Never say never

David Lebovitz on corn syrup

By Culinate staff

January 23, 2009

We’ve written about high-fructose corn syrup from a health standpoint; many detractors suspect that it contributes unduly to the obesity epidemic. Sure, Americans may eat too much HFCS, says dessert pro David Lebovitz, especially those who eat a lot of prepackaged foods. But does that mean cooking with corn syrup is never a good idea? Hardly, says Lebovitz. His recent blog post "Why and When to Use (or Not Use) Corn Syrup" offers good information for those times when a little corn syrup is actually a good thing: for shine, body, or as an “interfering” agent, to prevent the crystallization of sugar. (And, Lebovitz notes, the corn syrup you’re buying at the store is just corn syrup, not HFCS.)