61. After the testing of the mixture proves that it is boiled
sufficiently, there are several procedures that may be followed. The one
to adopt depends on the kind of candy that is being made, but every
candy that is cooked should be cooled by one of the following methods.
62. The first treatment consists in pouring the mixture at once from the
pan to be finished without cooling, as, for instance, caramels and
butter scotch, which are poured at once into a buttered pan to be cooled
and cut; or, the hot sirup may be poured upon beaten egg whites, as in
the case of sea foam or penuchie. In the making of either of these
kinds, the sirup may be allowed to drip as completely as possible from
the pan without injury to the finished product.
63. The second method by which the mixture is cooled calls for cooling
the sirup in the pan in which it was cooked, as, for instance, in the
case of fudge. When this is done, the pan should be carried from the
stove to the place where the mixture is to be cooled with as little
agitation as possible. Also, during the cooling, it should not be
disturbed in any way. Stirring it even a little is apt to start
crystallization and the candy will then be grainy instead of creamy.
64. In the third form of treatment, the sirup is poured out and then
cooled before it is stirred to make it creamy, as in opera creams or
bonbon creams. To accomplish this, the pan should be tipped quickly and
all its contents turned out at once. It should not be allowed to drip
even a few drops, for this dripping starts the crystallization. Candies
that contain milk or butter, or sticky materials, such as taffies,
should always be poured on a buttered surface. Those which are cooked
with water but are to be creamed should be poured on a surface moistened
with cold water.
65. When candy mixtures are cooled before being completed, the cooling
should be carried to the point where no heat is felt when the candy is
touched. To test it, the backs of the fingers should be laid lightly on
the surface of the candy, as they will not be so likely to stick as the
moist tips on the palm side. It should be remembered that the surface
must not be disturbed in the testing, as this is also apt to bring about
crystallization.
Every precaution should be taken to prevent even the smallest amount of
crystallization. Any crystals that may have formed can be easily
detected when the stirring is begun by the scraping that can be felt by
the spoon or paddle used. If a little crystallization has taken place
before the candy has cooled completely, it being easily seen in the
clear sirup, the mixture should be cooled still further, for nothing is
gained by stirring it at once.
A point that should always be kept in mind in the cooling of candy is
that it should be cooled as quickly as possible. However, a refrigerator
should not be used for cooling, for the warm mixture raises the
temperature of the refrigerator and wastes the ice and at the same time
the moist atmosphere does not bring about the best results. As has
already been learned, a platter or a slab is very satisfactory. If
either of these is used, it should be as cold as possible when the sirup
is poured on it. Cold weather, of course, simplifies this matter
greatly, but if no better way is afforded, the utensil used should be
cooled with cold water.