Project Gutenberg's Candy-Making Revolutionized, by Mary Elizabeth Hall This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Candy-Making Revolutionized Confectionery from Vegetables Author: Mary Elizabeth Hall Release Date: September 25, 2010 [EBook #33974] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANDY-MAKING REVOLUTIONIZED *** Produced by Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Transcriber's Note: Larger versions of the photographs may be seen by clicking on the visible photograph. Candy images See description on page XI See description on page XI CANDY-MAKING REVOLUTIONIZED CONFECTIONERY FROM VEGETABLES BY MARY ELIZABETH HALL ILLUSTRATED New York STURGIS & WALTON COMPANY 1912 All rights reserved COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY PERRY MASON COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY STURGIS & WALTON COMPANY Set up and Electrotyped. Published, December, 1912 TO ONE ELIZABETH, AND ALL ELIZABETHS WHO LOVE PURE CANDY AND ITS MAKING CONTENTS Chapter Page Introduction i Preface vi SECTION I I For the Novice 3 II For the Candy-maker's Table 8 III Thermometer 19 IV Use of Steam 24 V Crystallization 27 VI Chocolate Coating 33 VII Sugar 41 SECTION II VIII Decorative Candies I From Potato Paste 52 Green Leaves 56 II Violets Pop-corn Violets 57 Cocoanut Violets 58 Violet Boutonniere 59 III From Potato Fondant Uncooked Fondant 61 Cooked Potato Fondant 62 Modeled Candy 62 Coloring 64 White Daisy 66 Yellow Daisy 69 Calla Lily 69 Red Apples 70 Single Roses 72 Rose Buds 74 New Potato 75 Pea-Pod 76 Snow Ball 76 Grapes 79 Other Possibilities 79 IX Potato Caramel Potato Caramel No. 1 81 Potato Caramel No. 2 82 Potato Caramel No. 3 82 Opera Caramel 83 X Potato—Miscellaneous Mocha Walnuts 84 Pecan Creams 85 Raisin Creams 85 Peppermint Chocolates 86 Celtic Almonds 86 Chocolate Bars 87 Vegetable Cream 88 XI Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Patties 90 Sweet Potato Knots 91 Sweet Potato Pastilles 93 XII Parsnip Candied Parsnips 93 Parsnip Boutonniere 95 XIII Carrot Carrot Rings 97 Crystallized Carrot 98 Carrot Roll 98 "Gingers" 99 Garden "Ginger" 99 Variations 101 XIV Bean Candied Green Beans 102 Bean Taffy 103 Nut Bean Taffy 104 XV Beet Frosted Beet Slice 105 Beet Puffs 106 Beet Cubes with Variations 107 Crystallized Beets 108 Spiced Beets 109 Spiced Beet Bon-bons 109 XVI Tomato Tomato Marshmallow 110 Chocolate Marshmallow 112 Vegetable Nougatine 112 Chocolate Nougatine 114 Nut Bur 114 XVII Cornlette Nut Cornlettes 118 XVIII Onion Cold Tablets 120 XIX Oriental Paste 123 Seaweed 124 XX Stuffed Fruits Dates for Candy 128 Sparkling Dates 128 Chocolate Covered Dates 129 Date Brilliants 129 Rhubarb Marmalade 129 Sugared Dates 130 Stuffed Dates 130 Stuffed Prunes 130 XXI Angelique Rings 132 Orange Rings 133 Angelique as a Plant 133 Preserved Green Angelique 135 Dried Angelique 135 XXII For the Caterer 136 XXIII For the Teacher 142 ILLUSTRATIONS Vegetable Candies Frontispiece OPPOSITE PAGE Fascinating to the Child 72 Boxed Vegetable Candies 98 Decorative and Edible 118 Angelica Archangelica 132 For the Caterer 138 INTRODUCTION When Mary Elizabeth Hall first brought her discovery to my attention, I thought that it was indeed one that would revolutionize candy-making, both that of the amateur at home and of the manufacturer. And, in the months that have followed, to this belief has been added the conviction that this revolution is one very much worth while. Why so simple and obvious a discovery was not made long ago is a mystery to me; perhaps its very simplicity and obviousness is proof of its importance. Of cookery, candy-making is a branch which is entitled to more dignity than it ordinarily receives. Negatively and positively, the importance of sweets to the child can hardly be over-estimated. If he consumes a quantity of impure confectionery, his digestion will be ruined for life; how much of the confectionery bought is rankly impure it is well for the mother's peace of mind that she does not know! On the other hand, if the child is not given sweets, he is deprived of a food element of the greatest value to his development. And for the adult, the value of pure candy is too obvious to warrant comment. Vegetable candy, to my mind, is ideal confectionery. Of its purity, there can be no doubt. Moreover, it furnishes the valuable element of sugar so combined with nutritious vegetable bases that, because of the bulk, there is no temptation to overeat. This quality of the new confection would seem insurance against the evil effects of gluttony! Before an undue amount of sugar is consumed, the very mass of the vegetable base has satisfied the appetite. Many sorts of vegetable candy have unusual keeping qualities; indeed, some kinds will retain their flavor and moisture for as long as a year. It is significant to note that almost all non-vegetable confections that can be successfully stored for any length of time contain artificial preservatives; vegetable candy, however, keeps, not because of the addition of alcohol or even benzoate of soda, but because of the excellence of the processes themselves. Notwithstanding its advantages, vegetable candy is no harder to make than is any other good candy. For success in any sort of cookery, much hard work is necessary; slipshod methods and intuition can not produce food that is up to standard. Of even greater force is this rule when applied to the most delicate brand of cookery—the making of confectionery. Miss Hall has supplemented her major discovery by several other valuable discoveries—or "adaptations," as she modestly styles them. Her use of crystallization, for instance, enables the amateur confectioner to secure results which were previously out of her reach. Aside from its virtues from the hygienic, dietetic and practical points of view, the new confectionery has much to commend it. By utilizing the common and cheap vegetables of the home garden, it gives to the girls and women on the farm and in the village an opportunity that previously was not theirs. This discovery means that they can now make the finer sorts of candy, the fashioning of which was formerly out of the question to women who did not have at their command the resources of the specialty stores of the large city—and plenty of money to spend in them. This [i] [ii] [iii] [iv] enlargement of the culinary horizon of these countless women is not without broad significance; the removal of their limitations—petty and otherwise, if you will—is necessary before we shall cease to tremble because they who belong on the farm and in the village refuse to stay there. Once banish the discontent of the farm woman, and there is no rural problem of consequence. And vegetable candy-making is not without sociological importance because it is a step— though, perhaps, a very short one, comparatively!