The Candy Cook Book/Chapter 1
CHAPTER I
CANDY INGREDIENTS AND NECESSARY EQUIPMENT
Candies are composed of sugar of various kinds, chocolate, nuts, fruits, colorings, and flavorings. Each of these has its own particular value as appealing to the sense of sight, the sense of taste, or the need of the body for nourishment.
Sugar (C12H22O11) is a crystalline substance known by its sweet taste and its solubility in water. Sugar undergoes little change during digestion; as glucose it is carried by the blood through the body, and unites with oxygen breathed in from the air, forming carbon-dioxide (CO2), gas, and water, in which forms it leaves the body. During this change, energy is produced, and used for muscular work. Sugar is more rapidly oxidized than any other kind of foodstuff, and makes a very desirable quick fuel food.
The principal kinds of sugar are cane sugar or sucrose, grape sugar or glucose, milk sugar or lactose, and fruit sugar or levulose.
Cane sugar is obtained from sugar cane, sugar beets, and maple trees. It is sold in many forms. Granulated sugar is the kind most commonly used in candy-making. It is made by dissolving, filtering, and crystallizing the raw sugar that has been extracted from the sugar cane or sugar beet.
Brown sugar is not so completely refined as white sugar and has more flavor. Keeping it in a covered jar in a cool place prevents it from becoming lumpy.
Powdered sugar is cane sugar, finely ground, but still slightly granular.
Confectioners' sugar is cane sugar so very finely ground that it is like a powder, and dissolves instantly. In recipes where it is called for other sugar cannot be substituted, although confectioners' sugar can be used in place of powdered or granulated sugar. It is a pure form of sugar with nothing added to it.
Molasses is a by-product in the manufacture of sugar, and cannot be crystallized with ordinary methods.
Maple sugar is obtained by boiling down the sap obtained by tapping maple trees. Its delicious flavor is due to "impurities" that are present. Maple syrup can be made by dissolving maple sugar in boiling water, or by using the maple sap before it has been sufficiently reduced to become crystalline. The amount produced in this country each year is by no means sufficient to supply the demand, and consequently there are many imitations.
Grape sugar or glucose, found in honey and all sweet fruits, is less sweet than cane sugar. It may sometimes be seen on the outside of dried fruits such as dates and raisins. It is manufactured on a large scale from cornstarch, and is for sale as glucose in kegs and barrels of 110, 300, and 650 pounds each. As corn syrup or Karo, where it is combined with sugar syrup, it can be obtained in red label and blue label tins of one and one half and two and one half pounds capacity. When used in candies it prevents crystallization and gives a smoother product.
Milk sugar or lactose is present in milk, and when separated from it is sold as milk sugar. It is not sweet, and is only found in candy when milk is used.
Fruit sugar or levulose is found in sweet fruits. It is sweeter than cane sugar and too expensive for ordinary use.
Chocolate is obtained from cocoa beans cleaned, roasted, and finely ground. It contains much nourishment, in a concentrated form, fat, protein, and carbohydrate being present, with very little water.
Chocolate used on the outside of candies is called coating chocolate. Large candy manufacturers grind and blend cocoa beans to get the particular grade of chocolate coating for which they are famous. Sugar and vanilla are added, and any chocolate sold by name can be relied upon. It is for sale in ten-pound cakes, and should cost not less than twenty-five cents a pound for a good quality. There is upon the market a sweet coating chocolate in one sixth and half-pound cakes, in red wrappers. This can be obtained from grocers, and is very satisfactory.
Bitter or unsweetened chocolate has had nothing added to it, and should be used in fudges and other candies in which chocolate is cooked with sugar. It is for sale in quarter and half-pound cakes, divided into small squares, each weighing one ounce. Bitter chocolate is combined with sweet chocolate, and used for coating "bitter sweets."
Cocoa is prepared from cocoa beans by the removal of a portion of the fat. Sugar, flavorings, and sometimes starch are added.
