A Few Words About the Necessary Tools
The number of tools absolutely necessary for making candy at home, are very few outside of your ordinary cooking utensils. But we will mention a few of them here, so that you may know just what to get in case you care to purchase them.
The Thermometer—You already have, (see article on “How to Use the Thermometer.”)
Marble Slab—The next most important thing both for its usefulness and convenience is a marble slab. While it is not absolutely necessary to have one, we would advise everyone to make an effort to get one. Almost any size or kind of a piece of marble will do. If you have an old marble top stand, dresser or some other piece of furniture with a marble top, use that. If you purchase one, see that it has a nice smooth top, and the size about 18 x 18 inches. It does not matter if it is a little larger one way, but this is the standard size. You can buy candy slabs most any size of any marble dealer very cheap. If you have a large stone platter, you can use that for nearly every kind of candy in this book; but buy a slab by all means if you can.
Steel Bars for Slab—Get four steel bars ¾ x ½ inch in thickness, (they will cost you about thirty cents at any hardware store). Measure your slab before buying the bars in this way; if the slab is 18 x 18 inches, get two bars each 17 inches long, then get two each 16 inches long; these bars are shorter than the first ones, so that they may be set in between the long ones, making as large or small a dish as the individual batch requires.
Scraper—The best thing to use for creaming up the different kinds of fondants is an ordinary wall paper scraper, which can be bought for ten cents at any hardware store. A wooden butter paddle will answer the purpose if you cannot get a scraper.
Candy Paddle—A wooden paddle is better to use in stirring candy than a spoon, especially those candies that contain milk or cream, as they must be stirred continually while cooking to prevent scorching, and you are very liable to get burned. Take a piece of wood about 15 inches long and about 2½ inches wide on the paddle end, and about ½ inch thick and taper it towards the other end for a handle. Keep this paddle exclusively for stirring candy.
Spatula—A spatula is a very convenient tool for the kitchen and is really as useful for cooking as candy-making. It may be used for scraping out the candy kettle, cake bowl, removing pies or cookies from the pan, icing cakes and in various other ways. A spatula nine inches long will cost you about 25c at any hardware store.
Kettle—Take a granite kettle holding about 2½ gallons, and it will hold any size batch given in this book. Some candies boil up considerably and it is necessary to have a large kettle to avoid its running over. If you make only a pound or so of candy at a time, take a smaller kettle, so the syrup will not scorch and that the bulb of our thermometer will be well down in the boiling syrup. If possible get a round bottom kettle, which is better than a flat one, because there are no edges for the syrup to stick to, and it is much easier to stir, especially those that must be stirred while cooking.
Funnel—If you make wafers frequently, you will find that a funnel will be a great help to you in dropping them, so that they will be uniform. Have a tinner make you one after these directions: Shape a piece of tin 8 inches long like a cornucopia, 6 inches at the top and tapering to the opening at the bottom, which should be ⅜ of an inch in diameter; the handle should be about 5 inches long and shaped like a dipper handle. A round stick, a flag stick, tapered to fit the opening is used in dropping the wafers. This funnel is also used for dropping the cream centers for chocolate. (See article on “How to Mold in Cornstarch.”)
Candy Hook—In making all kinds of taffy, a hook is the best thing to pull it on, for taffy which is pulled in this manner, will be lighter and more fluffy than if pulled with the hands alone. Any blacksmith can make you one very cheap in this manner: Take a piece of tinned iron 17 inches long, and ½ or ¾ inch in diameter; commence a little over half way down and bend it up like a fish hook. Have the other end flattened out a little and have two holes bored about two inches apart so you can screw it on the wall.
Gloves—A pair of canvas gloves with a buckskin face, slightly greased is a great protection to the hands when pulling taffy or spreading out the different kinds of brittles. If they stick to your taffy, just dust them with a little cornstarch or flour.
Double Boiler—It is not absolutely necessary to have a double boiler, but it is a great convenience to have one holding about a pint or a little more, in which to melt the fondant or chocolate. You may substitute an ordinary bowl and a pan of hot water in which to set it, and obtain the same results.
Dipping Wire—This is used in dipping bon-bons and accompanies the book. (See article on “Bon-Bons.”)
Plaster of Paris Moulds—These moulds accompany the book and are used for making the centers for chocolates. (See article on “How to Mold in Cornstarch.”)