—in that direction. More definite, however, is another field for speculation in connection with vegetable candy. It offers to the housewife, house-daughter, and to the teacher a new modeling medium. That from a cheap and easily made base attractive objects may be made—and then eaten—surely is a recommendation of no slight moment. Miss Hall's discovery has placed within easy reach of persons of moderate means and skill a medium through which really beautiful objects can be made in candy. For the first time, the amateur candy-maker can prove for herself that candy-making is not only an art, but that it is one of the fine arts. Warren Dunham Foster. PREFACE The years of work in candy-making that have made possible this book, I now look back upon with a certain feeling of satisfaction. The satisfaction comes from the knowledge that because of the discovery that is here recorded, the candy of the future will be purer, more wholesome, more nourishing than that of the past has been. Even if the processes that are here set forth fail of the widest adoption, I have still the satisfaction of knowing that just so far as they are adopted will there be greater healthfulness of confectionery. Another reason for the satisfaction that I feel is my knowledge that my discovery has opened to the home candy- maker a whole new world. Previously many of the better sorts of confectionery—particularly of the decorative kinds— were out of her range, either because of the cost of the necessary ingredients or the difficulty of their purchase or handling; particularly under a heavy disadvantage has been the village or country cook who has not had the service rendered by the specialty stores of the great cities. Now, however, with the ever present potato substituted for marzipan—hard to obtain at more a pound than potatoes cost a peck!—it is the girl or woman with her own garden who has the advantage. Moreover, decorative candies that formerly required more skill than most amateur confectioners possess can now be made by anyone who can model clay or use a cooky cutter. Mothers who formerly were all too often required to gratify their children's longing for candies that told a story—candies modeled or otherwise decorative—by giving them boughten confectionery that contained plaster of Paris, aniline dyes and other ingredients equally harmful, can now in their own kitchen from nourishing and harmless vegetables fashion sweets that are just as beguiling to childish eyes. Nor is this all. Children invariably have a craving for sweets that if allowed to run its course is almost sure to lead to indigestion and worse. On the other hand, if this craving is not satisfied, the children will be deprived of a food of the utmost value—a food element, indeed, that it is indispensable. Vegetable candy offers an ideal solution of this difficulty. Sugar it of course contains, but the vegetable base supplies no small part of the bulk; consequently children may eat their fill of it and satisfy their natural longing for candy without having gorged themselves with sugar. Moreover, the vegetable base has virtues that are positive as well as negative; it itself supplies valuable food elements and equally valuable vegetable salts. Many colors and flavors are made available by this discovery. The use of beets, for instance, has added to the candy-maker's palette a very attractive new shade. Each vegetable contributes at least one new flavor. Novel as are candies made from vegetables, they must not be thought faddish. Caramels, marshmallows and bon-bons and all the rest are here; tastes that have already won favor are here, and many new ones as well. In places, perhaps, the directions that follow may seem over detailed. Invariably, however, I have tried to give information about all the points that would come to the mind of the amateur confectioner. I have tried to tell the why as well as the what. Moreover, the processes at times may seem, perhaps, a bit over long. It should be noted, however, that vegetable candy-making is no more complicated, if as much so, as is the making of any other confectionery. Good candy invariably means effort, and intelligent painstaking effort at that. It has been with the home candy-maker in mind that I have written this book. Undoubtedly, however, the discovery will appeal to the professional. I am glad, for the more vegetable candy is made, the less unhealthful confectionery there will be consumed. For the same reason, I hope, too, that women and girls seeking to make profitable their idle hours at home, may embark in a small way in the manufacture and sale of vegetable candy. My thanks are due to The Youth's Companion for its kind permission to reprint material that first appeared on its Girls' Page—a department that, together with Family Page and Boys' Page, has done much for better living throughout the nation. No doubt I have been garrulous concerning my own discovery, but I trust that the privilege of garrulity will be granted to the woman who has been a pioneer and who, after suffering the hardships that are always the lot of the [v] [vi] [vii] [viii] [ix] [x] pioneer, has, as she believes, opened up a whole new world in candy-making and a very good world at that! M. E. H. Boston, Mass., June 12, 1912. KEY TO FRONTISPIECE 1 Green Leaf 2 Violet 3 Wild-Rose With Angelique Leaf 4 Red Star From Potato Paste 5 Jellies—made from green peas 6 