Is Splenda any good?

[Captain Lance Murdoch]

I've seen the stuff advertised on TV and I wonder if it's worth a try. Has anyone ever used it for baking or in making jam?

[Cub Mistress]

I've used Splenda for baking cheesecakes. They turned out very well. I've also used low carb mixes that incorporated Splenda and they were OK.

I never even thought about using Splenda for jam. I await enlightenment.

[Nutty Bunny]

I use it in my coffee and don't notice a difference between that and real sugar. I've also converted my artificial sweetener-hating sister-in-law to be a Splenda user. Even she couldn't taste the difference.

I've also had several desserts made with Splenda and they're delicious. You'd never know it wasn't real sugar. The great thing about Splenda is that 1 cup of Splenda = 1 cup of sugar, instead of (for example) 10 packs of Equal = 1 cup of sugar. So, you can follow a regular recipe and just substitue the sugar with Splenda.

[DeVena]

I use it for making Apple Butter and various preserves every fall. It sets up better when you use the low-sugar pectin. With Apple Butter and Fig preserves, it thickens before you put it in a jar so no added pectin is necessary. The first year I used Splenda, the Butter was fine but the wine jelly never set up well. Kinda like semi-set Jello. OK for my uses, but not really good enough to give as a gift. Next year, no problem because I used the low-sugar pectin.

And I can taste no difference in the flavor. My mom can, and it doesn't taste as sweet to her, so she'll mix in 1/4 c of nutrasweet just before putting in the jars in addition to the Splenda. She says it covers the aftertaste.

[Lute Skywatcher]

Do not try using Splenda to make fudge. Not that it turns out bad but it won't set properly like DeVena's first attemmpt at Apple Butter.

[RitzyRae]

Mmmmm... Splenda. Tastes like sugar cuz its made from sugar. Put it in my tea. Use it to make scones. Yum!

[pkbites]

Diet Rite uses Splenda, and I think it's the best tasting diet soda there is! Really, really good!

[Live Better Electrically!]

I have used Splenda to make some great cheesecakes, as well as an excellent low-carb Kahlua for white Russians.

[amarinth]

Originally Posted by Jeff Olsen

Do not try using Splenda to make fudge. Not that it turns out bad but it won't set properly like DeVena's first attemmpt at Apple Butter.

It absolutely fails in hot cocoa, too.

And the texture is a bit odd.

And it has a slight aftertaste (but nowhere near saccharine or nutrasweet level)

But other than that, it works pretty well.

[MLS]

I tried it with high hopes, but I find it to have a weird chemical-y taste.

[CrazyCatLady]

Tastes like sugar, my big ol' jiggly ass. The only difference between it and the other artificial sweeteners is when you get the chemical taste. With Splenda, you get rid of the aftertaste, but your food or drink tastes like chemicals. It's not bad, per se, but it's just another artificial sweetener. Except it costs way more than the others.

[Tastes of Chocolate]

I've used Splenda to replace about half of the sugar when I make ginger ale. Maybe the stong flavors of the ginger ale hides any chemical taste, but I don't notice a difference.

As far as jellies and preserves? The Splenda website specifically says Splenda isn't a good choice.

[FilmGeek]

Some people hate the taste of it.

I can't taste any aftertaste from it, but if I drink too much C2 or diet rite I get headaches.

I'll have to try some in baking.

[Lissla Lissar]

Unless you're making freezer jam, I wouldn't use it for preserves. Sugar is a preservative- I think jam-making creates a hypertonic solution that doesn't support bacterial growth?- and I don't think Splenda would have the same effect.

I stay as far from chemical sweeteners as possible.

[Chefguy]

I can't tell the difference, but the Ms. can. My sister makes fruit and berry pies with it and it seems to work just fine for this Type II diabetic.

[tarragon918]

Never thought that I'd be saying this BUT ... I swear, I cannot tell the difference between Splenda and sugar. I've -never- used sweet n low or any other artificial sweetener (remember sucaryl anyone?! that stuff was hideously awful!) and have avoided them like the plague, but when it came down to I've got to lose some weight, I grudgingly decided to give the splenda a chance ... and suprisingly it tastes okay to me; I put it in my coffee every morning. I've used it when making muffins; you replace sugar cup for cup (actually 1/4 cup for 1/4 cup, in the case of my muffin mix), and they baked up fine and tasted great. My cousin apparently uses it in all her holiday baking, since her dad and brother are both diabetics. It is expensive, but I'm only using it in coffee and the random muffins here and there. I've also tried the Diet Rite brand sodas, which use Splenda instead of the other artificial sweeteners and they taste pretty good too, although I haven't tried the cola (I try to make the only caffeine I intake be my morning coffee ... ).

So there you have it ... no after taste either, at least for me, that is. And the other stuff -always- left an -awful- aftertaste.

[Lynn Bodoni]

I wouldn't say that Splenda is actually GOOD. Rather, I'd say that it's not as bad as the other artificial sweeteners out there. I have to put some real sugar in with it, or it just doesn't taste right.

Mostly, though, I just drink water and milk now. I rarely drink coffee or tea, since I can't stand most artificial sweetener and can't have the sugar. I only drink sodas when I actually need sugar to stave off a low blood sugar episode.

[SkeptiJess]

My dad was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago. He was on the oral meds for about 9 months and also went on a very strict diabetes diet. He lost 40 pounds and reduced his blood sugar to the point were he could go off the meds. He's maintained the weight loss and the improved blood sugar levels for almost 3 years now with my mother's help. The only sweetener in their house is Splenda. Mom cooks with it, bakes with it and uses it anywhere they used to use sugar. They swear by it -- although I don't know if mom's made jam since they made the switch. I'll ask her next time I talk to her.

[slortar]

I've only tried it in Diet Rite. I think I like Nutrasweet a bit better. Splenda's not that bad, but it has kind of a fruity/chemically aftertaste that took some getting used to.

[RitzyRae]

Originally Posted by tarragon918

Never thought that I'd be saying this BUT ... I swear, I cannot tell the difference between Splenda and sugar.

Yup. This is me.

[voguevixen]

I think it doesn't work the same as sugar when the sugar is used to pull juices out of fruit. I tried making an apple tart with it and instead of brown and bubbly I ended up with a dish full of crumb mix and a bunch of charred apples. Bleah. Other than that I've used it for general sweetening without problems. I use it a lot when making lemonade. I usually have tequila in my lemonade, so I don't notice the chemical taste, haha.