Be sure you know what's really in your applesauce

The results are in and Cook's Illustrated's team of finely tuned palates picked Musselman's Lite Applesauce sweetened with sucralose (Splenda) over other sweetened and unsweetened applesauces. No foolin'! With 50 calories in a 1/2-cup serving, Musselman's was preferred "by a wide margin to all other brands."

The magazine rated applesauces made by three companies: Mott's, Musselman's and Santa Cruz. At the bottom of the ratings: Mott's Natural No Sugar Applesauce. I was surprised since that's the jar I grab when I substitute applesauce for shortening in recipes. I've tried store brand unsweetened applesauce and although it costs less, it also leaves significantly more apple juice in the bottom of the bowl than Mott's.

The taste testers said Musselman's unsweetened applesauce was "thin, watery, and weak." Yet it's just what tasters didn't like that makes it perfect as a fat substitute: it imparts little flavor. I never want someone eating one of my double chocolate chip fudge brownies commenting on the "applesauce flavor notes."

When it came to sweetened applesauce, the magazine had issues with texture. Nearly all supermarket-available brands sweetened their sauces with high fructose corn syrup. Tasters didn't like the slimy and mucilaginous (gummy) texture the syrup imparted. Corn syrup's properties react with the pectin and apple's fructose so this undesirable texture cannot be avoided.

Sweetening applesauce with HFCS is common (except for organic applesauce), no matter the brand. Even some "natural" applesauce can contain HFCS, since the rules say if it wasn't used to "process" the apples, but is added after processing, it may still be labeled "natural."

Unfortunately, there's nothing "natural" about highly processed high fructose corn syrup. HFCS may start as "natural" corn from an Illinois cornfield, but the process that corn goes through to become HFCS is said to be more complex than turning oil into gasoline.

Which is why Cook's Illustrated liked Musselman's Lite Apple Sauce so much: without the high fructose corn syrup, its consistency was near perfect. Musselman's is what we think homemade applesauce should be, delivering fresh and bright flavor without gumminess.

The magazine reminded me that it pays to read labels. Just because the label reads "applesauce," don't assume mashed apples are the only thing inside. The only way to get applesauce with just apples is to look for the words "unsweetened applesauce." If I wanted my applesauce sweetened, then the label should say "Sweetened Applesauce," shouldn't it? The logic seems backward to me.

What's your favorite applesauce? You can let me know three ways: Send me an e-mail at the address below; head to this column at dailyherald.com and pick "reader comments" or post a comment at the Daily Herald Food fans page at facebook.com. I'll stop by regularly and read what you have to say.

Try this recipe: Irish soda bread isn't sweetened so it benefits from a smear of butter and a drizzle of honey. Not a good idea for this lean guy. Using applesauce in the batter, I cut the fat and sweetened it just right. Don't wait until next St. Patrick's Day to try these Irish Soda Bread Muffins; they're good year round. Top them with some fat free or very low-fat, no trans fat margarine and some no-sugar-added jam (I like blackberry), pour a good cup of tea and enjoy!

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write him at don@theleanwizard.com.