Basic Knowledge about making Sweets

1 – Tools for making boiled Sweets   A stainless steel saucepan with a lid (not aluminum). Baking sheets, a small strainer, scissors, deciliter measure, a candy thermometer (for min. 180°C), scales, 2 plastic scrapers. A candy mat for kneading (to prevent the mixture from sticking and lowering the risk of burns). Cooking oil (neutral flavour, such as almond oil). Natural flavouring and coloring agents. A 2 ml measuring syringe for rapid measuring of flavours. NB: Ceramic hobs can be damaged by hot sugar mixture.

2 - Preparations   Tidy up the kitchen for a clear work surface. Make sure that the stove and the work area is out of reach for children and that they are unable to knock anything over or put their hands on the boiled sweet mixture. Have a bowl of cold water ready for quick first aid. Apply cooking oil to the baking sheets, candy mat, scissors and scrapers and keep them lubricated throughout the process. Place the candy mat on a clean baking sheet. Put a towel underneath the baking sheet so the table is not damaged by the heat. Also, lubricating the candy mat with oil on the back makes it more "non-slip".

3 – A detailed Procedure   First measure the water, sugar and dextrose monohydrate in separate bowls. Put water, then sugar and, last, dextrose monohydrate in the saucepan avoiding getting sugar onto the edge of the saucepan. Immediately place the saucepan on the hob and boil the mixture at full heat. WITH the lid on and WITHOUT stirring. After a short while you can hear the mixture bubbling and see water vapor escaping from underneath the lid. When the steam subsides after about a minute, continue to boil WITHOUT a lid, WITHOUT stirring and WITH a thermometer in the saucepan. Keep an eye on the temperature, it's slow at the beginning and fast at the end - and the temperature is very important. Remove the saucepan from the heat when the temperature measured in the middle of the saucepan is 162° C (not below 160°C, not exceeding 165°C).

4 – After Boiling   Pour the mixture onto the candy mat. After approx. 1 minute, the mixture forms a "skin" around the edges and you can now mix in the colors (wait a bit with the red color) as well as the citric acid or liquorice. Sieve any powder (liquorice, titanium dioxide) to avoid lumps. Fold along the edges toward the centre using the scrapers, mixing the mixture well. Finally, quickly add the flavouring agents into the middle of the mixure and mix immediately so they don't evaporate. (Measure them in a 2 ml syringe in advance for quick action). As soon as you can touch the mixture with your fingers, knead with your hands instead of the scrapers. Use "light" movements, so that your hands are only in contact with the mixture for a short time. (If there is more than one cook, start the next batch of sweets now. It is not necessary to clean the saucepan. Mix the ingredients and start the cooking process as described in the instructions). When the mixture is well mixed and when it has cooled enough to touch, you can start making lollipops or boiled sweets: Lollipops: shape a portion of the mixture around the lollipop stick. Triangular boiled sweets: Cut a small lump of the mixture and roll it into a thin sausage. Cut off a piece, turn the sausage 1/4 turn and cut off another piece. NB: You can only cut, not pull off the boiled sweets pieces. Round boiled sweets: Roll a thin sausage from a small portion of the mixture and leave it to cool. Break off the sweets – you may use an old-fashioned bread cutting machine. Cut it gently in a way avoiding little bits of sweets flying all over the kitchen. Remember: The warm boiled sweets must not touch each other when have been cut off, otherwise they will stick together into a big lump. The time when the mixture is malleable is not that long. Therefore, start cutting or forming/shaping as soon as you can touch the mixture. Leave the large portion, which is not in use, on the hot candy mat or baking sheet and only cut off a small amount at the time. When the sweets or lollipops have cooled place them immediately in an airtight container or bag to avoid them absorbing moisture. Pulled boiled sweets mixture: You can "pull" the mixture; as quickly as possible pull a thick sausage, fold it together and pull again several times (repeat this procedure). This procedure kneads air into the mixture, which becomes opaque, airy and pearlescent/pastel colored. (Eg. you may want to use more coloring as it also is lighter in color). The art of sweet making: Take a lump of hot boiled sweets mixture and shape it into elephants, mice, cats, roses, snowmen, etc. An (electrical) heater or toaster can extend the"forming/shaping time."

5 - Cleaning   Clean the saucepan after use by soaking it in lukewarm water. After a short time the sugar mixture dissolves (even if it was burned) and can be easily rinsed off.

6 – Tips and trouble shooting   Cooking in an aluminum saucepan can result in the mixture crystallising and becoming porous. Do not put water or sugar crystals in the finished cooked mixture or it may crystallize. A lower temperature than 157°C results in soft, sticky sweets. A higher temperature than 165°C may result in a brown, burnt mixture. (The taste can often be camouflaged with liquorice/ammonia). Do not change the ratio between dextrose monohydrate and sugar, as this causes the sweets to be too soft or too brittle. Knead the boiled sweets mixture on a warm candy mat/baking sheet or surface (not too hot, not too cold). A mixture which contains powder (liquorice, titanium dioxide), or peanuts sets faster. Therefore, do not start with these recipes, but wait until the candy mat/baking sheet or surface has become warm.