SC - hummus

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Etain1263 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> "When it has boiled a while...take up a drop ON THY FINGER (????) and do it
> in a little water and look if it hang together."
>   Would this not cause a serious burn?  I'm not really sure..but I haven't
> ever stuck my finger into a pot of boiling sugar syrup.  I use a spoon.  (but
> verification of the old "cold water test" is cool! 8)

This is an excellent point, and this isn't the only such recipe to call
for a step like this, so I can only assume there's consistently
something we're not being told. One of the recipes for seeds in confit
tells the cook to take up a little of the melted sugar between the thumb
and forefinger. Presumably the author assumes you'll take the pot off
the heat and let it cool somewhat, or have some intermediary step or
barrier between the boiling sugar and your skin.

This could conceivably include dipping the finger in cold water first,
or spooning some syrup out, blowing on it, then scooping a bit up on
your finger. It would depend on your own callouses, resistance to burns
and/or pain, etc.

Which leads to the question of whether it's possible for a full-time
cook (i.e. someone who does this stuff all the time), under the right
circumstances, to simply do as the recipe instructs. When I've made
anise in confit, I was able to dip a wooden spoon in the boiling sugar,
wet my finger, and scrape the sugar off the spoon with my finger without
burning it. Of course, I have moderately calloused hands and have spent
years with my hands in ovens and steamers, and over grills, so I've
become fairly resistant to all but the most serious burns. Another
consideration is that syrups that have boiled for a while, and therefore
contain less water, cool faster than those that have not. The syrup for
anise in confit is nearly anhydrous; it's just melted sugar, not sugar
dissolved in water and boiled down. The finger thing may be more doable
for that type of cooked sugar than for a boiling syrup.
    
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com