Cocoa butter is the fat obtained from the cocoa bean in the manufacture of cocoa. A small amount is sometimes added to melted chocolate to keep it thin enough for dipping, at a moderate temperature.
Almost all kinds of edible nuts are used in candy-making. They contain protein, fat, and carbohydrate in varying proportions, and are excellent sources of energy. Some, like peanuts and black walnuts, almonds and pignolias, are so rich in protein that they may be used as meat substitutes. Their digestibility is increased by being finely ground. Most nuts may now be obtained shelled at about the same cost for the edible portion as in the shells. For some purposes, broken nut meats are quite satisfactory; they cost less than the whole kernels. Nuts, when used in candies, increase the bulk and food value, detract from the sweetness, and improve both appearance and flavor.
Almonds and English walnuts are the nuts chiefly grown in this country. There are both sweet and bitter almonds; the latter are used sparingly to give flavor to almond confections. Jordan almonds are the finest almonds grown, and are for sale out of the shell, as are also other smaller and shorter varieties.
Almond paste may be made at home of finely ground almonds, but it is more satisfactory to purchase it ready for use in one and five-pound packages.
Brazil nuts are large three-cornered nuts, with a hard shell and a brown skin. The latter should usually be removed before the nuts are used in candy.
Beechnuts and butternuts are not often found in the market, but if obtainable may be used in recipes that call for walnuts or pecans.
Cashew nuts are small crescent-shaped nuts, and are usually sold with the shells removed.
Chestnuts should be of the large Spanish variety. They are rich in starch, and when boiled in syrup are a delicious confection. They may be purchased in bottles as "marrons" in vanilla or brandy-flavored syrup, and used for centers of fancy bonbons, chocolates, or glacés.
Cocoanut may be purchased desiccated in packages, or as "desiccated", "long", "short", or "macaroon", in bulk from wholesale confectioners. The very long shreds of cocoanut are desirable in some candies. Fresh-grated cocoanut should be used for cocoanut cakes if obtainable.
Cocoanut oil is a very hard fat, for sale as nucoa and used in chewing-candy.
Filberts are round, about the size of a marble, and rich in fat. They are usually purchased in the shell.
Hickory nuts are like small walnuts, but the meat is difficult to remove whole from the shell, although delicious when obtained.
Peanuts are grown in larger and larger quantities in the United States, and furnish a nutritious and inexpensive food product, rich in protein and fat. They may be obtained raw or roasted, in or out of the shell. Raw peanuts are desirable in some recipes for peanut brittle.
Peanut butter is made by putting roasted peanuts through the finest cutter of the meat grinder, and may be prepared at home, or purchased in jars or in bulk by the pound.
Pecans are a particularly crisp, well-flavored nut. If they are first soaked for five hours in cold water, and then allowed to stand until dried off on the outside, the nut meats can be obtained whole. They may be purchased shelled, whole, or broken.
Pine nuts and pignolias grow on pine cones of large pine trees. They have an agreeable flavor, are rich in fat and of considerable food value. They require no other preparation than picking over.
Pistachio nuts are small, of a bright green color, with a purplish skin and a hard shell. The unshelled nuts have been boiled in salt water. They usually are not of such brilliant color as the nuts that may be purchased already shelled. They are expensive but not heavy, and a few of them add much to the attractiveness of candies without adding materially to the expense. They will keep a long time in a covered glass jar.
Walnuts of the English variety are obtainable almost everywhere. Being rich in fats they are an exceedingly nutritious food, and when used in candies help to overcome the cloying sweetness while increasing the food value. They may be obtained in or out of the shell.
Black walnuts are not as common as the English varieties but most satisfactory in all candies that call for walnuts.
Milk, cream, and butter enter into the composition of many candies. Heavy cream makes a rich candy that will keep soft for a long time, and may be used either sweet or sour. When cream is not available milk and butter may be substituted, or evaporated milk may be used.
