Raising Cane

With "finishing salts" all the rage in restaurants and gourmet shops, we knew its sugar-based equivalent wouldn't be far behind. Essential Cane, a new line of flavor-infused sugars, is just that.

Made by a Washington-based company that helped popularize flavored salt with its Fusion brand, the Essential Cane line consists of 14 bold flavors, each comprised of only two ingredients: organic, fair trade-certified cane sugar and all-natural flavoring. The two are married using a slight (and secret) scientific miracle. The result? Crunchy and coarse flavor-packed crystals ready for action.

The sugars are obvious additions to desserts and drinks--sprinkle raspberry on salads and ginger in hot tea, or use blueberry to rim a glass of lemonade--but they can go the savory route as well: Sweeten a spicy chili with a pinch of dark cocoa or espresso sugar, or dust seafood with habanero crystals to add a crunchy punch of heat.

Once you master all these flavors, you still have eight to go, including sweet onion.