Carrot Ring 7 Celtic Almond 8 Mocha Walnut 9 Pastille Of Sweet Potato 10 Frosted Beet Slice 11 Carrot Ring 12 Beet Leaves 13 Daisy—attached to macaroon with a crystal 14 Pecan Cream 15 Angelique Ring 16 Raisin Cream 17 Heart From Potato Paste 18 Sweet Potato Knot 19 Triple Filled Orange Rings 20 Beet Puff 21 Nut Bur 22 Pea-Pod 23 Cocoanut Beet Square 24 Red Apple 25 Yellow Rose—on small round cake 26 Snow Ball CANDY MAKING REVOLUTIONIZED SECTION ONE I HELP FOR THE NOVICE Almost all of the difficulties of the novice in the art of candy-making come from lack of practice. Although it is a difficult branch of cookery, experience in its intricacies will overcome many of the handicaps under which the beginner struggles. It should be carefully noted that these handicaps apply fully as much to the old-fashioned sort of candy- making as to the new. The fundamental processes are often the same. If the beginner in candy-making knows and will follow a few simple rules, the measure of success that greets her efforts will be largely increased. Be accurate. If the rule calls for one-quarter teaspoonful of a flavoring extract, measure that amount by a measuring- spoon; do not take up any spoon that happens to be convenient, and pour in what seems to be about the right quantity. More and more cooks are working by rule and not by intuition; but in candy-making the caution against inaccuracy is especially necessary, for the processes are delicate, and subtleties of flavor and of texture are more evident than in more substantial food. The weather is of more moment in candy-making than in plain cooking. Do not try to make candy on a muggy day; the results probably will be unsatisfactory. But if forced to disregard this warning, attempt but little, act quickly, and remember that damp weather is the only excuse for the substitution of intuition for rule. Just why humidity and low barometric pressure play havoc with the work of the confectioner need not be discussed here. [xi] [1] [3] [4] In making confectionery, cleanliness to the point of chemical purity is highly desirable. Many successful cooks believe that candy should be made in a pan that has never been used for anything else. That belief, perhaps, may be extreme, but the fact remains that one cannot be too careful in regard to the cleanliness of her utensils. And this necessity for cleanliness holds for any receptacle in which any ingredient is placed. Note particularly that heating lard will leave a taint which will spoil the delicacy of flavor of candy made in the same dish. Very often it is desirable that liquids remain hot after the actual cooking has been done. The ordinary stove gives too much heat for the purpose, and the confectioner's "working slab"—a device moderately heated by steam—is expensive. A cheap and effective substitute, however, is a humble soapstone. Use marbled cloth instead of waxed paper to dry candy upon. Then there will be no danger that little particles of the paper adhere to the candy. Candied fruit and similar confections, however, should be drained on nickeled wire netting as explained in another chapter. Place the netting over a dish, and pour upon it the whole mass of fruit and syrup. By pouring all of it at once, the coating of syrup will be uniform: It will dry evenly, as the air will reach all sides alike. After most of the moisture has evaporated, the fruit will be ready to be rolled in sugar. Sprinkle a shallow dish with coarse sugar. Roll each piece of fruit in a separate place in the dish, taking care that the sugar is absolutely dry when the fruit is placed in it. If the sugar is damp, it will mat so that the confection is "mussy" to the eye and unpleasant to the palate. Moreover, the scales of damp sugar will jar off, leaving a break in the complete covering which is necessary for the preservation of the fruit. One rotting piece will contaminate another, until the whole boxful is unfit for use. If the sugar is properly applied, candied fruit, well packed, will keep for several weeks without injury. Pack soft candies in layers separated by waxed papers backed by cardboard. Remember that the best-made confections will be unappetizing when presented or served unattractively. In pulling taffies or other candies, corn starch may be put to good use. No definite rules can be given, because the temperature and the humidity of each pair of hands—to put the case euphemistically—are different. Each time the material is pulled, the candy-maker should dust her hands as lightly as possible with the corn starch. A moderate amount of it worked into the mass will do no harm, but care must be taken not to use so much that the candy becomes starchy. Moreover, a heavy coating of the starch does not protect the hands any more than does a light dusting. While the candy is being pulled, it should be handled as little as possible. Let the candy's own weight over the hook do the real work. To avoid "bunchiness," the confectioner must keep the mass moving in uniform thickness—a difficult task, success in which comes only from practice. II FOR THE CANDY-MAKER'S TABLE For real success in candy-making the amateur needs a few small utensils similar to those that have long been used by confectioners. The advice which follows can be as well applied to old-fashioned candy making as to the new sort. A copper bon-bon dipper, really nothing more than wire twisted so as to outline a spoon, will be found convenient for any sort of dipping likely to be attempted in the home kitchen. The wire dipper is a much more satisfactory tool than a silver fork, the implement usually recommended for this purpose. Get fourteen inches of copper wire—preferably number eighteen—heavy enough to bear a few ounces of weight without bending, but soft enough to be shaped easily by the fingers. A quarter-pound spool should not cost over ten cents. Grasp the wire five inches from one end and bend it double at that point. The double strand—which makes the handle—will then be five inches long, and the single four. Out of this single strand, beginning half an inch from the end of the doubled strand, form a loop