What is corn syrup

In modern cooking, there are quite a few different recipes, which use quite rare ingredients. At the same time one often has to face the fact that the ingredient is not so rare, but in the country it is not produced, which means that the price for it will be quite high. One such product is corn syrup.

It is often used in cooking as a thickener, and its anti-crystallization properties and complete absence of odor make it virtually indispensable. It is also worth noting that often corn syrup is added to the products in order to keep their freshness longer and gain a more enriched taste.

It should be noted that there are two types of syrup, which differ from each other in color. They are divided into light, which is corn syrup, and dark, which is already caramel.

The process of making this syrup is quite complicated. It is based on a special processing of corn using sugar, with the direct participation of sulfuric acid. Such a process completely excludes the possibility of preparing this product at home, which means that it is only necessary to purchase it or find a substitute.

On a large scale, corn syrup is produced mainly in the US. There it is used as a substitute for cane syrup and is often used to make sweets or other confectionery. In our country, the production of this product is limited. In fact, it can be said that it is absent. Therefore, in search of where to buy cornstarch or syrup, many come to the conclusion that it is better to buy them on order, then they can be bought even before the expiration date.

However, there are times when corn syrup can not be purchased, and its presence in the dish is simply necessary. To do this, you can use a kind of substitute, which has almost all its properties, but it is easy to prepare at home. This substitute is invert syrup, known to most housewives.

To prepare it you will need:

- sugar - 350 g;

- hot water - 155 ml;

- 1.5 g of soda food;

- 2 g of citric acid.

First, you need to dissolve sugar in water and add citric acid there. After this, put the mixture in a saucepan, covered with a lid, on the fire. In this case, some cooks believe that it will be more correct to add citric acid only after boiling.

The syrup should be cooked for about 40 minutes, and after cooking it should be allowed to cool. After this, soda is added to the syrup dissolved in a spoonful of water. As a result of this compound, a lot of foam is formed. When it comes down, the syrup will be ready. Use it after you have completely cooled down.

Thus, corn syrup to purchase is quite problematic, but almost everyone can prepare invert food as a substitute. In addition, it will be much cheaper, and in some cases even much better.