9. SUGAR.--The most important ingredient used in the making of
confections is sugar. It is therefore well that the nature of this
ingredient be thoroughly understood. Its chief commercial varieties are
_cane sugar_ and _beet sugar_, both of which produce the same results in
cookery operations. When sugar is mentioned as an ingredient, plain
granulated sugar is meant unless it is otherwise stated. Whether this is
cane or beet sugar makes no difference. The fineness and the color of
sugar are due to its refinement and the manufacturing processes through
which it is put, and these are indicated by various terms and trade
names, such as _granulated, pulverized_, and _soft_ sugars.
The grading of granulated sugar is based on the size of its crystals,
this sugar coming in three qualities. The coarsest is known as _coarse
granulated_; the next finer, as _standard granulated_; and the finest,
as _fine granulated_. There is also a fourth grade known as _fancy
fine_, or _extra-fine, granulated_, and often called _fruit_, or
_berry, sugar_.
10. So far as candy is concerned, the coarseness of the sugar does not
make a great deal of difference, although the finer sugars are perhaps a
little better because they dissolve more quickly in the liquid and are a
trifle less likely to crystallize after cooking. When sugar is to be
used without cooking, however, its fineness makes a decided difference.
Sugars finer than granulated are known as _pulverized sugars_ and are
made by grinding granulated sugar in a mill that crushes the crystals.
These pulverized sugars are known on the market as _coarse powdered,
standard powdered_, and _XXXX powdered_, the last being the one that
should always be purchased for the making of confectionery where the use
of uncooked sugar is required. One of the chief characteristics of
sugars of this kind is that they lump to a great extent, the finer the
sugar the larger and harder being the lumps. Before sugar that has
become lumpy can be used, it must be reduced to its original condition
by crushing the lumps with a rolling pin and then sifting the sugar
through a fine wire sieve. As explained in _Cakes, Cookies, and
Puddings_, Part 1, sugars of this kind are not suitable for cooking
purposes, such as the preparation of cooked icings, etc. These are made
from granulated or other coarse sugar, while the uncooked ones are made
from XXXX, or _confectioners', sugar_, as it is sometimes called. Then,
too, fine sugars cost more than do the granulated sugars, so it is well
to remember that nothing is gained by their use.
11. The third variety of sugars, which are known as _soft sugars_, are
purchased by the retail dealer by number. There are fifteen grades of
this sugar, ranging from 1 to 15, and the number indicates the color of
the sugar. No. 1 is practically white, while No. 15 is very dark, and
the intervening numbers vary in color between these two shades. The
lightness of the color indicates the amount of refinement the sugars
have had. The dark-brown sugars are stronger in flavor and indicate less
refinement than the light ones. When brown sugar is required for any
purpose, it is usually advisable to use one of the lighter shades,
because they are more agreeable in taste than the very dark ones.
12. MOLASSES.--The liquid that remains after most of the sugar has been
refined out of the cane juice is known as molasses. The juice from beets
does not produce molasses; therefore, all of the molasses found on the
market is the product of cane juice. A molasses known as _sorghum
molasses_ is made by boiling the sap of sorghum, which is a stout cereal
grass, but this variety is seldom found on the general market, it being
used locally where it is manufactured. The dark color and the
characteristic flavor of molasses are due to the foreign materials that
remain in the juice after the removal of the sugar. Molasses is not so
sweet as sugar, but it is much used as an ingredient in the making of
many delicious confections. As in the case of soft sugars, the lighter
the molasses is in color, the more agreeable is the flavor of the
confections made from it.
13. GLUCOSE.--Another substance much used in the making of confections
is glucose. It is usually manufactured from the starch of corn and is
put on the market under various trade names, but generally it is called
_corn sirup_. Many persons have long considered glucose a harmful food,
but this belief has been proved untrue. Glucose has come to be
absolutely necessary in some candy making in order to produce certain
results. The glucose that the confectioners use is a heavier, stickier
substance than the sirups that can be purchased for table use or for
cooking, but these do very well for most candy-making purposes. However,
none of the glucose preparations are so sweet as sugar, maple sirup,
or honey.
14. Glucose will not crystallize nor make a creamy substance; neither
will it permit any substance that contains more than a very little of it
to become creamy. A creamy candy containing a small amount of it will
remain soft longer than that made without it; also, it will cream
without danger of the formation of large crystals. Because of these
characteristics, which are responsible for its use in candy making, a
mixture containing glucose will not "go to sugar." Taffy-like
confections and clear candies contain a large proportion of glucose,
while any that are intended to be creamy, such as bonbons and the
centers for chocolates, have only a small amount, if any, glucose
in them.
15. MAPLE SIRUP AND MAPLE SUGAR.--Maple sirup and maple sugar, because
of their pleasing flavor, are used extensively for candy making. Maple
sirup is, of course, the basis for maple sugar, for by boiling the sirup
to evaporate the water and then stirring it, maple sugar results. When
the sirup is used for candy making, it must be boiled, but it seldom
requires any liquid other than that which it already contains. On the
other hand, maple sugar requires liquid in some form, for it must first
be dissolved in a liquid and then boiled with it.
16. HONEY.--Honey that has been pressed from the comb and is in the form
of a heavy sirup is used in the making of various confections. It
provides a delightful flavor much different from that of sugar, and when
it is cooked it acts in much the same way as glucose.