three-quarters of an inch long. Twisting the wire round the forefinger or a small empty spool will make the loop. Wind the two inches of wire left free about the two parallel strands, carrying it up as far as it will reach. This skeleton spoon is excellent for dipping bon-bons, fruits or nuts. To hold objects of different sizes, the soft copper wire may be bent easily; and in this respect the home-made dippers are better than the nickeled ones on the market. For dipping creams into chocolate, this dipper is probably the best device which is available for the amateur. Another help is the so-called rubber mat, useful for modeling wafers and centers. This is nothing more than a sheet of heavy rubber fabric, stamped so that molds are formed. Before using, place the mat in cold water, dry, and then pour the fondant into the depressions until they are entirely filled. When the fondant is dry enough to hold its form, the mat is turned upside down, and the wafers and centers easily freed. After being washed in cold water and carefully dried, the mat is ready for use again. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Rubber Mat. Fig. 1 Rubber Mat. Fig. 1 The advantage of the mat is that all the candies are of the same size and regular in shape, and that no material is wasted. For the girl who intends to get only one mat, the kind with round molds—"truncated cones," to be accurate—is the best to buy, because it may be used equally well for centers or wafers. See Fig. 1 above. The candy-maker who is prepared to spend more for her equipment may well buy several mats, each with molds of different shapes. Then she should reserve one shape for each flavoring or mixture, so that she can easily distinguish by sight different kinds of creams after they are made. The mats are sold by weight, generally at the rate of a dollar and a half a pound. The one shown in Fig. 1 weighs eighteen ounces. Dropping Funnel. Fig. 2 Dropping Funnel. Fig. 2 Either to fill molds or to drop masses upon slabs or waxed paper in the old way, the candy-maker will find a dropping funnel useful. This is a small tin cornucopia with a long handle. Whittle a clean stick so that one end of it will fit into the outlet of the funnel, and plug the hole from above. Fill the funnel with the mass to be dropped, and then raise the stick just long enough to allow enough of the mass to run out to fill the mold—or if the old plan is followed, to form a wafer or cream of proper size. See Fig. 2, on the preceding page. Intelligent operation of the funnel makes the work more rapid and accurate, and the mass holds its heat longer, and is kept better mixed than if poured or spooned from a dish. Funnels especially made for this purpose cost from twenty- five cents to one dollar; but any tinsmith can easily make one out of an eight-inch piece of heavy tin, shaped so as to form a cornucopia, with the smaller opening not more than three-eighths of an inch in diameter, and attached to a handle at least twelve inches long. For heating mixtures, white enamel dishes are preferable to tin or aluminum. For mixing, wooden spoons are better than metal ones, because the mass which is being stirred does not stick so readily. Wooden paddles are often better yet, for their flat surfaces do not retain masses so tenaciously. Perhaps the most useful tool of all is a nameless instrument which does duty for both knife and spoon, and in addition has virtues all its own. It is particularly valuable for reaching the corners of pans. This tool is not on the general market, but can be made by most metal-workers—either tinsmiths or blacksmiths. A piece of spring steel, about ten inches long, rounded at the end, and curved as shown in Fig. 3, is riveted into a wooden handle. Heavy tin may be substituted for the steel, if desired. Special Knife. Fig. 3 Special Knife. Fig. 3 A molasses-candy or taffy pull without a hook may be good fun, but it is hard on the candy as well as on the hands. [11] [12] [13] A blacksmith can easily make the hook of round iron, about a half-inch in diameter and eighteen or twenty inches long. The rod should be bent until it forms roughly a letter J, with the tip about seven inches from the horizontal line. The top —the upper part of the horizontal line of the J—should be pounded flat, and two holes bored for screws. Be sure to attach the hook to the wall firmly, and about level with the shoulders. Hooks may be purchased for about fifty cents apiece, but those made by the blacksmith will do as well. Even with the hook, it is well to wear canvas gloves, so that the mass can be handled hotter, and in a more hygienic fashion than with bare hands. Canvas gloves are easily laundered—something which cannot be said of the expensive buckskin gloves recommended for this purpose. For use in "cutting in" fondant and other small masses it is well to buy a four inch wall paper knife—a tool which can be bought for from ten to twenty-five cents. Fondant should never be beaten, but instead it should be "cut in." This process is scraping up the whole mass, folding it over and cutting through with the knife. This motion is repeated, from each side of the pan, until the fondant becomes a ball which can be kneaded by the hand. Procure smooth iron bars, two fifteen inches long and two eighteen inches long, all three-eighths of an inch thick and two inches wide. Any blacksmith shop can furnish them at slight expense, or they may be purchased more cheaply from the confectioner's supply stores. The bars are to be placed—set on edge—in the form of a rectangle on a marble slab. Be sure that the bars are carefully smoothed, for otherwise they will be untidy and soon rust. By lapping the edges and moving the bars back and forth, a receptacle of any size desired can be made. After buttering slab and bars, pour the candy into the enclosure. When it has cooled, remove the bars, and with one sharp incision cut the candy clear across. Use a sharp knife of uniform thickness and width, preferably with a thin blade. It is also convenient to have two bars six inches long. They are useful in dividing a batch when different flavors