What's Christmas without treats? Does it really feel like Christmas without them? All those delicious candies are perfect for the holidays. Making candy is more of an art, but there is a certain science to it. You have to balance creativity with skill and incorporate some technical procedures that are sometimes hard to understand. The trick to cookie perfection is knowledge, so what do you need to know this holiday season to keep your sweets as delicious as they were on the occasion? Easy, you just need to know a little about the basics of how candy is made, starting with the basic building block of candy, sugar. What's so special about sugar, you ask? Sugar has some special properties that make it a perfect choice for candy recipes. What special features, you ask? Sugar crystals are solid at room temperature, but once you put them in water they dissolve, this is the first step in making candy, a clear solution is formed. Heat and hold at "just right" temperatures, and then this sweet elixir is allowed to brew at those very specific temperatures. In doing so, chemical changes or reactions occur in the sugar; this is because the heat breaks the crystals into molecules, later the molecules come back together to form sugar crystals as the sugar syrup cools. This candy base forms the backbone of all candy. Before you can ensure that they are served in optimal condition, you need to understand the care that candy requires, you want to give your sweets the proper care and storage they need. Here's what you need to know: Although there are many different types, as many as the imagination allows, there are only three main types of candy. They can usually be classified as one or a combination of the following: First, we have hard candy. Hard candy is made with the highest sugar content. Characteristically, they include different flavors and colors. Some of the most classic hard candies include peppermint sticks and a variety of different peppermint candies, anyone remembered rock candy?. Hard confections should be stored at temperatures between 10-21 C for best results and a relative humidity of 40%. Second, they are softer candies. In this category we have marshmallows, jellies, nougats, etc. These sweets contain mostly sugar and also a small percentage of other ingredients that do not harden like pure sugar. For optimal results, these soft candies should be stored at temperatures between 24-27C with a relative humidity of 45-40%. Third, we look at candies that contain most of the other ingredients rather than being heavily concentrated in sugars. In this group you will find fudge, chocolates, raisins or nuts covered in sugar or chocolate, my personal favorite, caramels and much, much more. In terms of storage, this group is the most difficult. Caramels are optimal at temperatures between 21-27C, while chocolates are best at 16-18C with 50% relative humidity. It is definitely worth paying attention to get the most out of this delicious treat called candy. The amount of moisture the candy gets will affect the storage and shelf life of most candy if they last that long 😉 Storing your candy Careful storage will allow your magical Christmas cookies to be the best that nature intended, staying firm but not hard, soft but not sticky. Regardless of age, you can always appreciate the taste of quality candy. Explore more about
You must be logged in to post a comment.