Candy-Making Revolutionized: Confectionery from Vegetables

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.

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.

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. 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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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 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 possible. It is assumed, and no doubt safely assumed, 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

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 quantity 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 quantity 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 quantity 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 quantities 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 analysis. 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 substituted 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 substituted for a natural one it is believed that the purchaser is entitled to be informed of the substitution; (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.

In this country commercial glucose is manufactured from the starch of the Indian corn. The starch is suspended in water, the whole placed into large steam tanks together with some hydrochloric acid, the steam is turned on to these tanks and the whole brought up to a heavy pressure. By this means the starch is partially converted into dextrose, a sugar, and dextrin, a gum. When the conversion has reached the proper point the pressure is removed, the hot liquid is neutralized with sodium carbonate, filtered and evaporated to a thick liquid. The resulting compound contains about 35 per cent. dextrose, about 45 per cent. dextrin, a small percentage of ash and the rest water.

A word of caution should be given concerning the time of eating sugar. Obviously if candy is consumed before meals it will destroy the appetite and interfere seriously with the meal. Obviously, also, it is unwise to eat heavily of candy before retiring. Notwithstanding her enthusiasm for vegetable candies the writer feels these cautions should be just as much observed with vegetable candy as with any other.

The whole question of the amount and form of sugar to be given to children, is one of utmost importance. Children lose more heat from the skin for every pound of body weight than do the adults, and because of this fact, require proportionately more heat. This heat can come only from food and sugar is the food which produces this heat most directly and most cheaply. This need for a heat producing food, it could be urged, could be readily met by the use of fat. The difficulty is that fat, and particularly fat meat, is generally disliked by the child. Because of this distaste, his desire for all sorts of sweet things has undoubtedly a physiological basis. It is necessary, however, to observe very carefully the digestibility of sugar and sweetened foods in order to decide to what extent sugar is to replace starch in the dietary. The effect of sugar upon the appetite for other foods must be given particular care. Mrs. Mary Hinman Abel, president of the American Home Economics Association, says that, until a child's stomach is capable of digesting starch, the needed carbohydrate is furnished in the sugar of milk. The child a year old who drinks two quarts of milk per day takes in this way about three ounces of sugar. "As the stomach becomes able to digest starch," Mrs. Abel continues, "the child is less and less dependent on the sugar of milk, replacing it with the carbohydrates of vegetable origin, while the proteids and fat found in eggs, meat, and cereals take the place of those constituents that were at first exclusively furnished in milk. Milk, however, remains through childhood a valuable source of all these food principles.

"The fact that sugar has a high food value is not the only point to be considered. The child will easily obtain the needed carbohydrates in other forms and will thrive if the digestion remains sound and its relish for wholesome food unimpaired. For instance, one often hears it said that a certain child does not relish milk. In such cases it might be found that the child's appetite, being sated by sugar in other foods, is no longer attracted by the mild sweetness of fresh milk, delicious as it is to the unspoiled palate. It would be well, perhaps, in this instance, to cut down the allowance of sugar in the hope of restoring the taste for so invaluable a food as milk. Dr. Rotch insists that the infant, even in its second year, should never be allowed to taste sweets. He says, 'When these articles are withheld it will continue to have a healthy appetite and taste for necessary and proper articles of food.' Even much later, for the same reasons, the introduction of large amounts of sugar into the daily food of children is to be carefully considered. Children do not require a variety of flavors to stimulate the appetite, but the taste is easily perverted and the backward step is difficult to take. Those who have studied the food habits of children seem to agree that sugar should from the very first be withheld from the dish that forms the staple food of the child—that is, the mush or porridge of oatmeal or some preparation of wheat or corn. This article of diet, eaten only with milk or cream, falls into the same class as bread and milk, and forms the simple, wholesome basis of a meal. The sugar given the child is better furnished in the occasional simple pudding, in the lump of sugar, or home-made candy, not that its food value is better utilized, but the whole food of the child is thus more wholesome."

Mrs. Mary Hinman Abel concludes her discussion with the statement: "Sugar is a useful and valuable food. It must, however, be remembered that it is a concentrated food and therefore should be eaten in moderate quantities. Further, like other concentrated foods, sugar seems best fitted for assimilation by the body when supplied with other materials which dilute it or give it the necessary bulk."

