[Sca-cooks] making candy

[Mark.S Harris]

Olwen replied to Vittoria with:
> >I'm using a recipe from an very old edition of the Joy of Cooking, and the
> >process doesn't look too difficult, but very time-consuming.  But it's my
> >first time with candy-making, and I'm a bit nervous as to how it will come
> >out.  Any advice to offer a novice confectioner? :-)
> >Vittoria
>
> Do you have a candy thermometer?  Do you have an idea what 'soft ball' stage
> is?  If you do, you don't necessarily need a thermometer.

You might also want to look at this file in the FOOD-SWEETS section
of the Florilegium. It details both the period and the modern candy
stages such as the 'soft ball' stage that Olwen describes. The
period and modern descriptions do differ somewhat.
Candying-art       (9K)  6/29/99    Period and modern descriptions of
the
                                       candying process by Alys
Katharine.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-SWEETS/Candying-art.html

Stefan li Rous