Simple alcohols

Space filling model of the hydroxyl (OH) functional group in an alcohol molecule

The most commonly used alcohol is ethanol, C₂H₅OH, with the ethane backbone. Ethanol has been produced and consumed by humans for millennia, in the form of fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages. It is a clear flammable liquid that boils at 78.4 °C, which is used as an industrial solvent, car fuel, and raw material in the chemical industry. In the US and some other countries, because of legal and tax restrictions on alcohol consumption, ethanol destined for other uses often contains additives that make it unpalatable (such as Bitrex) or poisonous (such as methanol). Ethanol in this form is known generally as denatured alcohol; when methanol is used, it may be referred to as methylated spirits or "surgical spirits".

The simplest alcohol is methanol, CH₃OH, which was formerly obtained by the distillation of wood and, therefore, is called "wood alcohol". It is a clear liquid resembling ethanol in smell and properties, with a slightly lower boiling point (64.7 °C), and is used mainly as a solvent, fuel, and raw material. Unlike ethanol, methanol is extremely toxic: One sip (as little as 10 ml) can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve and 30 ml (one fluid ounce) is potentially fatal.^[1]

Two other alcohols whose uses are relatively widespread (though not so much as those of methanol and ethanol) are propanol and butanol. Like ethanol, they can be produced by fermentation processes. (However, the fermenting agent is a bacterium, Clostridium acetobutylicum, that feeds on cellulose, not sugars like theSaccharomyces yeast that produces ethanol.) Saccharomyces yeast are known to produce these higher alcohols at temperatures above 75 F. These alcohols are called fusel alcohols or fusel oils in brewing and tend to have a spicy or peppery flavor. They are considered a fault in most styles of beer.^{[citation needed]}

Simple alcohols, in particular, ethanol and methanol, possess denaturing and inert rendering properties, leading to their use as anti-microbial agents in medicine, pharmacy, and industry.^{[citation needed}

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Alcohol

This article is about the generic chemistry term. For the kind of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, see Ethanol. For beverages containing alcohol, see Alcoholic beverage. For other uses, seeAlcohol (disambiguation).

The hydroxyl (OH) functional group in an alcohol molecule

Ball-and-stick model of the hydroxyl (OH) functional group in an alcohol molecule

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl functional group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom, usually connected to other carbon or hydrogen atoms.

An important class are the simple acyclic alcohols, the general formula for which is C_nH_2n+1OH. Of those, ethanol (C₂H₅OH) is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, and in common speech the word alcohol refers specifically to ethanol.

Other alcohols are usually described with a clarifying adjective, as in isopropyl alcohol (propan-2-ol) or wood alcohol (methyl alcohol, or methanol). The suffix -olappears in the IUPAC chemical name of all substances where the hydroxyl group is the functional group with the highest priority; in substances where a higher priority group is present the prefix hydroxy- will appear in the IUPAC name. The suffix -ol in non-systematic names (such as paracetamol or cholesterol) also typically indicates that the substance includes a hydroxyl functional group and, so, can be termed an alcohol. But many substances (such as citric acid, lactic acid, andsucrose) contain one or more hydroxyl functional groups without using the suffix.

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Brown sugar
 is white sugar combined with molasses, which gives it a soft texture. Light and dark are the two most common styles of brown sugar. In general, the lighter the brown sugar, the more delicate the flavor. Very dark or old-fashioned brown sugar has a more intense molasses flavor. Both granulated and liquid brown sugar are also now available.

plural: brown sugar

Ingredient

Season: available year-round

How to store: Store in a plastic bag. Resoften by including an apple wedge with the brown sugar in a plastic bag and sealing tightly for 1-2 days.

Substitutions: 1 cup packed brown sugar = 1 cup granulated sugar

or

1 cup brown sugar = 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses

More Brown Sugar Recipes

Popular Brown Sugar Recipes

Crock Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Kittencal's Best Brown Sugar Turkey Brine

Mahi Mahi With Brown-Sugar Soy Glaze

Read more: http://www.food.com/library/brown-sugar-375#ixzz1IxE3SxRz

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Natural brown sugar

Main article: Natural brown sugar

A measuring cup containing muscovado (left); on the right is a measuring cup containing regular (light) brown sugar.

Natural brown sugar, or raw sugar is a brown sugar produced from the first crystallization of the sugar cane. There is more molasses in natural brown sugar, giving it a higher mineral content. Some natural brown sugars have particular names and characteristics, and are sold as Turbinado,Muscovado, or Demerara sugar.

Turbinado and Demerara sugars are made by crystallizing raw sugar cane juice, then spinning it in a centrifuge to remove water and some impurities.^[3][4]

Muscovado (also moscovado) is an unrefined, dark brown sugar that is produced without centrifuging and has much smaller crystals than turbinado sugar. The sugar cane extract is heated to thicken it and then pan-evaporated in the sun and pounded to yield an unprocessed, damp sugar that retains all of the natural minerals.^[5]

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Manufacture of brown sugar

Brown sugar is often produced by adding cane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals in order to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs.^{[citation needed]} This also allows the production of brown sugars to be based predominantly on beet sugar. Brown sugar that is prepared in this manner is often much coarser than its unrefined equivalent and its molasses may be easily separated from the crystals by simply washing to reveal the underlying white sugar crystals; with unrefined brown there is inclusion of molasses within the crystal which will appear off-white if washed.

The molasses usually used is that obtained from sugar cane, because the flavor is generally preferred over beet sugar molasses, although in some areas, especially in the Netherlands, sugar beetmolasses is used. The white sugar used can be from either beet or cane as odor and color differences will be covered by the molasses.

Brown sugar can be made at home by mixing white granulated sugar with molasses, using one tablespoon of molasses for every cup of white sugar (one-sixteenth or 6.25% of the total volume). Thorough blending will yield dark brown sugar; for light brown sugar, between one and two teaspoons of molasses per cup should be used instead. It is, however, simpler to substitute molasses for an equal portion of white sugar while cooking, without mixing them separately.

When a recipe calls for "brown sugar" it is usually referring to light brown sugar; dark brown sugar should be used only when specified.^{[citation needed]} This is relevant primarily when baking recipes sensitive to moisture and density (such as cakes), because of the difference in moisture content between the two types. In other applications, substituting dark brown sugar over light brown will yield a deeper flavor with more caramel, much like adding molasses would do.

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