Latest / The Monégasque Table / Edible Glitter vs Sanding Sugar: Which One Tastes Like Something?
Transcript
- Dana: "No flavor." That's the complaint. An analysis of about 2,400 category reviews found it was the top theme in the negative ones, 18.4% of the negative mentions. People bought edible glitter, sprinkled it on, and were upset it didn't taste like anything. Margaux: Welcome to The Monégasque Table. Today's question is for anyone standing between the sugar aisle and a jar of glitter: what's the difference between edible glitter and sanding sugar? Dana: And my question is the reviewer's question. Which one actually tastes like something? Margaux: Here's the answer up front. Sanding sugar is sugar, so it tastes sweet and adds a little crunch, with a light sparkle. Edible glitter is shine with no taste at all. It's an odorless, flavorless powder, so it won't change the flavor of what it's on. If you want sweet and crunchy, buy the sugar. If you want shimmer without changing the taste, buy the glitter. Plenty of bakers use both. Dana: So that "no flavor" review isn't a broken product. Margaux: It's a buyer who wanted sugar and bought shine. The same analysis has the other side, too. Happy reviewers say things like "no taste or smell" and "fun without changing the taste." Same feature. One person wanted it, one didn't. Dana: Okay, so what is sanding sugar, exactly? Because a food site I read literally says it's "often called edible glitter." Margaux: It does say that, and then it says sometimes it won't have the same effect as actual glitter. A baking school describes sanding sugar as fine, sparkly, and basically colorful fine sugar crystals. The food site says it has a grain like sand, gives only a minimal crunch, and adds a delicate sweetness and a light sparkle. Dana: And where does the sparkle come from, if it's just sugar? Margaux: The crystals are coated. The same site says sanding sugar is brushed with a layer of carnauba wax and then glazed, and that coating is what catches the light. Its bigger cousin, sparkling sugar, has larger crystals, a noticeable crunch and a stronger sparkle. Dana: And edible glitter? What's the sparkle there? Margaux: Flakes of color additive, 50 to 500 microns, built to catch light. The finer luster dust is 5 to 25 microns, for a smooth sheen. No sugar in the job description. The edible kind has an ingredient list on the label, and the FDA's own advice is that a label saying only "non-toxic" with no ingredient list shouldn't go directly on food. Margaux: Here's where we disagree. For a sugar cookie, I'd reach for glitter. The cookie is already sweet, and a pinch of shine is all it needs. Dana: My round. A sugar cookie is the exact thing sanding sugar is for. The food site says it uses sanding sugar to add a lot of color to sugar cookies. And kids want the crunch. My kids would trade a shimmer for a crunch every time. Glitter doesn't crunch. Margaux: That's the round you win. Glitter gives you zero crunch, and on a cookie the crunch is half the fun. Sugar for the cookie, and if you want the shine on top, add a pinch of glitter too. Dana: And the oven? Can either one go on before baking? Margaux: The site says sanding sugar is melt-resistant, but heat can dull the shine, so it's best sprinkled on after baking if you want the sparkle. Glitter is heat-stable and almost insoluble in water, so the oven doesn't change it. But it needs something wet to stick to, so it goes on fresh icing. Dana: Who should skip which? Margaux: Skip the glitter if you want the decoration to taste like something, or if crunch is the point. Skip the sugar if you're watching how much sugar goes on top, or if the treat is already sweet and you only want the shine. And skip both on a surface that's dry and set; neither one has anything to hold on to. Dana: Dana's Scorecard. I came in thinking they were the same thing in different jars. Where I landed. One: sanding sugar is sugar. Sweet, a little crunch, a light sparkle from a wax coating. Two: glitter is shine with no taste or smell. That "no flavor" review was a buyer who wanted sugar. Three, my round: sugar cookies get sanding sugar, because kids want the crunch. Four: you can use both. My caveat: I'm still putting sugar on my cookies, and glitter only on top. Margaux: Fair. The footnote: the MONÉGASQUE Snow White 10 gram edible glitter is on Amazon at $14.99, and it's the one to add on top of the sugar. Dana: Next time, a cake trend. Polka dots, with shimmer. Is there a way to do it that doesn't take all night? Margaux: There is, and it starts with a sheet of parchment and a pair of scissors. One note before we go — this show is produced by the team at Monégasque, with AI-crafted hosts. See you at the table.