When cooking a small amount of sugar a small pan should be used or else the pan should be placed on an additional ring, so that the fire will only strike a part of the bottom of the pan. The heat should never strike the pan above the sugar, this causing it to bake on the sides of the pan and sometimes dissolving the pan.
Slowly cooked sugar makes tough and sticky candy, so that candy of any description should be cooked as rapidly as possible.
Confectioner’s Sugar, sometimes called XXXX, is especially ground for candy making purposes. XXX sugar is a coarser grade and is not as satisfactory as the XXXX sugar. Pulverized sugar cannot be used as a substitute and give satisfactory results, because it hardens.
Water. Always use cold water when making candy. The quantity of water used must be regulated according to the sugar.
Milk. Use fresh milk in preference to Pasteurized or sterilized milk, because it is not so liable to curdle.
Glucose is a very thick, transparent, tasteless liquid extracted from corn; it is usually of a yellow tinge. Very few people know how glucose is made and are under the impression that it is an injurious adulteration. Because glucose is used extensively in cheap candy, there is a certain amount of prejudice against it. By using glucose sparingly in certain candies it imparts a smoothness and also prevents any stirred candy from turning to sugar.
It may be purchased from any confectioner that makes his own candy. When purchasing it, it is necessary to take a bucket or jar, because it must be put into something that will be easy to get it out on account of its sticky quality.
In putting it into the kettle, first weigh the kettle with the paddle, take out the glucose with the paddle and when you think you have the required amount, weigh the glucose, kettle and paddle. If you do not have scales to weigh it, be very careful not to use too much glucose, because it will spoil some candies.
Glucose is easily handled in cold weather, because it gets very thick. Dip your hand in cold water, scoop out a small quantity of glucose, keeping your hand moving all the time; by doing this it will not stick.