Fletcher Manufacturing Company

“ There are reasons why a retail confectioner should study sugar boiling. It gives character to the business, a fascinating odour to the premises, and a general at-homeness to the surroundings. No goods look more attractive and tempting to the sweet eating public than fresh made goods of this kind. A bright window can be only so kept by makers. Grainy or sticky drops may be reboiled ”

“ It is the most ancient method of which we have any knowledge, and perhaps the most popular process of modern times; the evidence of our everyday experience convinces us that (notwithstanding the boom which heralds from time to time a new sweet, cooked in a different manner, composed of ingredients hitherto unused in business) , it is the exception when such goods hold the front rank for more than a few months, however pretty, tasty, or tempting they may be, the public palate seems to fall back on those made in the old lines which, though capable of improvement, seem not to be superceded. ”

“ To make the various striped balls nicely, requires practice and a good deal of it. No amount of book learning will teach those who are quite ignorant of sugar boiling; but at the same time if the reader has mastered the simpler process at the beginning of the book, he is quite capable of understanding this and working out his own ideas in this way; but hand-made balls should not be attempted until the learner feels confident he can manage a boil easily and quickly, because there is no time to think after the sugar is on the slab. ”

“ Bad boiling sugar is very troublesome. A good plan is to make a rule of straining [Pg 22] the batch just after it boils, through a very fine copper wire or hair sieve, this prevents foreign matter such as grit, saw dust or even nails, which is often mixed with the sugar getting into the goods. Keep thermometer when not in use in jar of water standing on the furnace plate by the side of the pan, wash out the jar and fill with cold water every morning; keep the thermometer clean, especially the top part, as the sugar which adheres to it becomes grainy, and might spoil a whole boil. ”

“ To begin at the bottom, one can easily imagine a person whose only ambition is to make a little candy for the window fit for children. This could be done with a very small outlay for utensils. The next move is the purchase of a sugar boiler's furnace not very costly and certainly indispensable where quality and variety are required, it will be a great saving of time as well as money, the sugar will boil a much better color, so that cheaper sugar may be used for brown or yellow goods, while one can make acid drops and other white goods from granulated. ”

“ Flavors for sugar boiling should be as concentrated as it is possible for it to be. Several large houses who have confined their attention to the wants and requirements of the confectionery and mineral water trades have succeeded in producing fruit essences of quality, which is a pleasure to work with. Being very powerful, little is required to give the boil rich flavor, consequently it passes through the machine easily, forming a perfect drop on [Pg 20] which the clear imprint of the engraving characteristic of the machine used. ”

“ Glucose, being cheaper than sugar, is valuable to the confectioner, not only for its lowering qualities, but also as a bulk producer, reducing the cost of the product. On this account there is a tendency to overdo it by using too much, the result causing goods to become sticky and turn soft immediately they are exposed to the atmosphere, not only so, but we have seen drops running to a solid lump in bottles through being overdosed. ”

“ Perhaps there is nothing more annoying to the trade than sticky boiled sugars. All clear goods when exposed to the atmosphere will turn damp, especially in wet weather. It is a question of degree, some slightly and some will run almost to syrup; it is impossible to obviate the former but the latter can be prevented. Great care should be used in adding the lowering, whether cream of tartar or glucose, too much of either will cause the goods to run immediately after they are turned out. ”

“ Let the whole boil until it reaches the degree of crack, 300; tinge with saffron, then pour the contents on pouring plate, which has been previously oiled; sprinkle a few drops of oil of lemon over it, turn the edges as it begins to cool: then turn it over, knead it up as soon as you can handle it: if it is on a cool slab you must be pretty smart or it will get too hard. As soon as it gets stiff enough cut off small convenient pieces and pass through the barley sugar machine; when cool break up, give them a good shake in a rough sieve to free them from any machine scraps ”

“ Look at their goods. There is perhaps nothing very striking in them, but they are invariably good, busy or slack they are made with care, packed with taste, and delivered neatly in a business-like fashion. ”