or colors are used. The partitions will be useful for dividing the filling from the outside layers when a three-storied candy is to be made. The need for these bars comes from the fact that one should never cut candy in a pan. The attempt to do so will always result in pieces with crumbling edges, as the knife has to be dragged through the candy instead of cutting down sharply, and as the sides of the pan allow no room for the expansion which the width of the knife will cause. Moreover, there is always waste in the corners and at the sides. The candy-maker should appreciate the palette knife. The flexibility of the blade is such that it can be put to many uses for which the ordinary knife is unfitted. For instance, with a palette knife it is possible to coax refractory substances from the corners and edges of pans. Because of this flexibility, it is particularly useful in lifting modeled forms from a flat surface, as is explained in Chapter VIII. To the confectioner, one of the most useful tools is a modeling stick. This small tool is of great value to the candy- maker. It can be grasped easily and its shape allows of its use at many angles that would be inconvenient or impossible for a less adaptable tool. The roundness of the blunt end serves many purposes; the straighter side is particularly useful for smoothing off work, and the inside curves lend themselves to a great number of processes. Wire screens, often known as "wire baking forms," are very useful for drying candies that have been sugared or for draining confections that need to be exposed to the air. Those that are oblong in shape are much more convenient than the round ones. The wires forming the screens cross at distances of about one-sixteenth of an inch, making really a coarse sieve. The sides extend up about one-half inch. The screens make excellently ventilated trays, but for candies that come from an ordinary crystal the mesh is too fine to allow proper draining. Should the crystal be very thin, however, the screen can be used for draining, provided the pieces are well separated and placed only one layer deep. Wire racks for the drying of candy are among the necessary equipment of the candy-maker. These may be had in varying degrees of fineness, the wires forming squares of from three-eighths to three-quarters of an inch. Squares of one-half inch and under give the best support for confections, however, and allow ample room for draining. If the candies are small or soft the large squares give insufficient support. The racks are without sides, the edges being formed either by a heavy wire or a metal binding. The supports are made by wires bent down at the ends and at the center. These racks are the same as the "cake coolers" of ordinary cookery. Another method of drying particularly useful for models and cream centers is a bed of corn starch. Do not use this plan with any confection the surface of which is wet from the application of pastes. As the basis for this process buy two or three packages of a cheap grade of corn starch. The corn starch can be kept ready for use by occasionally drying it out and sifting it. Spread the corn starch in a large shallow pan or tray thick enough to hold the weight of your candy. This gives a non-resisting surface which keeps the models in form and when dry the corn starch will easily brush off. By all odds the most valuable tool for the confectioner, amateur or professional, is the candy thermometer. Its use is so important that the following chapter is devoted to a discussion of it. III [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] THE CANDY THERMOMETER For real success in candy-making, the home confectioner needs a candy thermometer. As is emphasized throughout the volume, accuracy is of the greatest importance in candy-making. Cooking must stop at just the right moment, or the candy is either harmed or actually spoiled. Until the last few years, for the amateur, the only tests to determine the completion of cooking have been known as "thread," "soft ball," "hard ball," "crack" and "hard crack." While the candy- maker has been struggling with these unsatisfactory tests, the candy has kept on cooking, perhaps until it has reached the next stage of temperature, changed texture, and so become unfit for the use for which it was intended. The professional confectioner has long been able, by the use of a thermometer, to determine just how hot his candy was and to remove it from the heat at exactly the right moment. His thermometer, however, was not only too expensive for the amateur, but also too long to be used except in a large vat. There are now on the market, however, thermometers that the amateur confectioner or small manufacturer can use to advantage. Even when hardware dealers do not keep the thermometers in stock, they can—and will—order them from their jobbers. The instruments, of which there are several makes, are about nine inches long, and sell for from one dollar to two dollars and fifty cents. Most of these instruments register from about eighty degrees to three hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit, although the range which interests candy-makers most is only from two hundred degrees to three hundred and twenty degrees. There are a few facts which the girl confectioner who uses a thermometer should keep in mind. Buy a thermometer which is guaranteed by its maker. See that the markings are so well defined that they can be read easily. Before use, the thermometer must be regulated to conform to the local altitude. Place the thermometer in a kettle of water, heat, and let it boil for ten minutes. If the mercury marks two hundred and twelve degrees, the thermometer is correct as it is, but if there is a variation of two degrees or more, allowance must be made. If water boils at two hundred and ten degrees, two degrees must be subtracted every time the thermometer is read. Then "soft ball" means two hundred and thirty-six degrees, not two hundred and thirty-eight degrees, as it would had the water boiled at the normal two hundred and twelve degrees, or two hundred and forty degrees, as it would