The confectionery business without sugar syrup can not do: this component is required in the preparation of almost all dessert dishes from the simplest to the most sophisticated. However, boiling sugar syrup has its secrets: the beginner who does not know them, it can be difficult to cook sweets themselves. How to boil sugar?

Boiling sugar

Confectionery art in the modern sense originated in the East. Arab confectioners first drew attention to the unique properties of sugar, opens up opportunities for the preparation of a variety of sweets.

First, in a sugar syrup began to boil fruits and berries and their juices. So there syrups, jams, preserves, candied fruit, jams and marmalades. Due to the high sugar content of such food could be stored for a long time, much longer than fresh fruits and berries.

Adding sugar syrup starch, flour of various grades or adhesive products (for example, soap root), people have learned to receive such as a nougat sweets, Turkish delight, halva. Cooking without sugar additives allowed to receive candy and caramel. And it is worth adding to the sugar syrup, milk, cream, wine, nuts, poppy seeds or oil, to obtain new products - toffee, fudge, roasted nuts Grilyazh: French sweetness of Oriental origin , Kozinaki, toffee.

Sometimes sugar or honey syrup was applied even for boiling products (chak-chak, Spanish sweet noodles) or for impregnation (Baba, various biscuits, baklava). So there is nothing surprising in the fact that throughout the world confectionery business training begins with the development of cooking sugar.

Sugar Sample

Sugar has its own characteristics: the confectioner need to know all the tricks of melting sugar syrup and cook from it, to master the preparation of various sweets. As the syrup is cooked very quickly, sometimes enough to linger for a few minutes to digest and it is no longer fit for a particular dish. Correct this error is usually not possible, so the sugar syrup requires a very careful attitude.

Professional bakers use special sugar thermometers. Fans often assess the readiness of sugar by their appearance, so-called "sugar samples." In total there are twelve sugar samples. All of them have their own names:

• The liquid syrup. This syrup looks almost indistinguishable from water. It is used for the preparation of drinks and pouring canned fruit compote dense;
• A thin thread. If this drip sticky syrup, pre-chill it slightly on the finger pad, and then squeeze the fingers and dissolve in hand, get thin, fragile thread. This syrup is used for the preservation of delicate fruit, make jelly, cooking jam of hard fruits;
• High thread. The thread obtained has a more solid. Syrup density suitable for a jam;
• Thick thread. The syrup becomes thick if they drop on your fingers, then separate them is not so easy. This syrup is used for canning, as well as cooking jam of delicate fruits and berries;
• Poor sweet. If you drop a sugar syrup into a glass of cold water, a drop of gain density of sour cream Smetana: untold riches of Russian cuisine . Poor sweet sometimes used for the manufacture of sugar fondant and glazes;
• Sweet. Drop in the beaker with cold water becomes consistency similar to butter. It is used for the preparation of sweets and fillings for chocolates. The sample is very unstable if it is needed, boil sugar should immediately stop;
• Light bulb. The cold water in the syrup hardens pliable ball, from which you can mold like clay. This syrup is used for sweets, toffees, gingerbread, some types of jams;
• Solid ball. The syrup solidifies into a ball, which quickly hardens, it ceases to be plastic. This syrup is needed for some sweets;
• Cod. The syrup is necessary to lower the fork, and then blow it hard. If a film or a bubble - sugar syrup is ready for use in preparing meringue, candy fillings, decorations;
• Caramel. The beaker with water is transformed into a hard sugar transparent icicle that can be crumbled during impact. Used for the manufacture of candies and caramel;
• Bypass. The syrup is a yellowish color and a distinctive flavor. This sample is often mistakenly referred to as caramel Caramel: sweet treat . Used for the manufacture of chocolates, flavoring dough, drinks, creams, glazes, frying hard fruits (eg, apples);
• Zhzhenka. Sugar turns brown, there is light smoke, odor. The taste of sugar becomes bitter. Burnt sugar is diluted with water and used to flavor and touch many confectionery and beverages.

The basic rules of cooking

Proper cooking of sugar syrup has its secrets. It is best used for making syrup, refined - conventional sugar typically contains too many impurities. In any case, whatever the sugar is used, it must be carefully removed from all foam syrup. After removing the foam is necessary to wipe the edge of dishes with a cloth soaked in ice-cold water to remove any grains of sugar.

Boil the syrup should be in a strong uniform heat. Ware is better to use a thick, made of brass or copper. Ideal Kazanka with convex bottom, but in a pinch you can use any metal thick-walled bowl.

First, until the sugar has dissolved, it should always interfere to prevent sticking to the bottom of the dishes. But as soon as the sugar has dissolved in water, stirring should be stopped.

The proportions of sugar and water to prepare a syrup in most cases are specified in the recipe. Sometimes water with sugar taken in equal proportions, sometimes sugar required to take two to three times greater than that of water. If water is used instead of another liquid, syrup is cooked by the same rule as usual.

Maria Bykov

Related Articles

Sweet Kitchen

Eastern sweets: the charm of the East

Shortbread: delicious every day

Caramel: sweet treat