Spun sugar question

[Fatmat]

I've been playing with spun sugar - angel hair and sugar spirals. They seem to 'melt' from the atmospheric humidity within about half an hour of making them and I need to do a load.

Does anybody know if there is a way of making them in advance and keeping them?

Ta,

Mat

[wheels]

I believe that you can do this by putting them in a tin with a pack of silica gel.

Phil

[Spuddy]

A dessicant (like silica gel) is a good idea.
In the trade there are various stabilisers that are used to produce a more stable crystal structure. "Sucrasec" is one particular one that I've seen.
Add a small amount of lemon juice or citric acid as an alternative.

It ought to last more than half an hour though, half a DAY would be too little for most pastry chefs.
What temperature are you taking the caramel to?

[Fatmat]

Cheers guys.

It ought to last more than half an hour though, half a DAY would be too little for most pastry chefs.
What temperature are you taking the caramel to?

Taking the caramel to a golden colour... bin too lazy for temperatures. They last, but they have started getting sticky after half an hour - it's been damp here over the past few days.

Going to ebay some silica gel

[Spuddy]

I'm pretty sure your sugar is not cooked enough, get yourself a sugar thermometer and start measuring your temperatures.
If you want perfect results you're going to have to stop being lazy (by your admission) and start getting some precision in your methods.

[Paul Kribs]

I seem to recall that my mother used to add a small amount of vinegar to the toffee when she was making toffee apples, never really wondered why until now, and unfortunately she is no longer with us..
She probably did it to confuse me in later life...

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Fatmat]

I seem to recall that my mother used to add a small amount of vinegar to the toffee when she was making toffee apples, never really wondered why until now, and unfortunately she is no longer with us..

I think that the vinegar stops the sugar re-crystalising by interfering with the molecular structure - stops it going grainy. Lemon juice, cream of tartar, golden syrup and corn syrup have the same effect.

[saucisson]

Going to ebay some silica gel

You will probably find it in B&Q or Homebase as an anti-condensation product.

Dave