Some recipes call for dairy-based ingredients like butter and cream.
This part of the book will focus on some of the most essential dairy ingredients used for confectionery. Before we start, here are some important reminders when it comes to using dairy ingredients:
When heavy cream is not available, you can make substitutions but you have to adjust the rest of the recipe too.
Otherwise, the reduced cream (and therefore, fat content) used in the recipe will affect the taste and quality of the final batch. Always measure ingredients with standardized measuring tools to produce the best possible results with any candy recipe.
All dairy ingredients should be kept in proper containers and refrigerated (not frozen) and should be used well before the expiration dates. Before using any dairy ingredient, use the ‘shake & smell test’.
Shake the cream to see if the consistency is smooth. The shaking also releases the odor of the dairy ingredient. If you smell something buttery and sweet, then the cream is still okay to use.
But if you smell something sour and somewhat ‘cheesy’, do not use the cream. Never used spoiled cream in making anything.
When a candy recipe calls for butter, use butter – do not use any of the commercial butter ‘substitutes’ because those will not help you achieve the desired flavor of the candy. The buttery taste must come from fresh butter.
What about margarine? Well, margarine can be used for some other dishes but not candy making.
Tasty candy recipes often call for butter because of the high butterfat content. For margarine, it’s a bit more difficult to ascertain the actual fat content. What’s more, margarine is a bit harder to mix with other ingredients.
Now, some of you may be thinking: should you use salted butter or unsalted butter?
Go for plain, unsalted butter because many recipes often call salt anyway. You would be doubling the salt content of the confectionery if you use salted butter.
In truffle recipes, heavy cream is used instead of other dairy ingredients like whole milk. The reason for this is the fat content of heavy cream. Heavy cream has at least a40% fat content.
The rest of the cream is made up of milk solids and moisture. Heavy cream contributes in two important ways to candies: it provides a distinct flavor to the candy and also makes the texture of the final product much smoother.
Heavy cream has a general fat content no lower than 40%. When you need a dairy ingredient with even less fat but is
not completely fat-free, whipping cream is your best option.
Whipping cream is usually used in topping delicious caramels at home. Half-pint containers of whipping cream can be found in your local grocery store – these are perfect for making confectionery.
When people see “half-and-half” in pastry recipes and candy recipes, the first reaction is often, “What’s half-and-half?”. Half-and-half is a reduced form of cream that usually contains no more than 10.5% of dietary fat.
Now many people ask, can you substitute heavy cream or whipping cream for half-and-half? Unfortunately, no. The fat content of confectionery affects the texture and consistency of the final product. If a recipe calls for a dairy ingredient that has less than 30% fat, you should use that ingredient.
If you substitute whipping cream for half-and-half, even the taste of the sweet creation will change. Luckily, half-and-half can be purchased from grocery stores in the following sizes:
To improve your grasp of the difference between regular heavy cream and half-and-half, we suggest that you buy both in small quantities and perform a taste test. The difference in the taste and texture of the two is caused by the differences in their fat content.
We emphasize “dairy” when we refer to whole milk because other types of milk (like nut milks and soy milks) are usually not used in making confectionery. Stick to natural milk produced by cows and you are on the right track.
Whole dairy milk has one of the lowest fat contents in the entire group of dairy ingredients, with only 4% fat.
That’s why using “low-fat” dairy products can adversely affect the outcome of a traditional candy recipe.
So when a recipe calls for regular cream or milk, use regular cream or milk unless you are specifically crafting a sweet concoction that has been tagged as “reduced-fat”.
Who doesn’t use evaporated milk? This veteran dairy ingredient is used not only in regular dishes and soups, but also in candy making.
Because most of the water in evaporated milk has already been removed through processing, the taste of the milk is far richer than regular milk. Caramel recipes can be improved with the addition of evaporated milk.
Gas Saving Devices
Cash Building Strategies
Make Perfume
Party Planning
Home Automation
Words For Sell