had the water boiled at two hundred and fourteen degrees. Do not think that a variation of even two degrees is too slight to count; absolute accuracy is essential. For safety in transit, manufacturers often pinch together the case of the instrument so that the scale-piece can not work loose and become broken. A very little tinkering with the copper jacket, however, will be sufficient to free the scale-piece. This must be done, not only so that the thermometer can be cleaned readily, but so that, when the mixture to be tested is shallow, the dial can be pushed out in order that the bulb can be covered by the hot mass. Unless the bulb is covered, the thermometer will not register correctly. Allow the thermometer to become hot gradually; do not thrust a cold instrument into boiling water. Do not remove the thermometer to read it, as it quickly changes. Read it with the eye on the level. Remember that mixtures which require stirring must be stirred below the thermometer as well as elsewhere. Be sure that the thermometer is clean. Each time after it has been used push the dial out of the copper case and wash both thoroughly. Do not neglect the back of the piece of metal to which the tube is attached. Be particularly careful after mixtures which contain milk or cream. This removable scale is a great convenience. The amateur candy-maker will be glad to know that sugar and water will not burn until all the moisture is evaporated, and that does not happen until three hundred and fifty degrees is reached. If, however, she is making an unusually small quantity, and the thermometer begins to climb above three hundred degrees—beware! The large quantity, however, will take care of itself because of the moisture it contains. Below is a table which will enable one to interpret the old stages in terms of degrees. Fortunately most candy thermometers have this information stamped upon their dials. 310°—Hard Cracked 290°—Cracked 254°—Hard Ball 238°—Soft Ball 230°—Thread In the following pages it is assumed that the cook has a thermometer. If she has not, the degrees given may be translated into the old stages and the old tests used. Thus, if the directions read "cook to two hundred and thirty-eight degrees," the confectioner who has no thermometer will stop the cooking when a portion of the mass will "form a 'soft ball' in cold water." If the directions read two hundred and thirty-six degrees, the "soft ball" must be softer; if two hundred and forty degrees, the "soft ball" not so soft. Thus, without the thermometer, the thermometer readings form a scale which makes easier the application of the old tests. Be it noted that the thermometer is no more necessary in vegetable candy-making than in the traditional sort. IV [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] THE USE OF STEAM IN CANDY-MAKING. Steam may be used so that it will be of much help to amateur candy-makers, few of whom realize its possibilities. These possibilities, which range from actual cooking to the maintenance of the minimum of heat, may all be grouped under four processes. First, to steam: Steaming is cooking by moist heat but not immersing the material in the water as in the boiling process. It should be followed to soften dried fruits or other ingredients, as often required by candy receipts. The best way is to place the materials upon a rack supported a couple of inches above the water in the cooking vessel, covering it tightly and placing it on the fire. The confined vapor will soon soften whatever is within the vessel. Second, the double boiler: The double boiler is of particular value when protective cooking is desired. This method will hold all juices present but neither adds moisture nor dries out existing moisture as happens when the mixture is over a direct blaze. In this way, the materials can be heated without burning. It is of particular value with materials that need heat but need no further moisture—simply the development of that moisture which they already have. Third, a modification of the use of the double boiler by leaving off the cover: Thus the temperature is lowered and the actual cooking operation lengthened. Vapors that may arise from the cooking mass are allowed to escape instead of being absorbed. Fourth, the steam bath: The steam bath is obtained by placing the receptacle containing the mass over a smaller vessel containing boiling water. In this way, the steam is applied only to the bottom of the receptacle and its intensity may be varied. The lowest possible heat may be applied; temperatures far below the boiling point, or even the cooking point, are made possible. The temperature of the upper dish is regulated by the distance from the direct heat of vessel containing the water. Always start with boiling water so that the material treated will be affected only by the heat of the steam and not the direct heat which is bringing the water to the boiling point. This method is particularly valuable for keeping fondant and other masses moderately hot for dipping, or for melting chocolate or bon-bon creams, which should be melted at less than one hundred degrees. V CRYSTALLIZATION One often wonders why the candy-eating public has the chocolate habit. The answer is simple. The manufacturer generally offers the public chocolates. To one not conversant with candy-making, it is not so easy, however, to explain why the candy-maker offers the chocolates largely to the exclusion of other confections. To the initiated, however, the matter is simple indeed. Chocolate makes an air-tight covering that protects all sides alike. It makes it possible to keep candy not intended for immediate consumption and to ship it from one place to another without injury. Without it, the manufacturer would be in a bad way indeed. The confectioner, then, has fostered the chocolate habit because it is useful to him. Crystallization enables the candy-cook to put ordinary cream and sugar mixtures into good society dress and make them a pleasure to the people who are not devoted to chocolate. Although the crystal coated confection may not stand some of the harder tests that the