Butter should be of the best quality. Butterine or peanut oil is less expensive, and may sometimes be substituted for butter.
Eggs for candy should be fresh. If whites only are required, care should be taken in separating that no particle of yolk gets into the white, as it will prevent its being beaten light and stiff. Bowl and egg beater must be absolutely clean, dry, and cool, or whites will not beat up well. Dried eggs or egg albumen are largely used in manufactured candies.
Fresh, canned, and dried fruits are used in candy-making, and add bulk and flavor, while reducing the sweetness.
Fresh fruits may be dipped in fondant, chocolate, or glacé, or cooked down to a thick jelly. Canned fruits, as apricots or pineapple, are useful when fresh fruits are not obtainable, and jams, like raspberry, may be mixed with fondant for bonbon centers. Maraschino cherries are sometimes used, with their syrup, to give flavor and variety to fudge and bonbons.
Dried fruits, like raisins, dates, figs, and prunes, are cheap and nutritious. Combined with nuts or fondant they may be classed with candies and used as a dessert.
Candied fruits—such as apricots, cherries, pears, pineapple, and plums—may be prepared at home, or purchased from in city grocery stores, or dealers in confectioners' supplies. They are valuable for decoration, for centers of chocolates and bonbons, and as an ingredient of fudges and glacéd fruits.
Angelica is the green stem of a plant, used chiefly for its color.
Extract of vanilla properly made is the pure essence of the vanilla bean dissolved in alcohol. Many vanilla extracts are made from Tonka beans, or from vanillin prepared synthetically in a laboratory. These are labeled vanilla compounds.
Extracts of lemon and orange are made by dissolving in alcohol, oil obtained from the yellow skin of the fruit.
Raspberry, strawberry, cherry, pineapple, apple, banana, and other familiar fruit-flavors constitute a class of flavoring extracts similar in character and similarly made.
Attar or otto of rose, one of the first perfumes and perhaps the most exquisite of all, is the base of true rose extract.
Ginger extract is made by steeping and filtering ground ginger roots in alcohol.
Almond oil is procured by pressing, powdering, and drying bitter almonds, allowing the mixture to ferment, and then distilling it by steam. Almond extract is the oil dissolved in alcohol.
Pistachio flavor can better be simulated in candy by using one part almond extract and two parts vanilla extract than by using pistachio extract.
Peppermint oil is distilled from dried peppermint plants.
Oil of wintergreen is made by distillation from the leaves of the wintergreen plant, which is found in New York and Pennsylvania.
Maple flavor is a preparation of roots and herbs used to give a maple taste to white or brown sugar candies.
All spice extracts are made either by dissolving an essential oil in alcohol or by percolating a ground bark with alcohol.
The varied color of candies may be due to the food materials of which they are made, or to small amounts of coloring matter added to them. Satisfactory pastes may be obtained in eight colors, in small glass jars selling for fifteen or twenty-five cents each. They are inspected and registered by the United States Government. Small amounts only are required for the delicate shades that are desirable in first-class candies. The color may be taken on the end of a toothpick and mixed directly with the candy, or be diluted with a few drops of water before being added.
Gelatine is obtained by the treatment of skin, ligaments, and bones of young calves with boiling water. It is for sale in sheets, in shreds, or granulated. The latter is most convenient to use, but sheet gelatine is considered best for Turkish paste.
Agar-agar, or Japanese gelatine, is used by many candy manufacturers, and is for sale at confectioners' supply houses.
Marshmallows which are made by strong beating machinery are cheaper and more satisfactory than those made at home. For use in layer caramels, marshmallow comes in sheets weighing one pound each. There are five sheets in a box. The soft marshmallow cream that is sold in tin boxes may be added to fudge to make it soft and creamy.
Food is required to furnish energy and heat to the body, and material for growth, repair, and for the regulation of body processes.
