somersweet

[kthull]

Ok, my wife's onto the next new thing for her and this time it's called Somersweet. Anyone use it before? It's a sugar substitute endorsed (created?) by Suzanne Somers. Supposedly better for you than Splenda because it's not chemically altered and claims to have no aftertaste/no calories. It's roughly 5 times as strong as regular sugar and the book that came with it even claims you can caramelize it like regular sugar.

I haven't begun playing with it yet, so I thought I'd see if any of you have used it.

Thanks!

[momoreg]

I've never heard of it. It's a silly name, but I'm curious to hear about it. Not that I'd ever consume it, myself!

[kthull]

I'm a skeptic too and I'm the one with a container in the kitchen. There's even a brulee recipe that uses it. Problem is, the picture shows the top with all these little blackened bubbles...not the nicely browned caramelization I'm used to seeing.

That picture is what made me want to ask before using the stuff. My wife putting it in coffee is one thing. Me spending the time and ingredients is another.

I suppose if nobody's used it, I'll retreat to the kitchen and let you all know what I discover.

[angrychef]

Never heard of it either. Is it expensive? I'm interested to hear the results.

[kthull]

It's expensive, though I don't know if it can be bought on a wholesale account. A 150g container costs $14.95. A case of 8 goes for around $50, reducing the cost quite a bit. But it is 'five times sweeter than sugar' so technically you're getting more for the cost. Still has to be waaay more than real sugar, but it's for weight loss, so there's the upside.

I'll grab the container and post the conversion chart on the can. I'll try to dig up a link too.

[kthull]

Oops, I need to clarify on prices. You get two cans for $14.95. Of course, you have to pay shipping, but supposedly this will be in stores soon.

You can find it in the product section at www.suzannesomers.com or try this link:
http://www.suzannesomers.com/Somersi...sweet_new1.asp

The can has the following equivalents (SomerSweet to sugar):
1/4 t = 1 t
3/4 t = 1 T
2 1/2 t = 1/4 c
1 T = 1/3 c
5 t = 1/2 c
3 T = 1 c

[m brown]

Few questions, what are the long term health studies on this stuff? What changes occor when boiled, broiled, frozen. What is this stuff made of and how much has to be done to it to get this end product?
I hope it doesn't turn out like the Hank-a-sizer.

[kthull]

First, let me say that I am no advocate of this stuff...just seeing if anyone has used it.

However, since M Brown raised the question, I thought I'd do some searching.

One of UN-natural ingredients is known as Ace-K. After filtering through quite a bit of conflicting information out there, here's a little of what I gleaned:

A recommended limit has been set for daily consumption of Acesulfame K at 50 ml/kg of body weight. A 68 kg adult would need to consume twenty 12-oz diet soft drinks or 97 packets of Equal to reach this limit.

Acesulfame K is marketed as Sunnette, Sweet One, or Swiss Sweet. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in cooking and baking. Acesulfame K is used in more than 1,000 products worldwide, including a wide range of candies, baked goods, desserts, canned foods, and soft drinks. It may leave a slight after-taste when used alone in high concentrations in some foods.

Acesulfame K and saccharin cannot be broken down by your body and are eliminated in the urine. It has been approved for use in more than 60 different countries. This sweetener is also touted to be safe based on numerous research studies. The limit for daily consumption of Acesulfame K is 15 mg/kg of body weight. This is equivalent to a 60 kg person eating approximately 18 packets of Sweet One.

and

Acesulfame Potassium (K) was approved for use by the FDA as a safe artificial sweetener in July, l988. It is a derivative of acetoacetic acid. Unfortunately, several potential problems associated with the use of acesulfame have been raised. They are based largely on animal studies since testing on humans remains limited. The findings showed the following:

Acesulfame K stimulates insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion thereby possibly aggravating reactive hypoglycemia ("low blood sugar attacks").

Acesulfame K apparently produced lung tumors, breast tumors, rare types of tumors of other organs (such as the thymus gland), several forms of leukemia and chronic respiratory disease in several rodent studies, even when less than maximum doses were given. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, it was petitioned on August 29, l988 for a stay of approval by the FDA because of "significant doubt" about its safety.

Dr. H.J. Roberts, Aspartame (NutraSweet) Is It Safe?, Charles Press, page 283/84.

Though in Suzanne Somers claims the product uses a "botanical" Ace-K. Something about feeding the Ace-K to plants and then extracting it back out.

All this just goes to support my skepticism. But back to my original question...anyone use the stuff?

[panini]

We prefer to use the Paninisweet. The only problem with this product is the spokesperson is an overweight pastry chef. He is a handsome fellow though.

[kthull]

[angrychef]

Oohh, now that sounds interesting!

As usual, Jeff, Ha!ha!ha!

[momoreg]

Panini, you got a good laugh outta me there!

I'd rather sprinkle Paninisweet in my coffee, than a derivative of acetoacetic acid. Isn't that like saying acid 3 ways? No wonder it causes tumors.

How many times sweeter than sugar is Paninisweet?

[kthull]

Well, so far so good. I made a caramel sauce tonight with the somersweet and it actually lives up to its promise. It caramelized nicely, though it took considerably longer than with regular sugar. And it had to be cooked down quite a bit after adding the cream.

Incidentally, following the recipe in the book that came with it, all you'd get is a caramel cream. Thankfully, I've made my fair share of caramel sauces.

Cheesecake is in the oven now, so I'll let you know tomorrow how that turns out.