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Isomalt

post #1 of 20
1/16/06 at 1:31pm
Thread Starter 
You know I am new to isomalt. I have been trying some over the last month for sugar work. Still not sure what I like better.
Need Help!!! Let's just say I found a 50 lbs. bag of isomalt. From Germany, with no proceedural help. It is marked sugar-substitute. Before I open the bag, my question is, can this be used to boil, pull, and blow. What will be the ratio of isomalt to water, if any?
TIA
pan
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post #2 of 20
1/16/06 at 2:17pm

Isomalt

Pan your ratio would be the same as if you were using granulated sugar no change. If its Isomalt? Really the only thing I see that you would change is the temp but you really don't need to do that. You can use any boiled sugar recipe just replace the granulated amount with the same amount of Isomalt.

CR
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post #3 of 20
1/16/06 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
but there are isomalts out there that are 3 to 1, 2 to 1. for boiling.I'm just wondering if they produce one type for sugar replacement in baking as this one and another type.
I guess I'm asking if there are more then one type made. Can't find the answer on line. I traded something for this bag and don't want to waste it.I know you can powder the isomalt.
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post #4 of 20
1/16/06 at 3:33pm
I know there is Isomalt and its high powered cousin decomalt. Pan it doesn't have the manufacture on the bag anywhere? This is just speculation but 3 to 1 sounds right. I have inquired about this else where and was told it was the same ratio as granulated. But I can understand your not wanting to waste it. You might want to pm CH and get his take on it. Pan let me go on line see if I can find something be right back!

http://www.touchbriefings.com/pdf/17..._palatinit.pdf

Pan check this link out. Idon't know if it will help. I will continue looking for you.

CR

http://www.theingredients.co.uk/Pala...omalt_Main.htm

Heres another one it says 1:1 ratio and that it is a sugar replacement.

If you want to keep looking for yourself go to your homepage and type in "isomalt ratio" it comes up with quite a few sites.
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post #5 of 20
1/16/06 at 7:00pm
I had a pkg of the stuff 6 or 7 yrs ago from the school in Maryland. It was 4 to 1.
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post #6 of 20
1/17/06 at 5:33am
Thread Starter 
CR. Thank You! Right on the money with the second link. That's the actual company that made it.
pan
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post #7 of 20
1/17/06 at 2:31pm
You are more than welcome glad I could help. You have done enough for me I owe you that and a lot more!

CR
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post #8 of 20
1/18/06 at 6:27am
Pure isomalt is the same the world around. The size of the granule can vary, but the chemical structure is the same.

Palatinit, in effort to sell their product, seems to be stretching the truth a bit. Isomalt replaces the bulk/texture of sugar 1:1 in baking applications but when it comes to sugar work, it's not that simple. Isomalt differs from sugar in some very important areas:

Hygroscopicity
Melting point
Solubility
Molecular Weight
Crystallization
Caramelization
Sweetness
Cooling Effect
Stability

I haven't come across any firm numbers on glassing stages, but I'm almost certain that, due to the different molecular weights, isomalt's stages (soft, firm, hard, etc.) will occur at different temps than sugar. I would go by visual cues rather than your thermometer.

Unless you want to learn about isomalt's myriad number of unique qualities and go through quite a bit of trial and error and/or have recipes developed specifically for pure isomalt, I'd stick to decomalt. From what I understand, decomalt is specifically engineered for sugar work. Isomalt requires some tweaking in order to get good results.
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post #9 of 20
1/18/06 at 5:18pm
Yeah, its a sugar alcohol, a polyol. Its dervied from maltose hince the name. Got a lot of cousins mannitol and all that other stuff. It is burned up by the body quicker that regular sucrose or sugar.
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post #10 of 20
1/18/06 at 5:58pm
Thread Starter 
Well, if I stick with isomalt in general, I will have to play with it.
I can't think it would be harder then regular sugar. I have to believe there will be less variables then sugar.
I'm hoping for a better product then the decomalt. I found it to have more negetive qualities then sugar and the cost is x's more then reg. isomalt
My biggest problem is consistancy in products involved with reg. sugar. I can't even get the same quality sugar from the same manufacturer.
Scott123,
Thank you very much and I'm sure I'll have a question or two for you.
CR. Now that I have the whole kitchen pulling sugar and on their way to blowing, they are bringing in some great info. They asked me where this started? Ummm... I liked this brought in by our sanitation guy.
http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English...200406/p50.htm
You might have this already.
Love January, playtime
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post #11 of 20
1/19/06 at 7:11am
Thread Starter 

