Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

262 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY in shape than the blocks of sawed sugar, and lack their rough surface. Powdered sugar is made by grinding the fragments broken off in sawing block sugar. Brown sugars are less refined grades. 415. Other kinds of sugar. — Honey is the purest nat- ural form of sugar. Beet sugar is made from the juice of the sugar beet. Maple sugar is obtained by simply boiling down the sap of the sugar maple until it thick- ens, and then cooling it in molds. Grape sugar, or glucose, appears as a yellowish, grainy substance on raisins and other dried fruits. Commercial glucose is manufactured from starch by boiling it with an acid. It is not so sweet as cane sugar, but wholesome, and even more readily digestible. It is too moist to be convenient for household use, but is used largely by candy makers. What other kinds of sugar do you know of ? Candy 416. Pure candy can be made at home more cheaply than it can be bought. Much of the candy sold is made of impure sugar and contains coloring matter that is unwholesome, and, in some cases, poisonous. 417. The effect of heat on sugar ; experiment. — Heat a Httle sugar in a test-tube, noting the changes in its appearance. Con- tinue heating till there is no further change. Sugar becomes at 365° F. a clear, colorless liquid, barley sugar. At 420°, the sugar turns brown. It is now caramel. If heated still further, its oxygen and hydrogen gradually pass off as steam, leaving only a SUGAR AND SWEETS 263 lump of black carbon, one-fourth the weight of the original sugar. 418. Boiling sugar to the thread, soft ball, hard ball, and crack. — Sugar is heated to different degrees for differ- ent kinds of candy. For some, it is boiled till a drop let fall from the spoon spins itself into a fine thread ; for some, to the " soft ball " stage, when a little dropped into water can be rolled into a soft ball between your fingers ; for others, till it makes a '' hard ball " in cold water. When it becomes brittle upon being dropped in water, it is said to be boiled to "the crack." Candy Recipes Molasses Candy Cook two cupfuls of molasses in a buttered iron kettle until it forms a hard ball in cold water. Turn out on a buttered plate. This may be pulled just before it hardens. One tablespoonful of vinegar may be used in this candy. Butter Taffy Brown sugar, 2 cupfuls. Water, 6 tablespoon fuls. Butter, 2 tablespoonfuls. Grated cocoanut or chopped nuts, ^ cupful. Cook the sugar and water together, stirring, till the sugar dissolves. Let this syrup come to the boiling- point, then add the butter and cook to the '' soft ball " stage (about ten minutes). Add cocoanut or chopped nuts. Stir until it thickens, and pour quickly into buttered pans. 264 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY Peanut Brittle Sugar, 1 cupful. Peanuts (shelled and pounded), 1 cupful. Put the peanuts on a buttered tin plate and set on the back of the stove. Make a caramel of the sugar. Stir in the peanuts very quickly, pour it into the pans, and spread it thin by slightly tilting them. You can read more about sugars in Foods and Beverages, pp. 215-231, and about preserves and candy, pp. 232-23.5. For an experiment in crystallization to try at home, see p. 236 of Early Chapters in Science. For directions for making other kinds of candy, see The Centunj Cook-hook.