It is this fact, from the point of view of the dietitian, that commends vegetable candy so highly. The vegetable base gives the necessary bulk and dilution—in addition to adding other valuable food elements.

SECTION TWO

VIII

Now that the use of vegetable bases is reduced to principles, the amateur confectioner need have no difficulty in working out in candy attractive and novel designs suitable to all special days and uses. And the best of it is—thanks to such a humble vegetable as the potato—she can follow her own ideas and fashion in confectionery a pattern that is all her own. Moreover, she can take comfort in the thought that in her product there is none of the highly injurious ingredients unfortunately all too common in some decorative candies.

As the foundation for one sort of decorative confectionery, potato paste must be made. Steam or boil Irish potatoes, drain them, and force them through a fine sieve,—the finer the better. With one-half cupful of Irish potato, so prepared, mix one tablespoonful of corn starch. Gradually and carefully work in enough confectioner's sugar so that the mixture can be rolled.

The "fine sieve," be it noted, plays a conspicuous and important part in the making of candy from vegetables. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that no vegetable particle will either soften in or cook up into syrup. While cooking, the vegetable particles are just as individual as though they were in separate vessels; consequently they must be kept circulating as uniformly as is possible through the syrup in order to prevent the accumulation of masses of vegetable matter of sufficient bulk and weight to sink to the bottom of the sauce pan and cause the mixture to burn. Moreover, should the mixture escape burning, it would develop gluey spots that would make the finished product lacking in the smoothness that is the ideal of the candy-cook.

Flavor and color this paste to suit, place it on a surface well dusted with confectioner's sugar and roll it to the desired thinness. Cut it in shapes to suit. Cooky cutters or any other tin cutters may be used. More often, however, the amateur confectioner will prefer her own design.

Cut a pattern of the desired design from paper, or, if it is to be used repeatedly, from paste board. Oiling the pattern not only gives it a firmer edge and prevents tearing but also allows any sugar or paste that may have adhered to it easily to be wiped off. Lay the pattern over the paste, and, with a sharp pointed knife, cut along the edges. Lift the newly cut forms carefully with a thin knife and transfer them for drying to an oil cloth or, if this cannot be done, to a waxed paper or a tin very thinly dusted with confectioner's sugar. Do not move them again until they are dry. If it is desired to pack the candy, cook a crystal—a "crystal" is a syrup of one part water and three parts sugar—to two hundred and twenty degrees and after it has cooled five minutes, dip the confection into it.

It is not essential that the forms be dipped into the crystal nor is the crystal absolutely necessary to any of the confections that are often coated with it. All this is explained in Chapter V—Crystallization.

A knife which is of almost constant use in making decorative candies and which is particularly satisfactory for lifting small forms is a palette knife such as artists use for mixing their colors. It is thin, flexible and sufficiently sharp for cutting fondant. Also the blade lends itself to use in many different positions because its curved shape allows the hand a degree of freedom not possible with the ordinary knife. The palette knife is much better for freeing or lifting forms from a flat surface than a spatula or a case knife.

The imagination of the candy-maker will suggest special designs for special occasions. The fancy of the confectioner will suggest many attractive original forms, besides the traditional red and white hearts for St. Valentine's Day,—note illustration No. 17 in the frontispiece—the green shamrock for March 17, and the hatchet for Washington's birthday. Christmas, New Years, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Hallowe'en and innumerable local holidays, like Bunker Hill day and Patriots' Day of Massachusetts,—all of these special occasions offer abundant opportunity to the candy-maker who realizes that from the paste can be made representations of anything from a firecracker to a regiment of soldiers. Cooky cutters may also be used indefinitely; what child would not like candy in the form of stars, dogs, horses, and trees?

Green Leaves.—An excellent illustration of the possibilities of potato paste is given by green leaves. As the basis for them, color potato paste green, by the use of green coloring paste, of the harmless vegetable sort, and flavor fairly strongly with peppermint. Roll the paste thin, cut out the leaves, using the point of a knife or a tin cutter, and model the veins. A small, blunt, wooden tool,—even a clean orange stick will do—should be used to make the depressions that are the veins. After the leaves have dried on waxed paper, dip into a crystal cooked to two hundred and twenty-five degrees. Drain them on a wire rack and dust them evenly with granulated sugar. It is well to use a thin bladed knife to lift the pieces. See the small box in the middle of the illustration facing page 98, and No. 1 in the frontispiece.