[Sca-cooks] Candy question, mostly...

[aeduin]

>I'm not expert on candy techniques by any means, but I'm thinking the two 
>most significant factors in the final texture and consistency are how hot 
>you let the sugar get, and how you cool it.  The Hershey recipe matches 
>other successful fudge recipes I've seen in these two aspects.
>First, you heat the batter to the soft ball temperature range, then you 
>allow it to initially cool slowly back down to near-solid stage, followed 
>by a rapid final cooling.  I have done at least one version that uses a 
>rapid initial cooling and then follows with a longer final cooling, so I 
>suspect the initial temperature is the more important factor of the two.
>
>Sugar's an interesting beast.  Any time I read about candy techniques I'm 
>reminded of nothing so much as forge metallurgy.  The range of different 
>effects you can get from one basic substance just by varying how hot you 
>get it and how you let it cool afterwards is amazing.
>
>-Lorenz

So, do we now work on pattern welded candy?  One layer of refined, one or 
turbinado, one of brown etc......

aeduin---headin' for the Rock at high speed