Clear Look with Pulled Sugar

[chrose]

Aww shucks, you're too nice. It's been a long time since I read my notes and reviewed my work so I do from what little memory I have. So if there is any doubt in my mind about what I'm saying I usually keep it shut. But a couple of things, and hey I could be wrong too....but....

Interestingly, you can experiment by adding small amounts of blue food coloring (in powdered form) to the clear sugar to obtain a whitish result. Be attentive to not overworking the spun sugar, as that will build up crystallization – a bane of sugarcraft.

• As a rule of thumb, I never use powdered coloring in a powdered form. I always add some alcohol. Usually a brandy. The taste and the alcohol burn off and because it heats up so quickly it blends in beautifully into the melted sugar. If you're pouring it, you can get some nice effects. If you're pulling it it will blend nicely as you work the sugar prior to cooling.
• "Overworking" the sugar in and of itself will cause a form of crystallization. that won't necessarily kill your piece, but it will look grainy. More important is impurities and poor melting will cause killer crystallization that will eat away at your piece.
• Lemon juice while weaker perhaps in the acidity has the potential for water and impurities that may cloud the sugar. Tartaric acid if available is the preferred choice.
• Let me backtrack. Yes pulling the sugar does add air to it helping to cool it, if you then put it back under the light you will lose that air but the idea is to pull it at as cool a temperature as you can get while still malleable to get the proper crystallization for light reflectance.
• Glucose is an invert sugar which helps to inhibit any potential crystallization. The tartaric acid will help the elasticity of the sugar as well.

On a personal note, I tried Isomalt when it was first introduced. My impression was that it was great for poured pieces, but it melted at a higher temperature and I found it to be much harder to pull resulting in more pain to my hands than necessary.
And back to the original question. I think if you add a little milkwhite to the sugar and perhaps a hint of blue as Zukerig suggested you might be able to form a semblance of the rainbow effect a CD might produce, but then pulling it into a circle, now that would take skill!

[cakerookie]

It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you over the past week. But I bid you farewell. I will not be returning to Chef Talk. So with that my final posts on this subject.

The art of sugar pulling and pouring I hope will continue to survive in the hearts and minds of those who are dedicated to the craft. But I have decided that I should concentrate on my cake decorating and leave this to some one else. Happy pulling and good luck to all.

[panini]

Gulp
Gosh, I hope my fingers did not type something that my mind wasn't thinking.
I was so interested in this thread because somebody was actually experimenting. I'm sure everyone knows that I never read what I write before I post and that I have an anal, pastry type of humor. Chrose I meant no harm to you in my post, I think you know that.
I actually talked to cakerookie through PM and they feel like they had given some misinformation. 50% of my posts are probably misinformation. I expalined to cakerookie the reason that CT is the greatest place to reside is the plain fact that almost all of the post here have no malicious intent. I told CR not to leave, and get right back up here on this thread. This is a dying art. There are fewer and fewer houses where the bean counters downstairs in a cubicle can't justify the time and money spent on showpieces.
CakeRookie, I'm not going to beg you to come back but life is too short to sweat the small stuff. If you have to, come back with an alias
Like Chrose said. Sometimes you do things that you just can't remember the real facts that you note during the learning process. I was hesitant to ask if you can use powered colour without making a slurry. I know I never use it straight, but didn't remember why.
Hope all is well here.
Pan

[chrose]

Originally Posted by panini

Gulp
Chrose I meant no harm to you in my post, I think you know that.
Pan

I will kill 2 posts with one response. This will answer this comment and cakerookies retirement. Here is my response:
Short and succinct.
Now what are you two talking about? Pan I saw no harm whatsoever in anything you posted. Quite the contrary I was trying to word my response carefully so as not to offend anyone and also to be as accurate as I can be. We have some real experts in a lot of things on the board and I have to keep on my toes. I can be quite opinionated, but ever since my little brain fart I am not as confident in my opinion as I once was. It's been quite awhile since I was active in actual day to day operations. I'm still as brilliant as ever it just takes awhile longer for the light bulb to come on!
As for Cakerookie, I was totally baffled by the departure. Rereading his posts he seemed a bit insecure in his posting and perhaps was scared off. I was going to pm him myself, but I didn't. If he's lurking there's no reason not to continue to join in. We all learn from each other. There were a few things that were posted that I didn't agree with but that doesn't mean that I was right heck I could be way off base (unlikely as that may be )
Still it's a learning forum and we are all friends so why stop the thread here.? Whats next on the agenda. Remember my motto:
"If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, than baffle them with your

[cakerookie]

OK Chrose & Panini maybe I rushed a little bit and felt kind of bad I misled Panini like that. But like you said Chrose this is a learning forum and its all about that "Learning."
So with that lets get this blasted thread moving agian. Heres the agenda.