How to Use the Thermometer
The first thing necessary for you to do is to test your thermometer. They are supposed to register exactly 212 degrees in boiling water, as this is the standard they are made by; but in different altitudes, water boils at different degrees, so they are very liable to vary somewhat. The different degrees given in this book, to which it is necessary to cook the candies to, are based on the supposition that your thermometer registers exactly 212 in boiling water; so that if it registers either higher or lower than that, you must allow for the difference.
Learn to read it accurately the first thing you do. Put some water in a kettle on the fire, and as soon it comes to a boil, set your thermometer down in it with the bottom of the thermometer as near the center of the pan as possible, and let it lean over against the side. Let it remain there for a few moments and then look and see what it registers, and if it is exactly 212, always cook every recipe in this book to just the degree called for. It does not matter how long you let it remain in the boiling water, it will never go any higher after it comes to a good boil. The reason is this, that the water will evaporate if you allow it to boil long enough, and consequently it can never get any hotter. In candy there are other substances which, as the water evaporates, keep getting hotter and retain the heat, and for that reason the mercury in the thermometer will naturally rise higher than 212.
If your thermometer registers lower than 212 degrees in boiling water, notice very carefully just how many degrees it is off, and simply deduct that many degrees from the number given, to which each recipe must be cooked.
If it registers higher than 212, add the number of degrees it registers over 212, to the amount given for each recipe. For example: Supposing your thermometer should register 209 in boiling water. It would consequently be three degrees too low, and in cooking your candy, simply deduct three degrees from the number called for in the recipe. That is, if you are making fondant, which called for 240 degrees, only cook to 237, and it will be exactly the same as it would be, if you cooked it to 240 with a thermometer registering 212 in boiling water. In case your thermometer registers over 212, simply add the difference in the same manner as we have directed you to deduct, in case it was too low.
To avoid mistakes and spoiled candy, we would advise you to mark each recipe as soon as you have tested your thermometer.
In using it in candy, put it in the kettle just the same as directed for testing in boiling water, and it is always necessary to have enough candy in your kettle to come up over the bulb, or it will not register accurately. We mean by this, that if you cook only a small amount of candy, you must put it in a small kettle, so it will be deep enough to cover the bulb of the thermometer.
If the candy should cook up on the thermometer so it would cover the degree to which you intend it, just raise the thermometer a little, being very careful not to lift the bulb out of the syrup, wet your finger, pass it over the glass tube, and you will have no trouble in reading it.
In cooking fudge and such candies in which you use milk or cream, they will always boil up high on your thermometer at first, but by the time it is cooked enough to register the right degree, you will find it has boiled down enough, so the degree mark will be above the syrup, but you must wet your finger and wipe off the glass before you can read it.
When cooking candies that require stirring, occasionally slide the thermometer around the kettle and stir where it stood, to prevent scorching, being very careful not to lift the bulb out of the syrup.
While the thermometer is tested, and is subject to sudden changes of heat, it is always advisable to warm it slightly before putting it into the boiling syrup. The thermometer is too expensive to take any risks. There is no danger of its breaking when put into the boiling syrup, for that is the use for which it is intended.
Always remember when making candy, that as soon as the thermometer registers the right degree, lift it out of the syrup very quickly, and set it in a pan of water and get your batch off the fire as soon as possible. You must move quickly, or the candy is liable to go up one or two degrees and that is sufficient to spoil your batch.
Never put it in cold water after taking it out of the batch, but have a pan of warm water ready so you can set it in as soon as your batch is done. This will keep your stove from getting smeared and also protect your thermometer. The thermometer will never make a mistake if you read it correctly.
Few people are aware that professional candy-makers use a thermometer, and are under the impression, that all candies are tested in cold water, better known as the hand test. Until a few years ago, the candy thermometer was almost unknown and candy makers everywhere used the hand test; but when the thermometer was introduced for candy-making, they were quick to see the possibilities of such an invention and abandoned the water test, because by cooking with a thermometer, the candy was always the same, no batches too hard or too soft, as was the case with the old way.
We will give you the different hand test degrees as compared with the degrees on a thermometer:
| Hand Test. | Thermometer. |
| Pearl | 220° |
| Small Thread | 228° |
| Large Thread | 236° |
| Blow | 240° |
| Feather | 242° |
| Small or Soft Ball | 244° |
| Large or Hard Ball | 250° |
| Small or Light Crack | 254° |
| Hard Crack | 284° |