chocolate coated candy will withstand, it will be found sufficiently reliable to mark a very great advance in candy-making, particularly in home candy-making. And after all, the basic mixtures in home-made candy are not so very different from those in the candy of the professional manufacturer. The home candy-cook, the small maker and the professional manufacturer, who is, of course, far better equipped for crystallizing than either of the others, can, after a careful study of the different degrees of sugar crystallizing, make almost any candy as satisfactory in texture and appearance, and as easy to handle, as are the chocolate confections. A sufficient number of dippings in the crystal accomplishes the result. "One part water and three parts sugar," is the slogan of the crystallizer. This is the composition of any crystal syrup. Although crystal syrups differ only in the temperature to which they are raised, their foundation is invariable. As long as the proportions are kept the same, the quantities do not matter much—theoretically. Practically, however, one cupful of sugar and one-third of a cupful of water is about as much as can be handled effectively at one time. The success of the process lies in repeated dippings. With each immersion, the confection takes to itself a little more syrup; it thus acquires a heavier coating of the protective covering. The actual process is very simple. Each piece is separately dropped into the syrup and, after thorough immersion, is lifted out with a wire dipper, the surplus syrup allowed to run off, and placed for drying upon a wire screen. In the pages that follow, frequent use is made of crystallization. In each case, the degree to which the syrup is to be heated is given. It must be understood, be it noted, that this simple crystal dipping does not make the candy; it merely adds a protective and beautifying covering. The candy, already complete in a way, is dipped into the mixture of sugar and water. In the process that follows, however, the crystallization is of a different and more fundamental sort. In this second case, the crystallization is the method of making the candy completely. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] For small candies, a novel modification of French hand crystallization is useful because the process can be put to good use in the many sorts of candy-making. The candy-cook can well afford to make herself master of it. She should know, however, that the process is not so difficult as the description of it would indicate. Although the labor must be done on six successive days, the work requires but a very few moments except upon the first day. The result desired is a slow crystallization which thoroughly cooks the base so treated and preserves it perfectly. In addition, the process ensures an appearance attractive to the eye and a flavor equally attractive to the palate. A drying rack and a pan are the only utensils that are necessary. They should be of a size so that the rack will drop about one-half way into the pan and be upheld by the sloping sides. Note that the pan must be reserved for crystallization. If it is used for other purposes, it is likely to absorb flavors that will work havoc with the delicate confectionery that is placed within it. Make a syrup by boiling one part of water and three parts of granulated sugar for ten minutes. Thereupon place in it the base to be treated by this process. That all the pieces may be very thoroughly separated, stir the mass carefully with a wooden paddle; it is absolutely necessary that all the surfaces of all of the mass come into direct contact with the hot syrup. All that is necessary, however, is that each piece be thoroughly immersed in the hot syrup; in a surprisingly short space of time, the little pieces of confectionery will be heated through. Have the rack in position in the pan; over it, pour the hot mass—syrup and all. See that the candy is evenly distributed over the rack. Immediately place a board over the pan; a molding board will do very well indeed. If a tin cover were used in place of the wooden, the steam would condense and drop back on to the candy instead of being absorbed. After the pan has been left undisturbed for a full day, lift the rack out and pour the syrup into a suitable receptacle, cook to two hundred and twenty degrees and place in it again the candy. Take the crystal from the fire. Stir carefully, making sure that each piece is thoroughly immersed. Place the rack in the pan as directed above, and again pour over it the syrup with the candy in it. Note, however, that it is necessary that the wire netting be free from hardened particles of the syrup. Cleanliness, almost to the point of chemical purity, is necessary. This process must be repeated four times more, but each time the mass should be cooked two degrees higher—in each case, twenty-four hours must elapse between each treatment. After the last operation, the candy should be allowed to dry on the racks. The result will be found well worth the time expended. VI CHOCOLATE COATING The ability to handle chocolate successfully is a great assistance to the maker of vegetable candy. Although chocolate coating is no more an essential in vegetable candy-making than in the old fashioned kind, there are very many times when the ability to use it effectively will be very useful to the confectioner. In either sort of candy-making, it is but a finish—as acceptable a finish to the one as to the other. Many people like the flavor of chocolate, and it is extremely serviceable because it furnishes a uniform covering for confections. Thus, when chocolate coated candies rub against one another in the box in which they are packed, their uniformity prevents their taking to themselves strange flavors and colors. No candy-maker should scorn to make herself master of the intricacies of chocolate coating. The best instructor in chocolate coating is a few pounds of chocolate, firm, well-shaped centers, an allowance of time and interest, plenty of good common sense and inclination to profit by the hints given below. With the knowledge that will be