Sugar Art questions...

Mike,
Welcome!
Cakerookie is starting out in sugar. Look for some of his posts. I think he is even starting a web site dedicated to this. Chrose is a wealth of info on the subject. There are many books on the subject. Supplies are readily available online. There are, I assume, enough schools or classes in NY to accomedate you. Also check out you local Chefs Association.
pan

Yeah do have a website but its off line right now need to do some more work to it don't like the way it looks. Oh and by the way, the only way to do sugar art is get in there and do it. So what if you mess up! You won't be the first one to screw up! Speaking from experience! If you hang around here long enough the one thing you will realize is that no one here ever gives up. So just get in there and do it. CH and Pan will help you a lot. They are great about sharing their knowledge of this art, listen, or should I say read everything they posts carefully. I am going to get a jump on CH here. Type in Ewald Notter. He is one of the best if not the best sugar artists in the world. He and his wife Susan run the School of Confectionary Arts in Orlando Florida. I know CH you still have not gotten over the Florida deal. We love ya anyway.

Start off with sugar work. Chocolate is more finicky and needs to be understood before you can start playing with it. Only thing to to is like cakerookie says, jump right and try it.

This has nothing to do with this post just a vent! But how on the face of the earth do you make people understand that sugar is hygroscopic that it attracts moisture! I swear the next time I get ask if someone can add icing to a sugar piece I am going to scream! I tell them and tell them if they do that they need to wait till the last minute. Why? Because the moisture from the icing will melt the sugar! Is that so hard to understand? Or is it just me.

I'm at work so I'll answer a little more later. But just so's ya know Ewald and Susan got a divorce back in the late 90's so unless something has changed she is no longer involved with Ewalds school. Of course she was talented before she met Ewald and is amazing now!
Otherwise I'm not bitter about the move to Florida, I'm just surprised when you take the humidity into account.

Mike,
You're right. Give me a minute to get things rolling in the shop and I'll be back.
pan

OK,
some reading I had saved.
http://starchefs.com/c_and_h/html/tips.html
http://www.goodcooking.com/abtsugar.htm
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._20703,00.html
http://www.pastrychef.info/news.asp?Headline_ID=8

I think we need to break this question down a bit Mike. It sounds like what you mean by a “gourmet career” would be the hot side of things, savories and whatnot. Sugar and chocolate “art” would fall under the Pastry department’s side. That being said let’s make a couple of things clear. Chocolate and sugar as an art form is not a viable means of making a living. In other words, the demand for the items as pieces unto themselves is small. Sugar and chocolate as centerpieces is primarily for catered parties usually through hotels. Smaller caterers may offer it but the cost is usually prohibitive for the average party. That is not to say there isn’t a market for the items outside of a hotel, but I seriously doubt you could base a career on it, unless you have the talent of an Ewald Notter and can teach it. Even then Ewald started out working for Patisseries such as Lenotre and Sprungli in Switzerland.
You can learn the crafts and use them as supplements to your career if you choose the pastry side of life. What you may want to try to help you decide short of getting a job or specialized training is to do some cooking. Do a party for your family, a sit down gourmet meal, a super bowl party, etc. You know appetizers, meats, soups, veggies, etc. After doing that you can make some large batches of cookies to give away during the holidays, make several types of chocolate and other types of candies. Also make a few different cakes, and breads and pastries. All this can be done at home on the weekends. Decide which you find more fun to do. Remember too that when you are cooking something you like think of how much you may still like it when you have to scale it up to a 1000 units, or do it 50 times a night etc. This point being that good cooking is about repetition and the ability to produce consistently. This comes through experience, but it’s something to think about when trying to decide what direction to take.
So before thinking about “Art” think about starting simply. Art is more the icing on the cake than the whole cake itself.
Either way if you have questions, we have answers and are more than happy to offer up our 2¢ worth!

Best thing to do is not look for it on line. This is stuff is like Egygtian embalming techniques they keep it a secret and you never know how they did it. GO to PastryWiz.com it has some things you will be interested in also. Visit Pastry Chef Consultancy and Information Service there is a great article there by Martin Chiffers I think will help you out also. If you get on E-Bay look for these two books they have complete chapters dedicated to sugar work.

The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg
The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg

These are two excellent books, not just on sugar work but all types of pastry in general. These books are used as textbooks in some of the best culinary schools in the country. There is really no starting point per say. I will do my best to get my website back up that will help you too. My suggestion is read all you can when you can. Learn everything you can. I will re-post as soon as I get my site back on line.

