Selecting, Storing and Cooking: Top Three Maple Syrup Tips

Maple syrup is probably among the most well-loved kitchen staples. It is best for using as is, and for cooking as well, because it adds not just its signature sweetness, but also its distinct, natural earthy tinge, to any recipe. It is thus important that you use only the freshest, authentic maple syrup for your cooking or dining needs. There are a lot of brands in the market these days that package and sell imitation maple products or maple-flavored ones. They are of course cheaper than the price of real maple products but are not as great-tasting. To make sure that you get the best products when you go to your local grocer, look for those that have no more than 35 percent water content. This means the ideal maple syrup should have no less than 65 percent pure maple syrup content. In contrast, imitation products—those that are usually packaged as pancake syrup—may contain only two to three percent syrup, or absolutely nothing but artificial maple flavoring.

It is one thing to buy authentic maple sugar, but it is another thing to store it in such a way that it keeps it flavour and freshness for the longest possible time. Store your maple syrup bottles in a cool, dry and dark place and it will keep up to two years if unopened. Once you open it, keep it refrigerated to prolong its shelf life to up to one year. Remember that pure maple syrup does not freeze up, so you can actually store it inside the freezer to prevent molds from growing. Take it out of the fridge to warm up to room temperature when you are ready to use it.

Finally, cooking with pure maple sugar also requires a few tips and tricks. We all know that maple syrup can be used to top pancakes and other pastries. But it can also be used in main dishes as major or additional flavoring. For baked products, maple syrup is always a substitute for sugar. Three-fourth cup of maple syrup can stand in for every cup of granulated sugar, but make sure to subtract three tablespoons of the dominant liquid for every cup of maple syrup that you add in. For general cooking, on the other hand, the ration should be kept at one part sugar to three-fourth part maple syrup.

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