“ The formula given for the different kinds of sugar sticks will answer for the variety of bull's eyes. The process and ingredients are precisely alike. The sticks may or may not be drawn out a little thicker, according to the size of drop required. Cream of tartar may be substituted for glucose in all recipes given for boiled goods. The sugar is not boiled quite so high for hand goods or pulled sugar as it is for machine drops; being a little lower it works better, keeps longer pliable, and is less brittle when cold. ”

“ With a long pallette knife or wooden spatula, commence to work the syrup until it changes to a white glossy cream; then divide the batch into two; put one part in the pan and remelt it, just enough to make it a consistency to mould, add vanilla flavor and run it into rubber moulds; now put the other portion in the pan and remelt; color it a light pink; flavor with essence of raspberry and mould in the same shapes; when the goods are set and cold crystalize them with cold syrup. ”

“ Of the entire make of confectionery in Canada, at least two-thirds of it may be written down under the name of boiled sugar. They are undoubtedly the chief features with both manufacturers and retailers, embracing, as they do, endless [Pg 5] facilities for fertile brains and deft fingers for inventing novelties in design, manipulation, combination, and finish. Notwithstanding the already great variety, there is always daily something new in this department brought into market. ”

“ In using colors for drops and clear goods, use them in the form of a paste where practicable, then you can mix them in when the boil is on the slab, thus saving your pan; keep the colors damp in jars, look over them every night, and, where necessary, add a little cold water to keep them moist, or the top may get dry and hard, which would make the goods specky. Use a separate piece of stick for each color to rub in with, and be careful not to use too much color; a very little goes a long way with clear boiled goods. Goods are more often spoiled by using too much than too little ”

“ It is absolutely necessary that they should be pure and fresh, more particularly the oils of lemon and orange, as when not fresh and pure they partake of the flavor of turpentine, and are particularly unpleasant to the taste.
Small makers would do well to buy carefully from a good house not more than would be used up in two or three months, especially the two before mentioned. Some oils on the contrary, improve by keeping such as peppermint and lavender. All essences and oils are best kept well corked in a cool dark place. ”

“ Process.—Boil the sugar, glucose and water as before directed to a stiff ball and pour the sugar on damp slab; let it stand till nearly cold, then work it up with spatula till glossy cream; divide the boil into as many portions as you want colors; then remelt this cream, color and flavor to fancy; run the batch into moulds of different shapes. When the fondants are set, crystalize in cold syrup. Fondants for mixture are made a trifle harder to prevent being crushed with other sweets with which they are mixed. ”

“ While the sugar is undergoing the process of boiling, it is almost impossible for a learner to determine the exact degree which the sugar has attained without a thermometer, and even the journeyman finds it so useful that you will find very few indeed who boil [Pg 14] sugar without it; in fact many of the larger shops will not allow a sugar boiler to work without one. ”

“ When making dark goods such as cough candy, cough drops, cocoanut candy, stick jaw, etc., use a proportion of this syrup in each boil, dipping it out with a ladle. As a rule a careful workman would use up his scraps every day. Some use the machine scraps by putting them in the next boil when sugar is on the slab. ”

“ Melt some of the cream on a slow fire; flavor with Vanilla as soon as cream is sufficiently melted; remove the pan and pour contents into the tins to make a sheet about one inch thick or less. When set carefully empty, so as not to break the cake; have some melted chocolate and with a soft brush coat the cream on both sides; lay them on wires till cold and set; cut up into bars the required size. The knife for cutting bars of cream should be good, having a thin polished blade with a good edge. An old worn-out thing breaks the cream and makes it irregular. ”

“ When we consider the few inexpensive tools required to make so many kinds of saleable goods, it is not to be wondered at so many retailers have a fancy to make their own toffees and such like, there is no reason why a man or woman, with ordinary patience, a willing and energetic disposition, favored with a fair amount of intelligence, should not be able to become with the aid of THIS BOOK and a few dollars for tools, fairly good sugar boilers, with a few months practice. ”

