Pulled Sugar for Dummies - Page 2

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.

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

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

Regards Cakerookie

How do you cast sugar,and with what?

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.

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

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.

Thanks for all the info sharing !


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

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...

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.

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. :p

Thanks, Sugardazed.

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.

I respectfully disagree foodpump Playdough will handle the heat use it all the time no problems.

Best Regards Cakerookie...

O.K. Cakerookie, I'll take your word for it. To be honest, I've never used the "Playdoh" brand, but I've had disastorous results with the cheap imitation plasticines.

To be honest FP all this stuff is really debatable on any platform in the industry. What works for one may not work for the other. There are so many variables in sugar work until its unreal. I guess I am sounding kind of harsh today I don't mean too. Thats the reason I have been trying for almost a year to establish a website for this very thing. Just cannot seem to get it off the ground.Everyone that has questions about sugar work should go to www.pastrychef.info there is an article there that will give the beginner some great insight into sugar work everyone needs to check it out. Its written by one of my favorite chefs Martin Chiffers and no one can argue with his credentials.

Best Regards Cakerookie...

Can anyone tell me when I add the coloring and how? Like I asked in a previous post do I need to dilute the coloring with anything?

No dilution necessary! Add your coloring at around 280 F. What type coloring are you adding? You can use powdered, gel, or regular food coloring. Once you add the color do not stir just shake the pan gently to incorporate the color.

Best Regards Cakerookie...

This information has all been wonderful and helped me get the first part of a school project done. But I have one very important question left. How do I not ruin my pans? Do I just dissolve the think layer of sugar residue with hot water until it's gone?

Just fill the pan with water and bring it to a boil all the harden sugar will melt.

Pulled sugar equipment

My Mom took the Wilton Master course for pulled sugar and while there purchased a set of equipment to include a custom made box with heat lamp, silpat mats, etc. She has never used it due to lack of time and I'm just wondering if anyone knows where I could sell it? I currently have it listed on ebay under sugar pulling equipment. Thanks.

Hi all!
Can I jump in? I am a big fan of marzipan but I was always interested in sugar too. I don't think I have the time nowadays to take a professional class, but I'd love to try at home on my own. Just blowing some sugar balls for now. I looked pulled sugar up on Google and I found different recipes for it. I found the one that you guys posted on this thread, but also another one. I would like to know why this and why not the other. The other : 5 cups of sugar/ 1 cup and 2 tbsp of water/ 2tbsp and 1 tsp of vinegar. Temps and pulling is same as you described. So that one is not good? Educate me! Thank you in advance!:D
-Also if I get to the point of holding a hot sugar bubble on the end of my tube... Then what? I wait until it cools of before I take it down? Can you tell I am clueless?

Hi all!  I guess this is an old thread but I was searching for information on sugar work.

 

I have my own small cake decorating business and just started playing with isomalt this week and I love it and want more!

 

I have two questions for now....I ordered a pair of latex sugar gloves...how much does that protect your hands from burns?

 

Also....what is the difference between isomalt and real sugar, practically speaking?    Do they behave the same?  Do you pull them the same?  Is it mainly a difference in flavor?

 

Thanks so much!  This board looks interesting.

Edited...oops sorry

Chef Ron,

 

Thank you so much for describing the difference between isomalt and regular sugar. I have been trying to find the answer to this question for over a week. I currently have a shop making custom wedding cakes and would like to venture into more sugar work but could not find anyone that would sum up the differences. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

A fellow pastry chef wants me to make pulled sugar flowers for wedding cakes. I want to know how much to charge him on a per rose basis. I don't work in his shop.  Does anyone know how much to charge?

 

Thank you!

Vass

It is strange to read posts I made 10 years ago.

Chef Gerber,

I usually like for a buddy to owe me for something.

We retail out at 18. To accounts/other chefs 7.50. with a minimum.

hth

pan

 

Ha, TY! I'm curious to see if I can make a business out if it. I took a class with Stephane Glacier and I don't want to waste it.

Many years ago I taught in a Food School in Ny. I was always in awe of my fellow instructors that did cocoa paintings and puloled sugar. It is an art to itself .There were no molds or isomalt, just sugar, water and paste color and a slab of marble and a lamp. The turned out products were amazing Guys like Joe Tarrantinno from the Plaza. Conrad Stengle from The Old Colony, Charlie Mengel from The Stork Club, Joe Lancianni from the Plaza  These guys were not pastry chefs, they wer True Artist. All of them had hands of steel , the extreme heat did not bother them.

hello

my pulled sugar gets firm and hard, but then after some short time it gets very sticky. what's wrong?

 

I used this recipe:

1/4 cup + 1/2 Tb water

1 cup + 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp citric acid

1/2 Tb liquid color without alcohol

 

320oF