Heat and energy are estimated in calories, the average person requiring enough food in the form of fat, starch, sugar, and protein, to furnish about twenty-five hundred calories a day.
Material for growth and repair is furnished by protein foods, of which from sixty to one hundred grams per day are needed, and by water and various ash constituents which are also needed to maintain the body in health.
The table on page 15 gives the caloric value and protein content of many of the materials called for in candy recipes. A study of these will show that candy, especially when it contains fruit and nuts, can supply both calories and protein, and is therefore to be reckoned as food. Large amounts of candy taken in addition to regular meals may lead to increase in body weight, and to serious digestive disturbance. Reasonable amounts may well take the place of other desserts, or may be used to furnish energy in an emergency, as on a long tramp.
For satisfactory results in candy-making, as in other kinds of cooking with tested recipes, accurate measurements are necessary. With half-pint measuring cups divided into quarters and thirds, with teaspoons, tablespoons, and a case knife, the ingredients in the following recipes can be put together without the use of scales. The following table can be used to determine how much of any material needs to be purchased, or to change cup measurements to pounds or ounces.
Most of the recipes in this book are proportioned to make one pound of candy.
To measure a cup of dry material like sugar, fill the cup by putting in the sugar with a scoop or large spoon, until cup overflows, and level off with a knife. Tablespoons and teaspoons are filled and leveled in the same way. Divide with knife lengthwise of spoon for a half-spoonful; divide halves crosswise for quarters, and quarters crosswise for eighths. A cupful or spoonful of liquid is all the cup or spoon will hold. Less than a cupful of material should be measured to the proper mark upon the cup. Less than one eighth of a teaspoon is called a few grains.
- 3 level teaspoons equal 1 level tablespoon
- 16 level tablespoons equal 1 cup
- 8 level tablespoons equal ½ cup
- 4 level tablespoons equal ¼ cup
- 2 level tablespoons butter equal 1 ounce
| Measure | Calories | Protein Grams | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb. butter | 2 cups packed solidly | 3488 | 4.54 |
| 1 lb. granulated sugar | 2 cups | 1814 | |
| 1 lb. powdered sugar | 2⅔ cups | 1814 | |
| 1 lb. confectioners' sugar | 3½ cups | 1814 | |
| 1 lb. maple sugar | 1¼ cups | 1502 | |
| 1 lb. brown sugar | 2⅔ cups | 1724 | |
| 1 lb. molasses | 1½ cups | 1301 | 10.88 |
| 1 lb. eggs | 9 large | 595 | 53.98 |
| 1 lb. chocolate | 16 squares | 2772 | 58.51 |
| 1 lb. shelled almonds | 3 cups | 2936 | 95.25 |
| 1 lb. shelled walnuts | 4 cups | 3199 | 83.46 |
| 1 lb. shelled peanuts | 2¾ cups | 2487 | 117.03 |
| 1 lb. shelled pecans | 4 cups | 3330 | 43.55 |
| 1 lb. dates | 2 cups | 1416 | 8.62 |
| 1 lb. raisins | 2 cups, packed solidly | 1563 | 11.79 |
| 1 lb. shredded cocoanut | 8 cups | 2675 | 25.85 |
| 1 lb. corn syrup | 1¼ cups | ||
| 1 lb. marshmallows | 4 cups | 1034 | |
| 1 lb. milk | 2 cups | 314 | 14.96 |
| 1 lb. heavy cream | 2⅙ cups | 1724 | 9.98 |
| 1 lb. popcorn | 2 cups | 1826 | 48.57 |
| 1 lb. almond paste | 1½ cups | ||
Many varieties of candy can be made without any other utensils than are found in the average kitchen. The following list will be sufficient for the preparation of any candies found in this book. when candy is to be made commercially on a large scale, many other pieces of equipment will be found desirable.
