Stirring The Batch Of Candy

Stirring The Batch of Candy

It is absolutely important that you stir the candy only when the recipe you are following instructs you to. Don't attempt to stir the candy early on in the cooking process, as this may result in a greater chance for grittiness of the candy. Irregular sugar crystals will also form if the candy is stirred either too early or too late in the cooking process. It is important to note that when you are making hard candies like lollipops, little

or no stirring needed to bring the candy to an evenly cooked condition. Also, hard candies like lollipops can be transferred directly to a storage or mold after cooling for several minutes.

Cooling & Setting Of The Candy

To be on the safe side, allow your fresh batch of candy to cool for a several minutes before pouring it into a clean, flat surface or into candy molds. This cooling process is vital to the final outcome of your candy making project. Two results can happen when the candy is cooled. If the candy cools at an accelerated rate after cooking, the physical structure of the sugar will change to form brittle candy. If the cooling process is prolonged, the batch will be transformed to a non-crystalline candy like caramel (or even taffy!). If you want other various types of candy to emerge (such as jelly beans), starch or gelatin can be added to the batch after the initial cooling to produce these desired candies.

Preparing The Candy For Serving

Prior to serving your batch of candy to family and friends, you have to produce serving size pieces. This can be done through the following methods:

- Placing the hot candy into greased molds and then allowing the candy to harden prior to removing it from the molds.
- Spreading the candy across a clean, flat surface like a counter top or table and breaking the candy into smaller pieces by beating.
- Candies such as taffy and caramels may be manually cut using knives or a mechanical type of slicer.

  Keeping these six basic steps in mind when cooking your next batch of candy will ensure your success and result in tasty treats to share with your friends and family.