Tell more....does the sugar in the bag smell funny? Or does it smell when cooking? What did you mix with it? What kind of brown sugar is it? Is it natural or sugar to which molasses has been added.
I am sure it's ok to use...but as to what caused it I don't know. How strong is the smell?
Linda C

In the box - Dominos light brown sugar - mixing it with flour and oats for an apple crisp - got the apples cut already and they are starting to brown - I wasn't sure it does smell strong - I tasted a bit and okay - maybe a little bitter...

It's probably not real cane brown sugar but beet sugar with a bit of molasses added for flavor and color.

This article is good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beet/cane sugars

I wonder who that columnist was working for??
I sure can't tell any difference between Safeway sugar and C and H...and I always make my own angel food cakes....from scratch!
Is there any way that box of sugar could have been contaminated with soemthing? Did you open it new for this?
Linda C

I can tell the difference in my baking between beet and cane sugar. And fake brown sugar tastes different to me. Beet sugar clumps in the sugar bowl, cane sugar doesn't. The differences are subtle but certainly there. If I were making candy which is mostly sugar I would be sure to stick with cane sugar.

My mother wasn't right about much but she also said beet sugar isn't as good for baking as cane sugar. Eat what you want but I'll stick with cane sugar. If you're just putting in on your cereal, I think it's probably fine.

Well, we are eating it now and it taste really good! Weird, though - brown sugar should smell good raw. Hopefully, we survive!

Interesting article, Barnmom - sounds like a possibility. I tried the 800 number on the box but missed office hours - will try tomorrow.

Thanks you both for your quick responses!

Over on Harvest we had a lengthy discussion of cane versus beet sugar. I'm in the cane sugar school, but it seems purely individual. While it makes a difference for me and I only use cane sugar, I know there are other excellent cooks who posted who don't notice a difference.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Sugar - cane v. beet

I used C&H dark brown sugar for many, many years and all the measurements in my recipes are based on it. Unfortunately, I have not found it in a store in over 2 years so I am guessing they do not make it anymore. I have been trying other brown sugars, some of them taste like plain old white sugar, some of the natural, organic ones taste more like molasses than I like. I tried Trader Joe's Organic dark brown sugar recently, when I opened the bag it smelled terrible, alcohol might be a good description of the smell. I tasted some and it tasted bitter and rather sour so I tossed it. I guess I should have taken it back, but I was too irritated by the fact I was going to have to start calling neighbors to find brown sugar that I did not even think ahead. This was all natural cane sugar, no additives. I assumed it had gone bad somehow. You are a braver person than I Maggie!

lol, jcrowley! We are still here and I didn't poison anybody - lol. Usually I am nuts about stuff like this but it was sugar so I thought okay - not like it was bad meat - but you never know...

I just spoke with Dominos. She said maybe it fermented if it got in extreme heat but then it would be "wet" which it wasn't. From the code she determined my box is from last December (I know!) and that is was processed in t heir Louisiana plant which has a different process than their Baltimore facilities. She thought it odd that I am in NY and received product form Louisiana. She said their process is actually supposed to be more natural. The ingredients just say Brown Sugar. If I had a box from Baltimore it would also say natural cane carmel color.

Anyway, that's the scoop! She thinks it is fine (I hope so - lol) and is sending me a free box. I did ask about Beet sugar and she said they never use it and be careful of store brands which are often a blend. Maybe I have super smell?

I still buy C&H here. It's my favorite brand. I wonder if its distribution has gone regional rather than national or if it's like Hellman's/Best Foods mayonnaise, distributed under different marques in different areas of the country?

Carol

Interesting...my supermarket brand brown sugar plainly states that it's cane sugar...but the granulates doesn't say what kind of sugar it is...
I believe C and H is the same name nation wide.
Maggie? Personal question...could you be pregnant? I know when I was, I smelled some things that no one else did! LOL!
Linda C

If it doesn't state that it is cane sugar, it is beet. Batcha a dollar. White beet sugar tastes fine to me in coffee, on cereal but behave differently when I use it in baking. I always buy cane sugar, especially brown sugar.

I've lived close to beet sugar refineries and the stink is awful! I have no idea what living around cane sugar refining is like.

Here is an interesting article about the cane sugar refining process. Unrelated probably.

Here is a link that might be useful: From the Vegetarian Journal

Here, in Michigan, at Meijers, a 4 pound bag of cane sugar costs the same as a 5 pound bag of beet sugar...

After reading that article that barnmom posted I'll be sure to look for cane brown sugar from now on...

Rita

That is interesting Maggie. I did notice that the brown sugar I had with the smell was very moist, guess that could have been it. The Domino's brown sugar here says caramel color(which is why I never buy it) so it must be from the Baltimore plant. I wonder why they don't use the same process at both plants?

So do some of you here still get C&H Dark Brown Sugar? Where are you Carol? I'm in the Chicagoland area. Might be time for me to call the company and ask. I asked the buyer at my favorite store and he said they were no longer able to get it, only the white C&H sugar, so he was assuming they did not make it anymore. Since it was always a great seller he did not think the store would drop it unnecessarily.

I was just at the store yesterday and saw C&H brown sugar on the shelf. I'm here in Oregon. I suppose it could be old stock (didn't check the date) but this is a store with fast turnover. (Oregon)

I linked to their site below. Both light and dark brown sugar are listed among their varieties and on their press release page there's an award listed for C&H Brown Sugar as "best-tasting". So I wonder if it's an issue with the store or a management decision not to carry it?

I'd email C&H and see if it's available anywhere near you. Good luck. I hate it when I can't find old favorites.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: C&H Seven Varieties

Here's a fun site I found awhile ago that has many hard to find favorites.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hard to find grocer

I went to the web site too and saw that they still make it. I did send an e-mail, but I have not received a response. I did see on the site that Domino's is the selling agent for C&H, and that the also make Domino's and Florida Crystals. All the stores in my area carry the full line of Domino's sugars, maybe that is why I have trouble finding C&H. Today I noticed that my favorite grocery store does not carry any C&H products anymore! I won't buy the Domino's brown sugar, it is just dyed cane sugar. I guess I'm going to be stuck buying very pricey organic brown sugar and cutting it with cheaper store brand (sprayed on color) stuff to get the right flavor. I hate doing that.