accumulated after a few trials, the candy-maker will soon be able to give to her candy the niceties of the professional product. The confectioner can well begin with nuts, or some other hard centers, for they are comparatively easy to handle. By handling them, she will soon gain the experience necessary to the successful finishing of other textures. From surprisingly little experimentation, she will obtain sufficient skill to handle successfully almost any center that will take the covering. A thorough general knowledge of the behavior of chocolate and a clear understanding of the behavior of the stock on hand are of more value than the methods of application of the coating. Since no two lots of chocolate are exactly the same, it is well to buy a fairly large supply at one time. In this way it is possible when handling the first batch to learn the peculiarities of all the chocolate purchased and thereafter to handle the stock with assurance. For good results it is well to buy the regular "coating chocolate" which is sold by many grocery and specialty stores for just this purpose. If coating chocolate cannot be obtained, ordinary baking chocolate sweetened with confectioner's sugar can be substituted, but the substitution is to be avoided, for the finished work is sure to be inferior. In all sorts of candy-making, climatic conditions are of the utmost importance. In no other branch of cooking is the cook so dependent upon the weather. In muggy weather it is impossible to do good work; often, indeed, it is impossible to do any work at all. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the confectioner yield respectful obedience to the humidity. This warning is of particular weight in connection with the handling of chocolate. Even if the day is only slightly rainy, or foggy, do not try to use chocolate. Even experts do not defy this law, but since they work under commercial [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] conditions, they are generally able absolutely to control the atmosphere. The room in which the actual operation of coating is conducted should be warm and dry. First, break into small pieces more chocolate than you will actually use in the coating. Put these lumps in a dish set over hot water and melt them slowly at a low temperature. To do this most effectually the water should previously have been boiled and the steam allowed to subside. Of course, the water must be very hot when the dish with the chocolate is placed over it. As the first piece melts, stir slowly from time to time. When the chocolate has melted, remove the dish from the heat and work all of the oil globules from the mass. This is accomplished not by hard or rapid motion, but by perseveringly and persuasively smoothing the mass until it is sufficiently cool. These oil globules, be it noted, must be treated with the greatest respect. If they become over heated, they are likely to require much more work, even if they do not ruin the batch. In studying this melting process, it is well to think of the action of heat upon butter. Suppose, for illustration, it is desired to cream a lump of cold butter. If much heat is applied to the butter the outside immediately becomes running grease. It is possible that the cooler inside portion of the lump may be beaten into it, but the result will not be smooth. On the other hand, if the butter is allowed to soften gradually under the influence of moderate warmth, the whole mass would melt uniformly and could be beaten into the desired smoothness. The warning that water must not be allowed accidentally to enter the chocolate cannot be too often repeated. Probably this is the surest test as to whether or not the chocolate is ready for the dipping: Drop a center into the mass so that it will be covered with the chocolate, remove the surplus either by pulling it over the edge of the dish, or by shaking, and let the drop fall squarely upon the sheet of special confectioner's glazed paper, or of oilcloth, or oiled paper, upon which it is to be cooled. Take care lest the piece slips when dropped. If it does slip, the base will have a thin projection that may break off and, even if it does not render the coating pervious, become unsightly. If the candy- maker is careful and the coating has been worked sufficiently and has been allowed to become sufficiently cool, the base will form squarely and evenly and the chocolate immediately will become firm. In other words, the candies should begin to set at once without forming projecting bases as soon as they are dropped upon the sheet upon which they are to dry. Although chocolates should be covered in a warm room, they should be cooled as rapidly as possible. As soon as they are finished, they should be placed upon a small tray and removed to a cool place. The small tray is desirable since by its use the candies can be quickly transferred. In summer the tray should be placed in the refrigerator, but should not be allowed to remain for more than five minutes. If the chocolate coated confections are kept upon the ice for longer than that time, they will soon be covered by a sweat that will ruin them. After the coated drops have become cold, the candy-maker should examine them carefully. If the bases have spread, she can assume that the chocolate was not cooled sufficiently or that the surplus was not effectively removed. If the coating is streaked or light colored, she will know that the chocolate was not worked sufficiently, or that the drops did not cool quickly enough after they were coated. If the candy becomes sticky when it is brought into a warm room, the verdict will be that the oil was not properly worked into the mass. In the chapters that follow, there are described many candies that offer desirable combinations with chocolate. In fact, the vegetable flavors are quite as adaptable to chocolate coating as are those that have already won popular attention and favor. Occasionally, in the subsequent pages, mention is made of the fact that the confection described may well be covered with chocolate, but more often chocolate coating is not suggested when it is...