Need A Formula

Forgot to ask if anyone has a formula for regular isomalt?
TIA

BTW The decomalt bucket does not say food safe nor does it give the ingredients.
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post #12 of 20
1/19/06 at 2:01pm
Pan you can use any boiled sugar recipe just replace the granulated with the isomalt its that simple. The recipe is basically the same for both.You just have to boil it higher to around 340F. Isomalt is less elastic than other sugar so it makes a poor starter sugar for beginners. I don't know if you remember the thread we first started when I came to Cheftalk. CH was talking about this very same thing. The good thing is you don't have to add acid or glucose to it because it will not re-crystallize. It has been popular in Europe since around the 1960s where it was discovered. And has been used there since the early 1980s. It has only been in the US since 1990 so we are fairly new to it. Its a mixture of two disaccharide alcohols gluco-mannitol and gluco-sorbitol. Sucrose on the other hand is a disaccharide sugar,gluco-fructose. Just use your ratio of 1:1 and go with it. Except for the higher temp and no acid or glucose its the same. Sorry for the rant and science lesson. Tell your kitchen they can blame me I may have started this unknowingly. Decomalt and Isomalt are both food safe they just do not stay with you so its best to have a bathroom close by if you know what I mean. Mannitol is the sugar that is used in some forms of laxative.
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post #13 of 20
1/19/06 at 10:04pm
Thread Starter 
CR
Well, if I'm to believe that deco is tweeked for pastry, how do we know it's foodsafe?
anyway, we did many boils today with the regular isomalt with great sucess.
Our general consenses was that the water-isomalt ratio is flexible. boils with a higher water ratio took much longer to achieve temp. The stages on all were pretty close to normal. I'm pretty sure the extra h2o evaped out.
Pulled with ease. Blew extremely well. It did not take well to an alcohol bath or cold sugar for cooling though.
We have measured and disolved boils for tomorrow.
We did only one batch of rock. It came out very moddled. I coloured the royal. I will colour the boil next.
I'll keep you posted.
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post #14 of 20
1/20/06 at 2:12pm
i hope you are taking pics...
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post #15 of 20
1/20/06 at 3:43pm
Please do Pan.Making me want to use my little bit I have but I have got to restrain myself.I want to use it bad though. I was finally able to get a reputable seller of domain names and websites. So I finally have a registered domain I just have to get the website set up. I just do not know what to put in it right. If anyone has any ideas I am open to them. I wanted to concern it mainly with sugar work but I do not know if that will suffice. Nick I know this is off topic and in the wrong place sorry..........cakerookie.
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post #16 of 20
1/20/06 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
CR,
Yes, you were the inspuration for our annual January all-in.
In the past when we had a call for sugar, I would just boil and do what was ordered. Since sugar work seems to be asked for more often now with it's recent popularity on TV and such I figured I'd kill two birds yadda yadda.
Jessiquina,
Most everything until now has been experimental. The crew has put out some nice things, large roses, rose buds, carnations, we dipped a lot of maggys today. I blew an alright vase, 2 nice little canaries on a wood perch(which my wife schattered:lol: ) I'll snap some pics tomorrow. I will have to email or have my son put them up somewhere. I tried to load a pic here thismorning and failed misserably.
CR 340? really? I'm pulling a lot cooler. I put some pieces right under the ac vent and one in the cooler and they were still at a snap this morning.
OH! had some clay for some poured. Our cleanup helper asked if you could blow sugar into a mold. I said sure. When I was leaving she had a beautiful bowl going using the clay like string. Seems that her family in Mexico did this for a living.
pan
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post #17 of 20
1/20/06 at 4:11pm
Thats the beauty of isomalt Pan. Need some pics if you know what I mean?
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post #18 of 20
1/23/06 at 3:33pm
Pan I used some of the Isomalt yesterday. I tend to agree with you I do not think it is not that much better than granulated sugar. For the price I would just as soon use granulated and add the other stuff. Oh, I pulled at 320F.
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post #19 of 20
8/19/06 at 10:00am

Isomalt

I am really interested in using Isomalt. Any good sources? I will be reading any information anyone has on this ingredient.
Thanks,
Bette
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post #20 of 20
8/20/06 at 7:25am
Thread Starter 
Bette,
A lot of on line stores carry it. Albert Uster, Chef Rubber, etc.
pan
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