“ Compare this to our makers of cheap stuff; to obtain orders they sell at unprofitable prices, often at a loss, and try to make up the difference by resorting to various methods of increasing the bulk, the result is ultimate ruin to themselves, loss to their creditors, and injury to every one concerned. Few who read these lines will not be able to verify all that is stated. The writer's advice has always been to keep up a high degree of excellence, try to improve in every direction, and success is only a matter of patience, energy and civility. ”

“ After the rudiments have been thoroughly mastered, the reader has ample scope to distinguish himself in the Candy world, and will do so with patience and perseverance. We trust our patrons will look upon this work, not as a literary effort, but as instruction from a practical workman to a would-be workman. ”

“ Cheap, bulky, insipid stuff is unprofitable and damaging to the trade as well as to the seller. I venture to assert that more would-be makers have come to grief trying to cut each other in price for rubbishy candies than through any other cause. ”

“ Sugar boiling is dirty sticky business, especially on wet days, unless every part is kept scrupulously clean and dry, slabs and tables should be washed, no trace of sifting, scraps, or boiled goods, should be left exposed to the atmosphere during the night, the floor well swept, and a little clean sawdust put down every night. ”

“ Many of the most successful houses owe their popularity more to their heads than their hands, hence the importance of studying this branch in all its ramifications. The endless assortment requiring different methods for preparing and manipulating make it necessary to sub-divide this branch into sections, order and arrangement being so necessary to be thoroughly understood. ”

“ Fruit, eggs, and any object may be taken from nature by this process, to be transformed into sugar, afterwards glazed, colored to imitate nature so exactly as to deceive many persons. Boil the sugar in exactly the same way as directed in the previous recipe, grain [Pg 80] it and fill the moulds; in a few minutes run out as much sugar as will leave the mould; this will cause the casting to be hollow in the centre. Allow your articles to imitate the natural objects which they represent with liquid colors and camel's hair pencils ”

“ The recipes given are from the most experienced and notable candy makers of America and Europe, and are such, that, if followed out with care and attention will be sure to lead to success. Practice is only to be had by experiment, and little failures are overcome by constant perseverance. ”

“ If glucose is used in proper proportions, it makes an excellent lowering agent, and will answer the purpose first rate for ordinary drops and the like. Use three lbs. of glucose to every 14 lbs. of sugar; keep a panful on the furnace top, so that it will always be hot and may be easily measured by means of a saucepan or ladle holding the exact quantity; add the glucose when sugar begins to boil. ”

“ These degrees can be tested by an experienced hand without the aid of the thermometer, and the learner may accustom himself by trying them in the following manner: Take the stem of a clay pipe and dip it into the sugar as it boils, draw it out again and pass it through the forefinger and thumb; when it feels oily you will find by looking at your thermometer that it has reached the degree of smooth, 215 to 220 by the glass. ”

“ The comfort and ease in working in a clean place far more than offsets the trouble and time it takes to put it in order, besides the goods are much drier, brighter and easier to bottle or pack. Nothing is more unpleasant than to work with sticky slabs, slimy machines or dirty scales. ”

“ These oils being powerful, popular and expensive, they are frequently adulterated. Cream of tartar and tartaric acid on account of the price is often increased, the former with different cheap powders, the latter usually with alum. Many people fail in the process through no fault of their own, but simply through their being supplied with inferior ingredients, it is therefore of importance, that colors and flavors should be purchased at some respectable house ”

“ We used this in the proportion of a teaspoonful to every 14 lbs. of sugar adding it just as the sugar began to boil. Borax has been found useful with any water when making goods to be exposed in the window or on the counters, such as taffies, rocks and clear boiled sugars generally. Where the supply of water, as in most large towns is suitable, given good sugar, cream of tartar or glucose, in proper proportions, and careful boiling up to the standard, the addition of borax is unnecessary and should only be resorted to under special circumstances. ”