During an RCI candy making course in 1971, the instructor
discovered two students, although using identical formulas for rolled creams,
were achieving vastly different results due to a variation in their cooking
time. Keep reading to ensure your cooking time isn’t compromising the quality
of your creams and other products.
Cooking Time for Rolled Creams, By Fred
Janssen, SuCrest Corp.
While
teaching at the RCI Short Course on Retail Candy Making, it was interesting to
learn the following from two of the students who were trying to make the same
type of candy. In this case, rolled creams. After questioning the students, an
interesting fact was revealed. In one case, the cooking time of the batch was 8
minutes and in the other, 45 minutes. Both were using the identical formulas as
suggested by many in the trade and it was quite evident that the student who
took the longer cooking time was not getting good results. There was a great
deal of variation in the type of product that he was trying to make.
Rolled creams are dependent upon the crystalline
structure or the sugar remaining in the cream and with the longer cooking time,
excessive inversion took place which reduced the percentage or amount of sugar
remaining in the cream, thereby causing a great deal of difficulty for the candy
maker.
A
good rule to follow in any cooking operation is that all batches should be
cooked to its final temperature within 20 minutes. If this is not possible on
the equipment, the size of the batch should be reduced so that this cooking
time can be accomplished. If larger batches are necessary, consideration should
be given to making changes by obtaining better cooking equipment.
It's important to be mindful of cooking times, and not just ingredient formulations, when adjusting batch sizes. The 20-minute rule can help candy makers keep their cooking times in check and prevent excessive inversion.
Stay connected with RCI
through Facebook for
more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a
member? Click here to learn how RCI can help
you build your sweet business.