Mike,
I too have a few questions on your directions. Chrose points out well your avenues. If you haven't researched the culinary profession carefully, then this is your first step.
There are many creative outlets in both sides of the kitchen. Sugar/chocolate work, Garde Manger (carving,decorating, and preparing cold foods) Ice Carving etc. The point, these are all a part of a bigger picture.
I think it's great to look into sugar but I think what Chrose is saying, the time for the fun stuff is usually only after achieving some sort of status in your chosen field. And then, the fun stuff is usually pressured and more of a production item.
Please do not take this negetively. I think you need to boil away! Just trying to give insight as Chrose.

Cakerookie, Tell me about the large lollipops I see with royal icing decorations on them?:eek: :crazy:
PS Mike, People in pastry are a breed all their own." now I don't mean that in a bad way":D

SEE! I didn't have questions after all

There isn't any. Just a rant don't pay me any attention. See ya. Oh, and there won't be any website. I cannot find a good one for free. So I guess the website idea is shot to h*********

Sure there are. Let me ask the kid to see if he knows of any good free websites

Thats alright I have stopped doing sugar work anyway. Just not any good at it. Y'all have a good one I am outta here.

How could you be after a month or so. It t'aint easy. Besides we can't all be good at everything, you want to see some real artwork, look up some Garde Manger work, or if you want to be amazed seek out Gabriel Paillaison for some amazing ice carving. There is also some incredible work going on in Europe (alright fine, here too) with things like Fondant and Massa Ticino etc.
Sugar is not the be all and end all. Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Some things do take practice. For someone with such enthusiasm, I'm surprised you've invested this much time, only to throw in the towel, cakerookie. But I do recall this happening a couple months back. Maybe you just need a push. You can learn, if you really want to, but you know that already.;)

No what I need is a good swift kick in the pants. I have been a jerk!

Go to Demos!

Upper NY State? You must be able to go to NY City. Try doing some demo classes at FCI. Check out ICES in your area. Once you are addicted , there is no turning back.......

Don't want to sound like I'm nagging or anything, but alot of us have worked long and hard to earn the title "Chef". It comes only after years of experience, and technically, only to those who operate or manage a kitchen and a brigade.
Before you can walk, you have to crawl, and before you can become a "Chef", you have to become a cook. Seems to me the media in this continent have made the word "Cook" a dirty word. It's not, I am proud to call myslef a Cook. A sous-chef is the second in command. Again, someone with years of experience, for s/he must impart their knowledge to thier subordinates.

Don't spend too much on the sugar stuff right now. A decent pot, a good thermometer, a solid table ( that hot sugar poured on a thin s/s top will immediatly buckle and warp) maybe a Sil-pat. Once you're comfortable with pouring and casting, then go on to the next stages. Oh, and most important: When you do your sugar stuff, make sure you're comfortable and not stressed for time.

I agree with foodpump. You can tie a lot of money up in this stuff real quick and it don't come cheap. Most of it you can make yourself or get it at the local hardware store. Most chefs practice this as a hobby anyway because most commerical kitchens do not have areas set aside for this type of work. You will proably read that a copper pot is essential for boiling sugar. You can use a good stainless steel pot or even enamel ones.Copper is excellent for sugar work because of its even heat conduction but copper pots don't come cheap! A good 2 quart size stainless steel pot will work fine. The one most important piece of equipment you should invest in is a good candy thermometer! This is your most valuable piece of equipment in sugar work. Does any of this make sense? I am still working on the website let you know when I get it back up.

Yeah, your pot will work fine. If you are going to use those boards I would suggest oiling them lightly with vegetable oil first before you pour the hot sugar onto them. I am going to throw another wrench in the pile here. Do you have a metal spatula or dough cutter. The boards you have are fine. But I would suggest looking into getting some silpats or a marble slab. A large cookie sheet pan will work to I have used mine on numerous occassions. Might want to consider a cheap pair of rubber gloves too. Not going to do much in the way of protecting your hands from the heat but it might cut down on your blisters. Yeah, blisters! Part of the hazard of this type work and you will get a few.

Gloves

Get some sergical rubber golves, they come in a box of 100.
AND
Cotton under liner gloves, ie butler gloves.
First put on the cotton and then the rubber.
If you have never done sugar, be extra careful with your hands and face.
I have seen professionals get nasty injuries from sugar.
Get to some hands on demos etc.
Best!
:bounce:

Amen! And have a bowl or sink full of cold water handy in case there is an accident.

Website!!!!!!!!!!

Well I finally found a webspace site. You can check it out. Note that the site is still under construction and I would like some tips from everyone on what I should add or take away. Thanks.

http://freewebs.com/dessertcarnival/

Oh, anyone with web experience. Should I post links on the first page or last page? Not sure where I should put them have several at least 3 already. I also have a blog@

http://www.mycookingblog.com/1-sugarcreations.php