There are so many new, gimmicky products out there that promise to change our lives. It would be so nice if we knew, before we went and spent a bunch of money on them, whether or not they were worth it. I can't comment on most of them of course but there are certain culinary ones that I do feel qualified to steer you towards or away from.

What I'm referring to this time around are the latest commercials for BAKER'S SUGAR. This is a superfine granulated sugar that is being advertised as better for baking. There are many recipes that this would indeed be great for. Icings, frostings, caramel sauces, and candies would all benefit from the texture of this sugar. I wouldn't bother to use it for a cake, although it certainly couldn't hurt.

I also want to reiterate an earlier tip that I wrote about cane versus beet sugar. When you buy granulated sugar at the market, always make sure to get pure cane sugar (as opposed to beet sugar). If it doesn't specify cane on the package, it's probably beet. If you have a chance to compare the two side by side, you'll notice a big difference in appearance. The beet sugar crystals are much bigger and "sparkle" more. Beet sugar is just fine if you are only using it for your coffee or cereal but they perform very differently when baked or cooked with. Beet sugar has a different crystal structure which causes things to brown unevenly and wreaks all kinds of havoc on baked goods.

Be on the look out soon for more GIMMICK OR GREAT? product reviews! If you are curious about something before you buy it, send me an email and I'll try to give you my opinion. Please remember though that these are only my opinions and aren't meant to imply that you shouldn't buy any of these products if you find them helpful or if you like them. I'm just a lady who cooks a lot trying to relay some information that you might find valuable.

--- © Chef Raven