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 ma.s.s are allowed to escape instead of being absorbed.

Fourth, the steam bath: The steam bath is obtained by placing the receptacle containing the ma.s.s 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 ma.s.ses 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 quant.i.ties 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.

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 ma.s.s carefully with a wooden paddle; it is absolutely necessary that all the surfaces of all of the ma.s.s 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 s.p.a.ce of time, the little pieces of confectionery will be heated through.

Have the rack in position in the pan; over it, pour the hot ma.s.s--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 ma.s.s 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 a.s.sistance 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 acc.u.mulated 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 a.s.surance. 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 subst.i.tuted, but the subst.i.tution 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 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 ma.s.s. This is accomplished not by hard or rapid motion, but by perseveringly and persuasively smoothing the ma.s.s 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 b.u.t.ter. Suppose, for ill.u.s.tration, it is desired to cream a lump of cold b.u.t.ter. If much heat is applied to the b.u.t.ter 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 b.u.t.ter is allowed to soften gradually under the influence of moderate warmth, the whole ma.s.s 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 ma.s.s 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 a.s.sume 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 ma.s.s.

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 possible. It is a.s.sumed, and no doubt safely a.s.sumed, that the candy-cook, from her experience in the old-fashioned confectionery, will know what candy can be coated, and what cannot be successfully coated.

VII

SUGAR

No discussion of candy or candy-making is complete without a statement concerning sugar--its kinds, value and proper use. Without doubt sugar is one of the most maligned of foods. It does do damage when eaten at the wrong time or to excess. From this fact springs one of the great advantages of vegetable candy; in it the proportion of sugar to the bulk of the confection is so reduced that the normal craving for sweets is satisfied without the consumption of a quant.i.ty of sugar that insures disaster.

Experimentation long ago showed that sugar is the quickest source of energy in the whole list of available foods. No other food approximates sugar in the ease in which it can be formed into actual body energy.

This fact has long been appreciated by athletes. One case in proof was that of two school boys seventeen and nineteen years of age, who had only two hours a day for two months for practice before rowing races in which both were entered. No change was made in their diet except they were permitted to eat as much sugar as they wished, sometimes as much as one-third of a pound a day. One of them, however, did not begin to eat this excess sugar until the third week of his practicing, when he began to show the signs of over training--loss of weight and no desire for either exercise or study. On the third day after beginning the use of the excess sugar these symptoms disappeared, and he became as vigorous as the other. Before the time for the race both youths were in the best of physical condition and were victorious over their antagonists who did not believe in the use of sugar. Subsequently, observation revealed no bad after effects. Similar instances could be indefinitely repeated.

The fundamental fact--that sugar gives energy and gives it with great rapidity--has been made use of by army officers, particularly German.

It must be remembered, however, that sugar is purely an energy-producing food. It is necessary, then, that there be other foods consumed with it in order to preserve a proper balance. These other foods, be it noted, are present in vegetable candy.

The current idea that sugar is fattening is wholly wrong. It is not sugar that is fattening, but too much sugar. Only when sugar is consumed in a quant.i.ty in excess of that which can be taken care of by the human commissary department, is it transformed into fat and stored as reserved material.

The methods of refining sugar have been so perfected within the last few years that it is safe to say that few food substances in commercial use are so near to being chemically pure as granulated sugars of good grade.

No less an authority than Blythe says, "Loaf sugar is, as a rule, chemically pure. It is probably, indeed, the purest of all substances in commerce, and a large quant.i.ty may be burnt up without obtaining a trace of nitrogen and without leaving any residue. The only sugar that may be impure are the raw sugars."

It is commonly known that sugar may come from any one of numberless sources. Sugar of milk is the first sugar with which members of the human race become acquainted, but one which, of course, is of little account in candy-making. The sugar of fruits is in an easily accessible form and one which is of particular value when combined with cane sugar.

Honey as stored by the honey bee formerly was highly prized for food value, but now that it is so often stored by the factory without any activity on the part of the honey bee, and now that cane sugar is so very cheap, it is not so much in demand. For the sugar of candy-making, there are three sources: the sugar cane, sugar beet and the sugar maple.

For practical purposes, maple sugar may be left out of the discussion.

Ever since sugar has been made on a commercial scale from beets there has waged a controversy as to the relative merits of beet sugar and cane sugar. As far as the amateur candy-maker is concerned, however, the controversy is not of practical interest, for almost all of the sugar that is sold in small quant.i.ties is made from beets. Indeed, it is said that it is practically impossible for the housekeeper to obtain sugar made from cane. Moreover, notwithstanding the popular impression that cane sugar is preferable, scientists insist that in every case the pure cane sugar, or saccharose, can be crystallized out from either cane or beet, and that the sugar is identical in chemical composition, appearance and properties. By no chemical test known to the United States Department of Agriculture can pure crystallized saccharose from these different sources be distinguished. The popular impression to the contrary probably comes from the use of beet sugar that has been imperfectly purified. It is interesting to note that there are over ninety grades of sugar known to commerce. The difference between these grades is often so slight that it is impossible to distinguish without painstaking laboratory a.n.a.lysis. In this book white sugar and confectioner's sugar are used wherever possible because they are the purest kinds. Brown sugar and coffee A., much used in candy-making, are grades which have not been refined to so high a point.

A word should be said concerning glucose. The complaint which has been made in connection with glucose has not been made against the substance itself, but against the way it was used. The amateur candy-maker, however, often has difficulty in obtaining glucose, even though in some processes it is most useful.

R. E. Doolittle of the Federal Board of Food and Drug Inspection, declares that no question of harmfulness has been raised by this board with respect to the use of glucose in food products. Where glucose is subst.i.tuted for sugar and used instead of natural sweetening agents, the ruling has been made that its presence should be plainly declared upon the label of the product. The reasons for this action are: (1) where a manufactured substance is subst.i.tuted for a natural one it is believed that the purchaser is ent.i.tled to be informed of the subst.i.tution; (2) the cost of glucose is usually somewhat lower than that of sucrose; (3) glucose consists only in part of a sugar, dextrose, and is inferior to sucrose in sweetening power.