Lisa Gauker held up a bottle of store-bought pancake syrup. “Is this really maple syrup?” the recreation and special events supervisor for the Berks County Department of Parks and Recreation asked.

Claire is Lifehacker's Senior Food Editor. She has a B.S. in chemistry, a decade of food journalism experience, and a deep love for mayonnaise and MSG. Maple syrup is so good, it’s hard to believe it ...