Foods, their selection and preparation

have special advantages in food preparation. Corn sirups are widely used in the industrial preparation of food. The form of distribu¬ tion to industrial users makes it possible for corn sirups to compete in price with sucrose. SUGAR COOKERY Sugar is a component of many cooked foods. It sweetens many kinds of desserts and preserves and flavors fruits, jams, and jellies. In candy, however, sugar is the basic ingredient. An understanding of the prin¬ ciples of sugar cookery simplifies candy¬ making. These principles explain the reasons for the rules and directions usually given for making candy. The usefulness of sucrose in cookery is due in part to the ease with which it is dis¬ solved in water and the amount that will dissolve in a given volume, or its solubility. A solution is said to be saturated when the solvent has taken up all of any substance it will dissolve. The higher the temperature of the water the more sugar it will dissolve. At room temperature water will dissolve more than twice its weight of sucrose (four times its volume). At boiling point twice this amount of sugar will be dissolved. Levulose is more soluble in water than sucrose, and dextrose is less soluble. Maltose is less soluble than dextrose and tends to separate out in small crystals from concentrated solu¬ tion. Corn sirup and corn sugar made from it which contain mixtures of maltose and dextrose are about half as soluble as sucrose. One part of water will dissolve one part of the corn sugar formerly made. The lower solubility of the sugars in this sirup limited its usefulness in highly concen¬ trated mixtures like jellies and preserves which average 60-70 per cent sugar. It tended to crystallize and formed a white crust over the surface on standing. This has been corrected in sweetose and cerelose, the corn sugar now on the market. This corn sugar contains a higher percentage of dex¬ trose and has a somewhat higher solubility. Effect of Dry Heat. When granulated su¬ gar (sucrose) is heated without the addition of any liquid, it melts and forms a clear mass without any crystals. Substances in this form are said to be ''amorphous” as opposed to crystalline. Amorphous means "without form.” Crystals have definite forms that are typical for the particular substance from which they are formed. Barley sugar is prepared by the careful heating of sucrose until it melts. If this melted sugar is cooled it forms a clear, hard cake. During the heating the water of crystallization has been driven off from the sugar crystals, with the result that this form of sugar does not crystallize. Caramel is formed by continued heating of the melted sugar. More water is driven off and the sugar is decomposed, forming a substance of indefinite composition and dis¬ tinctive flavor with a melting point of 347° F. If the melted mass of caramelized sugar is allowed to cool, it forms a hard, clear cake darker than barley sugar, with the flavor of slightly burned sugar. In the household, caramel is used as flavor¬ ing. A clear brown sirup which can be saved for flavoring purposes can be made by adding boiling water to the melted caramel. Cerelose can be melted. It melts at a lower temperature than sucrose, and there¬ fore must be handled with special care.