Stevia

In the last few months I have been experimenting with using Stevia instead of sugar in some recipes. Stevia is an herbal sweetener that is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. The FDA has not approved it for food use and considers it a supplement, although you can find it in many stores in the aisle with sugar and sugar substitutes.
I have found that it is really great in ice tea and in things like Fruit crisps, crumbles and gratins. I have only baked with it once, replacing half the amount of sugar that was called for in the recipe with Stevia. 1/2 cup of sugar was replaced by 1 tsp. of Stevia Blend Powder. The blend is Stevia mixed with a soluble fiber. I suppose to provide some bulk- otherwise you are dealing with extremely minute amounts of the Stevia.
anyway, it turned out great!
I have fed Stevia to Matt many times and he always comments "You would never know the difference".
Sometimes I think I can detect an aftertaste, but I think it is when I have used too much- the sweet is then overwhelming. also, I am really searching around the old palate for any hint of aftertaste. I guess if I have to work that hard at it, it's nothing major.
I am going to continue to experiment with the baking part of it. Since sugar is considered a liquid, i would guess that I'll need to adjust for the smaller amount.
Stevia does not caramelize like sugar, either, so is not good where you need browning, melting, caramelizing. Still I can see where it will have many uses in my kitchen.
It seems expensive but a little goes a loooooong way.
Cheapest I've found is amazon.com grocery dept.
Order other stuff and qualify for super saver shipping. I bought Carnation Chocolate Malted Milk for Matt because we can't get it locally.
Surprise, Steven! Picked up a four pack for you, too. Will give to you in October to lug back to the island.


For more info on Stevia visit this site