.

My recipes always call for sugar or honey or whatever.