Kuragari wrote:Regardless of whether corn syrup is bad for you, it definitely tastes worse than actual sugar.
Corn syrup is most likely not used primarily as a sweetener here, but for its anti-crystalline properties. Regular corn syrup (as opposed to high fructose corn syrup) is not as effective as a sweetener as sucrose or fructose as it it high in glucose which doesn't taste nearly as sweet on the tongue as either of the other two. It will, on the other hand, come between sucrose (table sugar) molecules and prevent or at least impede crystal formation. This allows the Chocolatier to achieve a nice smooth texture while still using the subjectively better tasting sucrose for sweetness.
It is used to strike a balance between taste and texture. They could have used HFCS and ended up with a very smooth, very sweet candy that didn't taste as good. They could have used only regular corn syrup and created a very smooth, but less sweet and tasty caramel. They could have used only table sugar, and risked a tasty confection that had an unappealing grainy texture. Instead they use a combination to achieve the best of both worlds.
Also, for the "fructose is the devil" crowd: fructose is primarily a fruit sugar, so if you truly believe it is bad for you, stop eating apples, bananas, etc immediately. The life you save could be your own! The rest of us will feel free to ignore the alarmist propaganda.