"What would be the preferred temperature for removing the sugar from the heat?" I take mine off at 297F. But I have some recipes that say 305. Whats the difference?

[chrose]

Nice to have you back CRookie!
Okay looking back I revise an earlier statement about adding color. Use powder if available and mix with water not alcohol. I used the alcohol for a different procedure. Sorry 'bout that. Now bring your sugar up to temperature quickly so that it doesn't yellow from slow cooking. Bring the sugar to 280ºF and add 15 drops of Tartaric acid mix per 1# sugar. Continue boiling to 309ºF. Remove from the heat and allow the bubbles to die down for a moment. Dipping the pan is not necessary. Pour onto an oiled marble slab and allow to cool for a few moments until the edges start to harden a bit. Start pulling the edges inward and lift and mix and cool, etc. The difference as you asked of a few degrees is not cast in stone as far as I know, it's personal preference. The temperature I gave you came from the master (not me unfortunately) with years of experience and as far as I'm concerned it's "gospel"!

And again, good to have you back

[panini]

Hey Cakerookie!
Welcome back.
It might be better to post your formula and method and proceedure.
I use 2 to 1 on the sugar starting with cold water. (I use bottled for our tap water is cr-p). I let this sit for a while and mix to start the disolve(usually when I set out my box) I then add the heat. I use an electric coil burner, seems to heat more evenly. I use the lid method in stead of brushing, but always have the brush there. I heat this and add the glucose around 120.(20 percent of the total sugar/water weight. If is is really dry (winter) I might bump this up a little. Never go higher if it's humid, you will most likely end up with dead sugar. I also add any color at this time. I then heat and remove at 148. I then plunge, add the tattaric acid and swirl the pot until it is incorporated.
That's it.
Pan

[panini]

Well, there you go.
It's not etched in stone. I appenticed with Georg Maushagen (specialized in casting sugar), Peter Boyle ( former glass blower turned sugar artist), Notters, and had different notes and proceedures and temps from all of them. You just have to find what works best for you.
What are you playing with now, pouring, pulling, blowing,?

[cakerookie]

Panini did I read you right. You apprenticed under Ewald Notter. The Ewald Notter?
The same fellow that now runs The School of Confectionary Arts in Switzerland. Man thats quite a resume! Impressive! A chance like that is once in a life time. You da man. Lets read some of those notes you have from the Notters if you have any. Chrose said this was a learning forum.

[panini]

no, apprenticed under Georg, and demoed with Peter and took class from Notters. I did a week with them years ago. I do have notes and pics somewhere, I'll pull them. I have no idea what they're doing now. I did not know he was in Switzerland. Course finding notes will be like trying to find something in my garage.
don't have a resume, not da man, actually wasn't trying to name drop but show the difference in styles, going back over 20 yrs.
Check the difference between Chroses temp for removing and mine.148 and Chrose ?155 That a pretty big gap. I remember losing maliability quicker when I went to a higher temp. post your formula

[chrose]

Ewald Notter has moved his school from Albert Usters in Gaithersburg, Md. to Orlando, Fl. (Why I haven't got the foggiest idea!) So the cats out of the bag. I get my info from Ewald. I have certificates for basic and advanced sugar, basic and advanced chocolate and Australian wedding cake design from Susan and Ewald Notter and Sue McMahon.

[cakerookie]

I admire both of you. Personally I get my information from Bo Friberg. I have two of his books."The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef" and "The Professional Pastry Chef." The Notters have a book out called "The Textbook of Sugar Pouring and Pulling" would love to have it but it is expensive. I am self taught as I do not have the cash to attend school. I will post my method and formula for my recipe later on today.

[panini]

CR,
I admire you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with selftaught. You know the big names don't mean that much. They are the ones who decided to bring their skill forward for others. It's kind of like professional basketball. You hear and learn from those that have been picked to play in front of fans. The fact is, that there are plenty of qualified and better players on the streets playing 50. games. You just don't hear of them. I've been in plenty of operations where I have been blown away buy the sugar and ice work done in house by one of the cooks.
Keep playing and learning

[chrose]

Originally Posted by panini

CR,
I admire you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with selftaught.

Ewald Notter when he was much younger worked for Spungli in Switzerland where he learned the basics of sugar. He said that he would go home to his apartment at night and just practice there. So essentially he would be self taught for the most part. All the fancy techniques that we learn today are from years of practice. So like anything else, the more you practice the better you get.

[cakerookie]

I use granulated sugar, water, and cream of tarter. I want to add some light corn syrup to my next batch but I have to figure out when to add it. My last batch was a little grainy I think I over pulled it. I think I might just use water, granulated sugar and light corn syrup next time and see what happens now that I have my silpats and don't have to worry about greasing anything.CH can I use food coloring in my batch? Or would the water cause the sugar to crystallize? Thinking about trying it on a small batch too see what happens.