42. The utensils for candy making are few in number and simple in
nature. As with all of the more elaborate foods, the fancy candies
require slightly more unusual equipment, and even for the more ordinary
kinds it is possible to buy convenient utensils that will make results a
little more certain. But, as illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows the
general equipment for confection making, practically all the utensils
required are to be found in every kitchen.
[Illustration: FIG. 1]
43. To boil the confectionery ingredients, a saucepan or a kettle is
required. This may be made of copper or aluminum or of any of the
various types of enamelware that are used for cooking utensils. One
important requirement is that the surface of the pan be perfectly
smooth. A pan that has become rough from usage or an enamelware pan that
is chipped should not be used for the boiling of candy.
The size of the utensil to use depends on the kind and the amount of the
mixture to be boiled. A sugar-and-water mixture does not require a pan
much larger in size than is necessary to hold the mixture itself, for it
does not expand much in boiling. However, a mixture containing milk,
condensed milk, cream, or butter should be cooked in a pan much larger
than is needed for the same quantity of sugar and water, for such a
mixture expands greatly and is liable to boil over. The necessary size
of the pan to be used should be overestimated rather than
underestimated. In the cooking of candy, just as in the cooking of other
foods, the surface exposed to the heat and the depth of the material to
be cooked affect the rapidity of cooking and evaporation. Consequently,
if rapid evaporation and quick cooking are desired, a pan that is broad
and comparatively shallow should be used, rather than one that is
narrow and deep.
44. Measuring cups and spoons, a spoon for stirring, and a knife are, of
course, essential in making confections. Then, too, it is often
convenient to have a metal spatula and a wooden spoon or spatula. When
these utensils are made of wood, they are light in weight and
consequently excellent for stirring and beating. If egg whites are used
in the preparation of a confection, an egg whip is needed. When candy
must be poured into a pan to harden, any variety of pan may be used, but
generally one having square corners is the most satisfactory. Then if
the candy is cut into squares, none of it will be wasted in the cutting.
45. A thermometer that registers as high as 300 or 400 degrees
Fahrenheit is a valuable asset in candy making when recipes giving the
temperature to which the boiling must be carried are followed. A degree
of accuracy can be obtained in this way by the inexperienced candy maker
that cannot be matched with the usual tests. A small thermometer may be
used, but the larger the thermometer, the easier will it be to determine
the degrees on the mercury column. A new thermometer should always be
tested to determine its accuracy. To do this, stand the thermometer in a
small vessel of warm water, place the vessel over a flame, and allow the
water to boil. If the thermometer does not register 212 degrees at
boiling, the number of degrees more or less must be taken into account
whenever the thermometer is used. For instance, if the thermometer
registers 208 degrees at boiling and a recipe requires candy to be
boiled to 238 degrees, it will be necessary to boil the candy to 234
degrees because the thermometer registers 4 degrees lower than
it should.
46. The double boiler also finds a place in candy making. For melting
chocolate, coating for bonbons, or fondant for reception wafers, a
utensil of this kind is necessary. One that will answer the purpose very
well may be improvised by putting a smaller pan into a larger one
containing water. In using one of this kind, however, an effort should
be made to have the pans exactly suited to each other in size;
otherwise, the water in the lower pan will be liable to splash into the
pan containing the material that is being heated.
For the coating of bonbons, a coating fork, which is merely a thin wire
twisted to make a handle with a loop at one end, is the most convenient
utensil to use. However, this is not satisfactory for coating with
chocolate, a different method being required for this material.
47. A number of candies, such as fondant, bonbon creams, and cream
centers for chocolates, can be made much more satisfactorily if, after
they are boiled, they are poured on a flat surface to cool. Such
treatment permits them to cool as quickly as possible in a comparatively
thin layer and thus helps to prevent crystallization. When only a small
amount of candy is to be made, a large platter, which is the easiest
utensil to procure, produces fairly good results. For larger amounts,
as, for instance, when candy is being made to sell, some more convenient
arrangement must be made. The most satisfactory thing that has been
found for cooling purposes is a marble slab such as is found on an
old-fashioned table or dresser. If one of these is not available, and
the kitchen or pastry table has a vitrolite or other heavy top
resembling porcelain, this will make a very good substitute.
48. To prevent the hot candy from running off after it is poured on a
slab or any similar flat surface, a device of some kind should be
provided. A very satisfactory one consists of four metal bars about 3/4
to 1 inch in width and thickness and as long as desired to fit the slab,
but usually about 18 inches in length. They may be procured from a
factory where steel and iron work is done, or they may be purchased from
firms selling candy-making supplies. These bars are merely placed on top
of the slab or flat surface with the corners carefully fitted and the
candy is then poured in the space between the bars. When it is desired
to pour out fudge, caramels, and similar candies to harden before
cutting, the metal bars may be fitted together and then placed on the
slab in such a way as to be most convenient. Fudge, however, may be
cooled satisfactorily in the pan in which it is cooked if the cooling is
done very rapidly.
49. A satisfactory cooling slab may be improvised by fastening four
pieces of wood together so as to fit the outside edge of the slab and
extend an inch or more above the surface. If such a device is used,
plaster of Paris should be poured around the edge of the slab to fill
any space between the wood and the slab. In using a slab or similar
surface for purposes of this kind, a point that should be remembered is
that a part of it should never be greased, but should be reserved for
the cooling of fondant and certain kinds of center creams, which require
only a moistened surface.
50. Many of the candies that are turned out on a flat surface must be
worked to make them creamy. For this purpose, nothing is quite so
satisfactory as a putty knife or a wallpaper scraper. If a platter is
used, a putty knife is preferable, for it has a narrower blade than a
wallpaper scraper; but where candy is made in quantity and a large slab
is used, the larger scraper does the work better. For use with a
platter, a spoon is perhaps the best utensil when a putty knife is not
in supply.
51. Scales are valuable in candy making because they permit exact
measurements to be made. However, they are not an actual necessity, for
almost all recipes give the ingredients by measure, and even if this is
not done, they may be purchased in the desired weight or transposed into
equivalent measure. Scales, of course, are required if it is desired to
weigh out candy in small amounts or in boxes after it is made.
52. Waxed paper is a valuable addition to candy-making supplies, there
being many occasions for its use. For instance, caramels and certain
other candies must be wrapped and waxed paper is the most suitable kind
for this purpose. Then, too, chocolate-coated candies and bonbons must
be placed on a smooth surface to which they will not stick. Waxed paper
is largely used for this purpose, although candy makers often prefer
white oilcloth, because its surface is ideal and it can be cleansed and
used repeatedly. Often a candy- or cracker-box lining that has been
pressed smooth with a warm iron may be utilized. For such purposes, as
when reception wafers are to be dropped, it is necessary that the
surface of the paper used be absolutely unwrinkled.
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