ON FOOD: Littleton woman's cookbook can help dissolve candymaking woes
Want to watch an otherwise mild-mannered cook experience the kitchen equivalent of road rage? Take a peek at them trying to make candy for the first time at high altitude.
Their fudge stays soft and gritty. Their toffee separates into a greasy mess on top of a tooth-cracking hard sheet on the bottom.
It's not surprising that sea level candy recipes can cause culinary mood swings in Colorado.
Just in time for newbies or experienced makers of holiday candy comes "The Rocky Mountain Sweet Shoppe Cookbook," by Patty Ross of Littleton.
There are 256 pages filled with all sorts of candy recipes, candymaking tips and suggestions for the best candymaking equipment.
Speaking of which, a candy thermometer is a must-have.
"Invest in the Taylor brand with a stainless steel back, and a clip to attach to the cooking pan," she writes in her cookbook. "We prefer the digital type. It is foolproof, and results in the perfect candy every time."
When making certain candies, each degree of heat is crucial, and a thermometer lets you know the exact stage of the heat of the syrup.
Before making candy, test the thermometer to determine at which degree water boils where you live: Place the thermometer in a pan of water and bring it to a boil. Keep the thermometer in the rolling boil for five minutes. At the end of five minutes, read the temperature. Subtract the reading from 212 (the boiling point at sea level). To find the correct temperature for this altitude, take that figure and subtract it from the sea level temperature called for in the recipe.
In her cookbook, Ross gives this example: "When testing the thermometer, water boiled at 202 degrees. If a recipe calls for cooking to 238 degrees, you would subtract 10 degrees (212 degrees minus 202 degrees, or 10 degrees) and this lets you know you need to cook that recipe to 228 degrees instead of 238 as stated in the recipe."
A reader called recently wondering why candy sometimes gets gritty.
In her cookbook Ross says to add liquids to the pan first, then the sugars.
"This will eliminate sugar crystals from forming on the inside of the cooking pan. If sugar crystals become present, wipe down the insides of the pan with a damp paper towel. After initially stirring a mixture to dissolve the sugar, be sure that the spoon is thoroughly rinsed, before returning it to the pan for additional stirring. Even a single sugar granule on the spoon can cause a chain reaction, and the entire batch of candy can develop a grainy texture."
The book costs $24.95 plus shipping. It's available at Barnes and Noble, It's a Grind coffee shop, The Broadmoor culinary store and Poor Richard's. You can also order it online at www.rockymountaincookbooks.com.
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Reach Farney at 636-0271 or teresa.farney@gazette.com. She appears Tuesdays on KOAA's Comcast Channel 5 at noon.
