Americans love artificial sweeteners. We stir saccharin into our coffee, drink cola sweetened with aspartame, and chew gum flavored with sorbitol -- all in an attempt to enjoy the sweet taste we crave without the calories we're trying to avoid.
One thing we haven't been able to do, however, is to bake successfully with artificial sweeteners. Replace the sugar in a cake recipe with an artificial sweetener, and you're likely to bake a pale, off-tasting cake.
That could change in August, when McNeil Nutritionals, the company that produces the sugar substitute known as Splenda, introduces Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking. The new product, which is half sugar and half Splenda, makes baked goods that look and taste like those made with all sugar, according to the company.
"It offers half the calories and half the carbs and all of the benefits that sugar brings to the baking and cooking process," says Monica Neufang, a company spokeswoman.
Even if you haven't knowingly used Splenda, chances are you've had it if you regularly consume artificially sweetened foods. Splenda (also known as sucralose) is in more than 4,000 products worldwide, including Coca-Cola C2 and Pepsi Edge, two new soft drinks that have half the sugar, carbohydrates and calories of ordinary colas.
It is used to sweeten products made by Snapple, Ocean Spray, Atkins, Slim-Fast, SnackWell's, Breyers, Klondike and other companies that are introducing reduced-carb, reduced-sugar products. It even can be found in several kinds of over-the-counter medications.
You'll also find Splenda next to sugar packets at chains such as Starbucks, Outback Steakhouse, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, T.G.I. Friday's and Romano's Macaroni Grill.
Now, with a version being introduced for home bakers -- and according to the company, some professional chefs plan to use it in their restaurants too -- Splenda will be nearly ubiquitous.
A safe, tasty sugar substitute is good news for diabetics, people who are trying to lose weight and just about anyone who's health-conscious. But, given the worries about previous sweeteners, it's reasonable to wonder whether consuming so much Splenda is a good idea -- and whether it really can help with weight loss.
Although some nutrition experts caution against pinning our hopes on the substance as a diet aid, so far, it does appear to be innocuous.
