I baked a cake last night using Splenda instead of sugar, because my BIL can’t have sugar anymore and I’m going to bring it to a family gathering tonight.
I had a test piece this morning and still have that unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth from the artificial sweetener.
Does a person ever get used to that taste, so that it no longer bothers them? I do know people who say they are so used to diet drinks that the regular drinks no longer taste right, but I’m not sure that’s the same thing.
When I worked in the office, all the ‘gals’ used saccharin in their coffee and tea - for decades! So they obviously got used to it… I, too, inspired by those pretty commercials and assured it was ‘just like sugar!’ baked a cake with Splenda a few years ago and it was just sickening. I tried again this year, STILL sickening, and I threw it out in the garbage. I don’t understand at all why Splenda in baked goods is said to be just like sugar. I’ve tried it twice and it tastes AWFUL! But maybe its just us. Some people can pick up on the artificial sweet, others just go nom nom nom…
I have always heard that you get used to the taste of artificial sweeteners, but my question is, how do you drink/eat enough of it to get used to it? It’s just nasty- the aftertaste of it gathers together in the back of my throat to sit there as a disgusting reminder that I ate it, for like a week, I swear. Urrgggghhhh. Yuck, I hate it.
I wonder if it relates to being a supertaster- maybe it’s easier to tolerate and get used to artificial sweeteners if you are not one. Maybe someone should do a poll!
Baking with artifical sweeteners s a dicey proposition - the artificial taste seems MUCH stronger to me than when I use it “raw” (as in, putting some in my coffee.) I’m not a big fan of Splenda, really - it doesn’t seem to go well with rich bitter flavors like coffee, chocolate, etc. So I guess in answer to the question, “do you ever get used to the aftertaste” I would say “I don’t eat the kind of things that are likely to taste extra bad when artificially sweetened.”
The most sugarlike artificial sweetener is called Diabetisweet - its made of sugar alcohols and comes in a white sugar and brown sugar version. It is usually shelved with other diabetic supplies, NOT with sugar/splenda/etc. I would use that in the future, not Splenda. Most commercial sugar free baked goods use sugar alcohols.
You can also improve the overall taste profile of artifical sweeteners by mixing different types (using part aspartame and part sucralose, for example).
Just as an FYI, Diabetisweet does contain calories and there are some people who have digestive reactions from isomalt, one of its components, so consume in moderation. Sugar alcohols are a sometimes food. :D.
It was much easier for me to adapt to Splenda and aspartame after I gave up sugar almost entirely (less than one sugared item a month). I use Splenda mainly for making cocoa from cocoa powder (which also satisfies my chocolate craving) rather than using a mix. I simply avoid all baked goods rather than baking with Splenda because of lousy results like the OP got.
An unexpected side effect of giving up sugar is that everything else now tastes sweeter by contrast. When I do have a sugared item I notice it resets my taste and everything else tastes less sweet for about 2 days.
My mother claims that she’s so used to the taste of artificial sweeteners that she can’t stand the taste of real sugar. However, my mother lies to herself a lot…and she eats dry presweetened cereal, such as Froot Loops, as a snack.
I use two packets of Sweet’n’Low and one packet of sugar in a glass of iced tea, when I eat out. The bit of sugar seems to counteract the aftertaste. At home, though, I usually just use real sugar. I can’t stand the bitter aftertaste if I use pure artificial sweetener…and ingesting too much artificial sweetener in one day will set off another episode of inflammatory bowel disease. And I never know how much is too much until AFTER I’ve already crossed the threshold, so I would rather have my blood sugar shoot up than deal with the IBD.
I have gotten used to it, when I had diet coke on a regular basis. I don’t drink it much now, though.
I think the aftertaste depends on how much you use, though. A couple of weeks ago one of my coworkers brought muffins made with splenda into work, I tried one, and I had the aftertaste in my mouth for hours. The same thing happens when I have a diet pepsi now, since I only drink one or two a month.
However, when I use a packet or two of Splenda or aspartame in tea, I have no problem. I wonder how much artificial sweetener is in diet sodas.
You know, the aftertaste may be in the bulking agent that the sweeteners use. I use a liquid lab grade splenda I get online with absolutely no bulking agent in it and I do not get any aftertaste, and I use it in the type of cooking that does not require sugars of any form as a texturizer or catalyst agent. I make a pumpkin pie that people commonly think has sugar in it.
My Wife prefers diet Coke. I can’t stand the stuff. I’m pretty convinced that folks have different taste buds or something. To me, any artificial sweatener is like tasting some sort of science experiment gone wrong.
Splenda leaves a very salty taste in my mouth. I don’t taste salt but hours later after using splenda it tastes like I have salt in my mouth. I don’t get this with aspartame or saccharin.
Saccharin is the cheapest so I buy that, unless I go to Walmart where it’s the same price. I don’t really mind any of them. If you’re getting aftertaste, you may want to try combining them.
Use one packet of aspartame and one packet of splenda or some other combo.
I cannot stand artificial sweeteners. A drink of diet soda turns my stomach a bit. Which is frustrating because I get migraines and try to have some caffeine to try to stop an attack from becoming full-force, and I don’t like coffee, so I ingest tons of wasted calories on regular Mountain Dew. And my bf only drinks diet and I can never steal a sip of his drink.
You can get used to the flavor, find a sweetener that you don’t notice the flavor, or blend more than one type. I use one packet of Sweet-N-Low and one packet of Splenda in my coffee.
