The measurements should be accurate.
A wooden paddle whittled about a foot long, with a 2-inch blade, is found to be superior to a spoon in stirring or beating the candy.
A confectioner’s thermometer is an advantage. Those experienced in making maple sugar may dispense with the thermometer, although more accurate results are obtained by using it.
Fig. 1.—These are the usual and convenient types of candy box or feeder. The right-hand one is placed as it would appear on the top of the frames. Notice that one end is slightly elevated. To its left is a box of candy, which is darker, being made with “Coffee A” sugar; the glass side of this faces out, as also in the upper box. The box at the extreme left shows the surface of white candy, made with granulated sugar; it also shows the projection which tilts the box. Upon it is a pie plate filled with the candy, which may be inverted upon the frames. (Author’s illustration.)
Fig. 2.—Molds in the form of division-board feeders (left-hand mold filled with candy; right hand, empty). The lower frames are the standard Langstroth dimensions; the upper are Benton nuclei frames. The central box shows the position of a feeder on top of the frames. (Author’s illustration.)
As soon as the sugar has begun to dissolve, prior to boiling, the spoon or paddle used in stirring should be removed from the kettle. The candy should not be stirred while cooking; to do it will cause a coarse grain. Remove from the stove and cool to 125°-130° F. (or 51.6°-54.4° C.), when the specified boiling point has been reached. While cooling, in order to equalize the temperature, the mass may be stirred; or preferably, when cooled to the specified degree, it should be stirred until it commences to grain. Mr. Fuller’s directions are to stir vigorously until the mass appears in color and consistency like boiled starch or paste. At once pour into molds or feeders and cool.
Fine-grain Fondant for Queen Cages.—Another way to cool the candy is to prepare a marble slab 2 or 3 feet square with bars of square iron, making a form. The candy may be poured upon the marble, and with broad putty knives, similar to those used by paper hangers, the mass may be beaten or worked upon the marble. Experience teaches that this, which is virtually a confectioner’s method, produces a finer grain and usually a whiter fondant than when stirred in the kettle. This is the process in preparing candy for use in queen mailing cages, or the transportation of bees. By it, a firmer consistency is usually obtained.
As a warning or explanation it may be said that the higher the temperature at which the candy is boiled the harder it will become; consequently, by varying the boiling point at which the candy is removed from the stove, the hardness or softness of the product may be governed. Furthermore, as is the experience of confection makers, candy should be boiled to one or two degrees higher on cloudy or humid days than on a clear, dry day. By means of a thermometer and a little experience, these features are readily learned.