cast/poured sugar

[alligande]

this was my first attempt at casting sugar into a silicone mold (i have no experience with any pulled/poured sugar work) I carefully followed the directions in 3 different books including Ewald Notters, and made 3 attempts at my black lab, each time I cooked the sugar to a diffrent temp. Notters book said 154c so that was my first go, my final one was 165c. Each time the finished dog came out great, but within a very short time it became sticky, the one I held overnight in a box with dessicant ( normally used for gumpaste flowers) had lost all detail.

Does poured sugar go sticky very quickly, or did I do something very wrong?

The dog did look great on the cake though!

Karen

[Wendy DeBord]

I'm certainly not an expert in sugar work..........but I'll suggest what may have been problems.

First what recipe were you using? As in, did you have added water and if so did it cook long enough to cook/evaporate out completely........

Where are you located, region? Some areas or the world are notoriuously too humid. Even if your not in a tropical area whats going on in your area? Do you have your heater on, drying the air or do you have an air conditioner on? Was it raining outside when you did these?

Did you put your figurine on a cake that was in the cooler? My coolers have way too much humidity in them for them to hold any sugar items.

I assume you used regular sugar, may I suggest next time you purchase isomalt and use it instead.

[alligande]

Thanks for the input Wendy, .

I'm certainly not an expert in sugar work..........but I'll suggest what may have been problems.

First what recipe were you using? As in, did you have added water and if so did it cook long enough to cook/evaporate out completely........

←

The first attempt was as a result of this. that was why I tried diffrent temps. Ewald Notter in hios book said that this was a potential problem so on the later tries I cooked the sugar longer,

Where are you located, region? Some areas or the world are notoriuously too humid. Even if your not in a tropical area whats going on in your area? Do you have your heater on, drying the air or do you have an air conditioner on? Was it raining outside when you did these?

←

I am in New England and we had lovely weather, no humidty (for a change) and high 60s

Did you put your figurine on a cake that was in the cooler? My coolers have way too much humidity in them for them to hold any sugar items.

←

No the figurine went on at the site.

I assume you used regular sugar, may I suggest next time you purchase isomalt and use it instead.

My first choice but I cant buy it locally, and did not have time to order

PS Wendy why can I not get the quotes to work?

Edited November 8, 2005 by nightscotsman (log)

[jsolomon]

Have you tried pre-heating your molds to some extent?

165C is 330F so, I don't think your temperature is the problem. Isomalt may be the answer. What is probably happening is that you're breaking the bond between the glucose and the fructose in your sugar which then doesn't allow your crystals to form right (because they're cooling too fast and crashing into crystalline lattice).

My suggestion would be attempt using invert sugar, or isomalt, and cooling them slowly in a preheated oven (preheat to 300, then turn off when you put in your molds).

Best of luck!

[McDuff]

I have someone else's sugar notes from Jean-Luc Derron's class at Johnson & Wales posted here.

You might find some answeres. Derron is really an artist. I once watched him make a recognizable Julia Child who was about 6 inches high.

[Wendy DeBord]

Well I'm stumped. Nothing you wrote seemed obviously wrong and I've never had sugar melt down on me unless it was god aueful humid.

I personally don't cook sugar to temp.'s, unless it's less then hard crack. But for hard crack your basicly cooking the sugar right up to the point before it begins to take on color. And............I usually wait and let it take on a hint of color as my signal it's time. I even do that with lolipops. You can shock the pan temp. down quickly so it doesn't get objectionally colored.

Plus if your making a dog that's got a dark color being added to it, it really won't hurt to take on some color.

Well.........lets hope that Steve Klc or Chefette see this thread........they've got alot more experience with sugar then I.

[alligande]

Well I'm stumped. Nothing you wrote seemed obviously wrong and I've never had sugar melt down on me unless it was god aueful humid.

That is why I turned to egullet! I follow directions well

Plus if your making a dog that's got a dark color being added to it, it really won't hurt to take on some color.

←

Luckily the dog was a black lab so the sugar turning was not a problem, and I was really pleased with the way he looked, just slightly sticky. I did use powdered color.

Edited November 9, 2005 by alligande (log)