The caramel smell of cotton candy is associated by many with a holiday, a visit to the circus, amusement park, happy childhood. This is an extremely simple dish. Of the required ingredients, there is only one product. And how many emotions it can cause! Thanks to the simplicity of the delicacy, it can be prepared at home, adding a little imagination in the manufacturing process.
Variety
Cotton candy can be colored (the shade is achieved by adding food coloring) and classic white. It can be sold both on a stick and in a bag or special packaging. Flavorings and flavorings can give it a hint of lemon, strawberry, apple and other fruit flavors. But the basic recipe remains the same.
What do you need to make a treat?
For cooking, take:
- 200 g sugar;
- 100g water;
- ten drops of table vinegar.
Pour sugar into a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour acidified liquid. With constant stirring, bring the mass to a boil, and then remove from heat, cool slightly and put on fire again. Thus, you need to achieve the state of a solid large ball of light brown color. To avoid these cooking steps, you can purchase a special composition for a cotton candy machine for the home. It is granulated sugar with flavoring, aromatic and color additives, however, its cost can reach up to 2,500 rubles per kilogram.
Apparatus for the production of cotton candy
There are many similar units on the market for both catering and personal use. Mostly Chinese and Polish production. There are also cotton candy machines for Russian-made houses. Examples of them are the goods of the Tver plant. It is easier to find overall cars from Russian firms. When choosing, you need to pay attention to:
- bowl material (best option is metal);
- presence of a protective cap (it ensures accurate work);
- reliability of electrical components.
The price of a cotton candy machine for the home varies and depends on the manufacturer and the power of the unit. You can find budget cars for 700 rubles, one and a half thousand and five thousand rubles. What they have in common is that they are small appliances suitable for home use. You have to follow the recipemanufacturer, as described in the accompanying instructions.
How to make cotton candy at home without a machine
Of course, it's good if the machine does most of the work. But what if there is no way to buy a cotton candy machine for your home, but you want something sweet right now? Then there is the opportunity to make this dessert with your own hands. Not much equipment is required, but skill and a love of experimentation are required. For the base on which we will crystallize the sugar, take a fork, a bamboo stick or a paper tube. Use either a helper to hold this tool or an object to support the base.
Be extremely careful, because the temperature of such a composition is about 130 degrees. Do not allow it to come into contact with exposed parts of the body. Work surfaces should also be protected from sweet threads. Although the composition is easy to clean, but a short enjoyment is not worth an hour of cleaning. After preparing the syrup according to the recipe above, dip a whisk (or fork) into it and apply the fibers of sucrose crystals to the base in a circular motion. If necessary, you can lightly crush them with your hand to control the splendor of the dessert. The quality of the resulting product will depend on the quality of the caramel (the thread should be easy to pull) and the skill of the cook. But with due diligence, as we see, the cotton candy machine for the home can be completely replaced with the simplest kitchen utensils.
Secrets and Features
There are several secrets to making thisdesserts, either on your own or with the help of a homemade cotton candy machine.
- If after making the dessert you have some syrup left, do not rush to get rid of it. Remember cockerels on a stick - a delicacy that is too simple, not having its former popularity today, but still very tasty. If you do not have a special container for making lollipops, you can take any heat-resistant cookie cutters, use small utensils: mugs, bowls, or even parchment paper. For convenience, you can insert sticks (for example, from ice cream) into molds. Lubricate the form with sunflower oil, pour caramel. Soon the mass will harden and will be ready for use.
- You can add some medicinal herbs to hot sugar to make this delicacy not only tasty, but also he althy (mint, sage leaves). It will have the same effect as throat lozenges.
- To make a fruit-flavored dessert, you need to either take ready-made syrup or make it yourself. For fruits that have a bright taste, like lemon, you can use freshly squeezed juice. If you add the essence to the composition of the mixture, you can get new shades of taste, set off the sugary sweetness with sourness.
- It has long been proven that taste is born not only in our tongue, but also in our heads. Adding a bit of the right color to the syrup with food coloring will spruce up the dish and delight kids and adults alike.
In the end
When choosing a unit, it is better to be guided by reviews aboutcotton candy machines for the home, so as not to repeat the mistakes of others. More informative are negative opinions, they can prepare for possible troubles in advance. If you do not want to pay for such units, then prepare this dessert yourself, but be careful when working with hot caramel. Create new flavors, don't be afraid to experiment.
