-Current Articles-

Spinning out of Control 26/10/2010

Every weekend night chefs and colleagues joke about my insistance on preparing sugar ready for spinning into "angel hair" or spun sugar or candy floss, whatever you wish to call it. Every chef I know has a different opinion on (and can substantiate with different experiences) how it is to be done.
I'm going to add my token to that with the following:

Assuming that you wish to spin sugar for your dessert (or any meal where the technique is going to help you), and assuming that you, like me don't own a nice set of copper pots, and without the use of a candy thermoneter, I maintain that you can have perfect results every time by following this simple guidline:

• 1) Don't walk away for the entire process- things can change quite suddenly.
  
• 2) Use the heaviest pot of a small size you have.
  
• 3) Use the cleanest sugar you have- like 'super fine' white or castor sugar or confectioner's sugar.
  
• 4) Place enough sugar in the pot to make about one finger joint deep of sugar. A small pot means a good amount, a large pot means a restaurant full and a lot more effort in getting it right.
  
• 5) Add enough water (cool, clean) to the sugar to wet it- not to dissolve it. So for my 1 Liter pot that means about 200g of sugar and about 75ml of water.
  
• 6) Get it on the highest heat using the gas hob which will focus flame most evenly on the bottom of the pot- not the sides of the pot and not too focussed in the middle. So that means a flame which spreads to match the diameter of the pot base.
  

At this stage it takes a little time and you'd be tempted to walk away. If you must go, go find another pot which closely matches the one you're heating. This will be important for those of us without copper pots and who are going to take a toilet break now and make some toast or have a cup of tea. When sugar burns it makes a mighty smoke and- though a pleasant enough smell- if it happens the pot will be dead beyond redemption.
We must now look for the distinct stages which indicate that the candy will successfully form. The sugar will be sizzling as the water heats up and tries to evaporate. Because there is not a lot of water and because a crust is naturtally going to form as the temparatue rises and the sugar dries out, the water actually gets locked for a moment under the sugar crystals causnig it to rapidly heat up above boiling. This is crucial because it is in this stage that the pot has three essential components:

• 1) crystaline sugar which is rapidly beginning to dissolve into the available water under pressure and heat.
• 2) sugar which is dry of water and which will begin to eventually burn on the hottest surface of the pot.
• 3) super heated water.

The high pressure, high temperature environment in the pot is perfect for the forced union of these three compounds states through the addition of energy. Pretty soon all the water will be gone and in leaving as hot steam it has assisted with the mixing of the crust sugar, the dissolved sugar and the burning sugar. Without water the pot will have black sugar on the bottom and granular sugar on the top, the depth of the grains forming a barrier which insulates the bulk of the sugar from the heated surface. The intense bubbling as the water boils and rises as steam agitates the crystals of the sugar mass together and first dissolves then melts the actual crystalins structure. That is the candying process right there.
Now, and by now I mean about 90 seconds after you've observed the water bubble off, the bubbling will change from a steaming water boil to a (slightly) slower, more syruppy melted sugar boil. You must maintain this stage until the boiling process begins to mix the burning bottom sugar with the top clear sugar. The result will be that the mass proceeds quite slowly into a more golden colour.
The temptation throughout this process is to stir the pot to assit in the combining of the sugar.
DON'T DO IT
The addition of any movement at this stage will break it in seconds as the water will get out too soon and the crust will just take over the pot. You'll end up with a thin white crust over all the suger mass and here and ther bits of nicely caramelised sugar. You can't use it and- the most common mistake when learning- you can't save it.
Assuming you've closely followed these tips you soon be getting a nicely simmering pot with a slick of golden sugar liquid forming in the bottom. You'll know you are on track when you can see the sugar smoke replacing the steam and when you can smell that familar buring sugar smell.
Now a judgement call is required- to pull the sugar off and cool it back to spinning temperature is now crucial. Too soon, though, and you'll discover how, as a hydroscopic substance, sugar is desparate to absorb water back in. If you've not reached a sufficiently golden mixture, that bad white crust will form as the atmospheric water- abundant in a kitchen- is integrated back into the sugar as it cools. Too long on the heat and the perfect golden colour will rapidly burn into, first bronze and then black as the persevering heat in the pot, even after coming off the flame will continue to oxidise the sugar until it us too bitter and smoky to use. And the pot is dead too.
My number one tip at this stage is to have that second pot which I spoke about on hand and, once the sugar is at that perfect golden colour, transfer it to the clean pot (at room temperature) and the heating process is stopped immediately allowing to cooling to begin at the right pace. Also the new pot is free from detritis inherent when buring sugar.
Immediatley plunge the working pot into water then return it to the flame to boil itself clean. The fresh pot will cool down in a few minutes and this is when you may, with a fork, begin to slowly turn the candy and lift it out o fht epot to watch it fall and, hopefully, leave a drawn fibre.
There is an optimum temperature when candied sugar will draw under the weight of it's own drips and this temperature range will persist for just a few minutes in which you must work your designs. The advantage of my two pot method is that once the cady is too hard and the fork is stuck in it, return it to the flame and the fork will easlily twist up and lump of perfect sugar. In fact this pot of sugar can be used over several days if covered, sealed and reheated again each night. If the golden colour is right it will form a brittle block which will insulate the bulk of the candy from the ambient water in the atmosphere.

Parting tips on perfect spun sugar without copper pots or a candy thermometer:
• 1) never stir or agitate the pot.
• 2) if it gets a crust start again.
• 3) use clean sugar clean water and clean pots.
• 4) transfer to a second, similar pot once you recognise a beautiful golden slick.

Stay tuned as I upload some spun sugar designs and tips on keeping them alive for longer.

---