- Saucepan, 1 pint, agate or aluminum
- Saucepan, 1 quart, agate or aluminum
- Saucepan, 3 pint, agate or aluminum
- Double boiler, 1 quart
- Cup, half-pint, agate
- Scotch kettle, iron or copper
- Frying pan, iron
- Case knife, 6 inches long
- Spatula, S inches long
- Wide spatula, 2½ inches wide, 6 inches long
- Two-tined fork
- Butter brush, rubber set
- Wire bonbon dippers
- Small round cutters
- Small fancy cutters
- Tin grater
- Bowls, agate or crockery
- Purée sieve
- Wire strainer
- Rolling pin
- Marble slab or white agate tray
- Cake pans
- Scales
- Wire whisks
- Egg beaters
- Half-pint measuring cups divided in quarters
- Half-pint measuring cups divided in thirds
- Teaspoons
- Tablespoons
- Wooden spoon, long handle
- Mixing spoon, long handle
- Sharp knife, 8 inches long
- Sharp knife, 4 inches long
- Candy thermometer
- Small pair tweezers
- Candy hook, to be attached to the wall
- Plaster of Paris molds
- Tin confectioners' funnel for dropping candies
- Steel bars
- Sugar spinner
- Nut cracker
- Food chopper
- White table oilcloth
- Wax paper
- Rice paper
- Chocolate dipping paper
- Paper cases
- Cheesecloth
- Timbal irons
- Covered jars
- Pastry bag and tubes
Saucepans and double boiler may be of agate ware or aluminum. Tin is not desirable. An agate cup is useful for melting butter with which to grease pans.
An iron frying pan, or copper or iron Scotch kettle, is best for candies that are cooked to a very high temperature.
A marble slab is most convenient for receiving hot candies that are later worked with a spatula until creamy. A white agate tray, like those used by butchers for displaying meat, or a large platter, may be substituted. For turning over and scraping up the candy nothing is better than a wide, flexible steel spatula. A wooden butter paddle may be used, but it is not as convenient.
Bonbon dippers may be purchased or fashioned at home from a piece of Number 14 wire. They should be six inches long and the open bowl of dipper three quarters of an inch across.
Steel or iron bars, sixteen inches long and three quarters of an inch square, are convenient to keep the candy from running off a marble slab. The opening between may be made of any size, and candy may thus be cooled on the marble without the use of a pan.
Sugar spinners are made of a bundle of twenty coarse wires, ten inches long, fastened together at one end with wire coiled round and round to make a handle. A large wire egg whip, with the wires cut at the end, answers the purpose perfectly.
Paraffin or wax paper comes in different weights. The thinnest paper is generally used for wrapping caramels, or for receiving dipped candies. Chocolate dipping paper is stiff, with a high gloss on one side, and is desirable for receiving dipped chocolates, although white table oilcloth is equally good, and may be used over and over again. Rice paper is used for the top and bottom of nougatines, and may be eaten with the candy.
For accurate and uniform results in candy-making, a thermometer that registers up to 400°F. is almost indispensable.
Much experience is necessary to determine correctly the required condition by testing candy in cold water. With careful usage, a thermometer should last for years. It may be obtained at hardware and kitchen furnishing stores for one dollar and upwards.
The thermometer should be placed in syrup before the boiling point is reached, in order to avoid heating it too suddenly. If it is necessary to put it into candy heated beyond the boiling point, it should be held for a few moments just above the liquid that it may become warm, and then lowered gradually into syrup. When removing thermometer from candy, place it immediately in boiling water or very hot water, and allow it to cool slowly.
The following table gives tests for sugar syrup and corresponding degree on the thermometer.
Crystal syrup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
220 degrees | |
Soft ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
238 degrees” | |
Medium ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
240 degrees” | |
Stiff ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
244 degrees” | |
Hard ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
250 degrees” | |
Light crack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
264 degrees” | |
Medium crack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
272 degrees” | |
Hard crack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
290 degrees” | |
Extra hard crack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
330 degrees” | |
Caramel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
360 degrees” | |