Erythritol-how to measure?

[Gailew]

I found some erythritol and the only info I could find on it is that it's 70% as sweet as sugar. So does that mean I use about 1/3 more when I measure this as opposed to sucrose? It's Now brand 100% erythritol. Thanx... :) -Gail

[scott123]

Gail, erythritol has a very strong cooling effect and is very expensive, so you generally don't want to use it on it's own. It's fantastic when combined with other sweeters, though. People have great results combining it with splenda. The nice thing about combining it with splenda is that, because of the synergy involved, the 30% discrepancy get's canceled out and it measures 1:1 with sugar. In other words, for 1 cup sugar, I'd use:

1/2 C. splenda equivalent (preferably liquid)
1/2 C. erythritol

This produces a much better quality of sweetness than either splenda or erythritol on their own. If you want to improve on the quality of sweetness a little more, I recommend adding one more sweetener to the mix, such as ace k or a good brand of stevia.

[scott123]

Btw, did you find the erythritol in a store? I have a friend who's South of Seattle that would love to find erythritol locally.

[Gailew]

Thanks for responding. No, I found it on the internet which I don't trust, but I went ahead and ordered it. After all, the bank has all my info on their computers whether I want it there or not.
I do use stevia even more than splenda nowadays. I have Stevia Plus and Stevia Balance. So what you're saying is to use splenda, stevia and erythritol together? I should do the math to figure the percentages for each and mix them all together in a container that I would then measure 1:1 for sugar, right? Good idea :idea: yes, that eriythritol is very expensive. I haven't made any desserts for several weeks but company is coming in a month, so I'll be making a cheesecake. -Gail

[scott123]

Yes, I am recommending that you combine the splenda, erythritol and stevia. As far as combining them beforehand... you can do that, but because of the synergy involved, the end result won't measure 1:1 like sugar.

Here's the ratio I'd go with.

For replacing 1 cup sugar:
1/3 C. splenda
1/3 C erythritol
3 packets stevia plus (6 t. sweetening equivalent/1.5 t. bulk stevia plus)

Even though this will be 1 cup of sweetness, the volume will probably be quite a bit less.

I would add some of your stevia balance to a quarter cup of water and taste it. The stevia plus gets good reviews, but I'm not familiar with stevia balance. Until you're certain the stevia balance tastes good, I wouldn't add it to a mix or bake with it. I've ruined quite a few baked goods by using small amounts of questionable brands of stevia.

[Gailew]

Stevia Balance has inulin and chromium in it, that's why I switch the 2 of them off. I like the FOS too. I just put some of each in water and both are without bitterness or aftertaste, so it's a tie, still.
Thanks for the 'recipe' and I will mix them as I use them like you suggest. I appreciate the help.--Gail