Stevia is a sweetener that come from the leaves of an plant. The sweetener called stevia is much sweeter then table sugar. In fact, stevia is 200 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar.
Because of this, much less stevia sweetener are needed in foods than sugar is needed. If too much stevia is used, the sweetener can impart a bitter aftertaste in foods. Due to the potency of this sweetener, it is important to use precise measurement of stevia in foods.
How to Use Stevia in Food and Drinks
Stevia comes in several forms. Each form of stevia require a different ratio of product to sugar. Stevia extract dont dissolve in the same bulk as sugar and does not brown foods when baking.
Liquid stevia dissolve quickly in liquids. Powdered stevia does not dissolve as faster than liquid stevia and is best used in dry mixtures. Stevia comes in the form of drop.
Stevia comes in the form of powder. Packets of stevia contains ingredients like filler. If using powdered, pure stevia to replace one cup of sugar, only one teaspoon of stevia powder are required.
If using packets of stevia that contain fillers, twelve packets is required to replace one cup of sugar. If using two teaspoons of liquid stevia, it can replace one cup of sugar. The differing requirement of these forms of stevia require that the label be read to determine the proper ratio of sweetener to sugar for recipes.
Some brand of stevia are not made with pure stevia. Some brands of sweetener contain stevia and erythritol. These product have the same volume as sugar and may be used in a cup for cup manner to replace sugar.
However, the sweetener do not have the same properties as sugar. Stevia does not tenderize foods or brown in the oven as sugar does. Products that contain stevia may create dry and pale cake.
To combat this, applesauce can be used in recipes to add moisture. Adding an extra egg yolk to recipes ensure that baked goods have the appropriate binding if using stevia for sweetness. Due to the lacking properties of stevia, using it in yeast bread require the addition of a small amount of real sugar to provide food for the yeast.
Because stevia dissolve in liquids, it is a good sweetener for beverages. Using liquid stevia in coffee is possible. Using liquid stevia in iced tea is possible.
Using liquid stevia in lemonade or smoothies is possible. The acidic flavor of citrus beverage hide the bitterness of stevia. Because stevia have no calories and does not affect blood sugar, it is an excellent sweetener for people who need to monitor their weight or blood sugar.
Although there are other sweetener, stevia has different characteristics to other sweeteners. Compared with honey, the alternative contain calories and affects blood sugar. Monk fruit is similar to stevia but usually costs more money.
Artificial sweetener like aspartame break down when exposed to heat. Stevia does not need to be protected from heat. Furthermore, stevia is good for dental health since it does not allow bacteria to form cavity.
To use the sweetener successfully, consider a few step. First, read the label to see if the sweetener is pure or mixed with other ingredients. Use less sweetener than you need because it is so potent.
Dissolve powdered sweetener in warm water to allow it to spread in your mixture. Store sweetener in an airtight container that does not expose the product to light. Writing measurement into recipe notes will allow you to find the best measurement for your own recipes.