People who read my recipes know that I recommend liquid forms of sucralose (the sweetener in Splenda) in many of my recipes. This is because powdered forms have dextrose or other sugars added - a packet of Splenda, for example, has about a gram of carbohydrate. When you multiply that to make a cup of sugar-equivalent, that can add up! The other problem with the powders is that many of them have an aftertaste, especially in baked goods. There are challenges with the liquids, though. You can't buy them in stores, so you have to order them online. Also, the companies that produce them have tended to be "cottage industries" that come and go, so it's sometimes difficult to keep up. The other thing is that the labeling will give measurements such as "a drop equals half a tablespoon of sugar", and I have found that what is a "drop" is not always exactly the same (right now I have a batch where a drop seems sweeter than usual, for example).
It turns out that there is someone who has looked into the different brands of sucralose and attempted to find out exactly how much sweetness is in them by actually measuring the amount of sucralose in each. Additionally, he has figured out how much it costs to buy a cup of sugar equivalent, much as I do in my article about liquid sucralose. His name is Ralph Cuthbert, and he has posted his findings here. The work he has put into this is quite amazingly detailed, and I recommend that you take a look!
Photo Courtesy Sweetzfree
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Hi, Laura.
Interesting article about artificial sweeteners.
Here in Sweden, we have recently got Xylitol on the market. It tastes like sugar, but has 75% less carbs, so it’s useful for people with Diabetes and others that eat a lowcarb diet.
I have used it in both cold and hot dishes and for baking. No unpleasant aftertaste at all.
I use it sometimes, but if I want a sweet taste in some dish, I often go for honey. Its the most natural choice.
I send You some pictures from a big Christmas market I visited this Weekend. So You can see all the great food our local farmers produce.
Happy Holidays from Sweden./ Birgitta
http://birgittahoglundsmat.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/julmarknad-pa-jamtli/
You can use The Google Translation Tool so that my Swedish will become more understandable
Hi Laura,
I’m one of those blessed ones that can’t have the artificial sweeteners. They kick me out of ketosis every time and I end up with a headache. It doesn’t matter which one either but malitol and sucralose seem to be the worst offenders and aspartame makes my heart race. I am trying to work with stevia since it doesn’t effect me but finding good recipes is pretty hard. Any suggestions?? I really could use a sweet treat from time to time!!