Pulled Sugar for Dummies

[mudbug]

Igannon,

Every individual learns differently. With something like this, obviously hands on experience is necessary whether the instruction is from a book, video, or a class. If you have the opportunity to take a class, then by all means do so. It's good to have someone with experience who can provide feedback in real time.

[ducky]

If you're going to play at home, just be mindful of the distractions, people or phone, and keep a bowl of ice water nearby and ready. I haven't been doing pulled sugar but just doing candy I've learned to do it when no one else is around to distract me.

[Learner]

does anyone know what i did wrong when i made candy canes. when i was done rolling them and twisting them together i let them sit and then a hour later they were compleatily flat.

I followed this reccipe

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
red food coloring
Instructions
Cook sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar to a very hard ball stage (use candy thermometer: 250 to 265 degrees F.). Remove from heat and add peppermint. Divide into two parts and add red coloring to one part and mix well. Pull pieces of each part to form ropes and twist red around the white to make candy canes.

[chrose]

Just offhand it sounds like you didn't allow it to cool properly. First off, after coloring did you mix the sugar on a slab to cool it enough to allow you to pull it? After cooling it did you pull and twist and work it enough to cool it evenly and work some air into it?
If you didn't then it sounds as if there was too much residual heat in it which would make them feel hard when you were done, but over a short period of time they would in fact collapse.

[Learner]

ya I dont think i pulled and twisted long enough to evenly cool it
thanks for the advice

[cakerookie]

Tricky stuff that sugar work.............

Regards Cakerookie

[Learner]

How do you cast sugar,and with what?

[violetturtle]

I am a baking and pastry student in Oregon. We just finished a week of pouring sugar. We used shapes cut into a neoprene mat and whatever else we could find in the bakery. We even used a long triangle shaped cake pan to make column supports. Our goal was to make a sugar showpiece that could support three different sized cakes. It was fun but there were quite a few burns in the class.

[cakerookie]

Originally Posted by Learner

How do you cast sugar,and with what?

Use a regular boiled sugar recipe, but instead of pulling it pour it straight out of the pan into molds. Most chefs now a days use this technique because its a lot quicker than trying to learn the other techniques.
As far as casting mediums, well if it can stand the heat of the sugar use it. I have made molds out of playdough, expensive though because you cannot reuse it. Hobby stores sell stuff called Plasticene that works great. Cake pans work well too. You can use the metal strapping bands that come off shipping pallets. But they are difficult to bend into intricate shapes and requires soldering and all that other garbage. You can purchase silicon molds, expensive. Go to www.pastrychef.info you will find an article there that might help you.

Regards Cakerookie

[Learner]

Please explain how you would use playdough and if its exspensive than why dont you make your own playdough, I make big batches of diffrent colors for my little brother.

[fitness]

Thanks for all the info sharing !


http://www.101cookingrecipes.com
http://www.desserts-recipes.com

[cakerookie]

Originally Posted by Learner

Please explain how you would use playdough and if its exspensive than why dont you make your own playdough, I make big batches of diffrent colors for my little brother.

Its not that its that expensive. Just hard to get the amounts required sometime to make certian molds. Using playdough for cast sugar is not hard at all. Use it the same way you would anyother material for this medium. If you can draw you can sketch out a design on a stiff piece of cardboard.Then lay the template on top of your rolled out playdough and use a hobby knife to cut out the shape. Its simple. If you ever have the chance pick up a copy of Bo Fribergs 'The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef' he explains in some detail the use of templates in casting sugar and even has a few templates that you can trace and use. But remember that building a sugar show piece is a lot like an engineer building a bridge. There is a lot of structural considerations involved with the larger pieces. You can purchase the materials to make the silicone molds but it is expensive, heck you can even by the molds but I forgot the web address. You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to sugar work. You just have to remember that any mold you use must be able to withstand the heat of the poured sugar without melting itself. Is there a specific task you are trying to accomplish? Its unfortunate that information on this is so limited on the web. Need a sugar society or something where research info on this can be gotten by anyone. Thought about it but don't know where to start.

Regards Cakerookie...

[Learner]

Thanks for the Info,no,no specific task .Just asking for future references.I Am 16 And Have many years to prefect my cooking ability's.Just got interested in sugar work because its a challenge.I may try to make some molds In a week or so.but Do i let the play dough harden and then pour the sugar in or do i do it when its still soft. Once I am done with a project i Will post a picture Thanks Again.

[sugardazed]

Ok I'm very new to the sugar pulling/blowing and was starting to collect the items needed for it but I had some questions about it. When wanting to color the sugar for pulling when do you add the coloring and how? I read on then net something about adding it later in the process mixed with 95% alcohol... I wasn't really sure if this was for that particular receipe or was a standard practice. Also only thing that I see as far as starter things I can form are like roses and stuff. Anyone got a good site or know a place to get; I guess you can say Step by Step directions on how to make the other really nice items? I would very much love any help that I can get. Oh also anyone have an idea of how to make old fashion peppermint sticks? The ones that the sugar melts in your mouth.

Thanks, Sugardazed.

[foodpump]

Be carefull with that playdough! If you read closely, most sugar pulling books say to use plasticine. A bit more expensive, and only obtainable in art stores. Why?
The cheapo playdoughs, while non-toxic, can not handle heat! Believe me, I found this out the hard way. They just melt like a candle when the hot sugar hits it. Plasticine stays put.

Also, I found it very reasonable to trot off to a metal shop, where you can buy any type of metal. I got me some 3/8"x 3/8" Stainless steel bars cut in pairs of 4, 6, and 8 inches long. These bars, combined with tin cans and platicine, allow me to pretty much cast any 2 d shape I want. The bars also come in handy for nougat casting and other things as well.