Syrup for cotton candy. How cotton candy is made in production and at home: composition, apparatus and cost

Surely, many people associate cotton candy with childhood, trips to the park or square, which were necessarily accompanied by eating it. Sometimes you want to remember this taste, but a family trip for a walk is not planned yet. In this case, you can make cotton candy at home with your own hands using a simple set of ingredients. Without a special apparatus, the process, of course, will be difficult, but if desired, it is quite possible to master it.

If you plan to cook this delicacy often, pampering children and yourself, it makes sense to purchase the necessary device. Its cost is relatively small, it is easy to use and completely safe.

Equipment

If you decide to purchase a device for cotton candy, or rather, for its preparation, you need to know how to use it correctly:

Wash the new device thoroughly with detergent (or soap) and warm water;
Let the equipment dry;
It is necessary to let the device warm up for 5-10 minutes.

The process of making cotton candy on special equipment is carried out in several stages. The appliance is warming up. Pour sugar onto the disc in the amount of 1-2 tsp. Melting, the product turns into crunchy sweet threads. Now they need to be transferred to a stick.

You can use bamboo or sushi sticks. They are placed vertically in a bowl. When rotating, the threads themselves are wound around it, forming a fluffy ball. If fibers remain on the walls of the container, they can also be picked up with a cotton candy stick.

If there is a need to prepare a colored treat, you can use dyes by adding them to sugar.

This equipment allows you to quickly cook delicious sweets, but it also has its drawbacks:

The device is quite bulky. Its dimensions are similar to those of a food processor or slow cooker;
Inexpensive equipment representatives heat up very quickly, so when cotton candy is being prepared, they need to be turned off periodically. If this is not done, the device will soon fail.

Do not forget to clean the bowl of the apparatus, otherwise, over time, it will completely become covered with a sugar layer.

Having such a device, you can organize a permanent production of cotton candy. Some even think that this is a great idea for creating and growing their business.

DIY equipment

The principle of operation of the device is simple, which encourages many to independently create it. To do this, you need a simple set of materials that can be found, perhaps, in every home, and skillful hands.

Here's how you can build this device with your own hands. Clean with a file or sandpaper 2 tin caps (eg bottle caps). Make a large hole in one of them and several small ones in the second cover, connect them with a wire.

Now you need to attach a motor from some home electronic device (for example, from a hair dryer) to them. Wrap the entire structure with a wire to the board, which will become the base of the device. Using the terminals, attach the motor with the battery (you can use a crown battery).

Install thick cardboard on one side to create a partition. The device in which you can make cotton candy at home is ready and can be used as ordinary equipment. You can heat the rotating drum with a candle or a lighter.

Despite the simplicity of the design, it is not safe, so it is better to get original equipment or do without it at all. A do-it-yourself gourmet will turn out no worse than one made with the help of an apparatus.

In a skillet or pot

First, practice cooking with a small amount of ingredients. The process will require skill. In this regard, it is possible that the first couple of times you just have to practice.

Ingredients:

Sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
Water - 0.5 cups;
Vinegar - 2 drops;
Fork, Chinese sticks.

How to cook

We start making cotton candy by installing holders. To do this, put the sticks in the glass so that they are in a vertical position.

Now you can do the syrup. We combine all the ingredients in one container, put on a small fire and bring to a boil, without ceasing to stir the mixture. As soon as it boils, set aside the syrup and let it cool. This is necessary so that the syrup does not acquire a dark brown hue. We repeat the procedure 5 times until the mixture acquires a thick consistency and a golden color.

The final step in making the tastiest cotton candy at home is very important. Immerse the fork in the mass while it is still hot, and then move it around the sticks so that the sugar fibers remain on them. The thinner they get, the better. Wind the threads in such an amount that you get a fluffy head.

That's the whole principle of cooking. Don't forget about safety. Hot sugar syrup can burn if you're not careful when handling it.

If the first time the wool turned out not the way you expected, you don’t need to be upset - next time it will be better.

Colored treat

Colored cotton candy is especially loved by children and adults, but how to make it at home? It's absolutely not difficult. Today, there are a huge number of various dyes and food additives on sale that will allow the treat to acquire a new taste.

The most popular of the dyes: yellow curcumin, red betanin, yellow saffron, purple anthocyanin, fiery red paprika. True, when studying their composition, it becomes clear that there are very few natural ingredients - solid chemicals. When preparing a treat for children, you should not use such components.

You can make colored cotton wool using the juice of fruits and berries (strawberries, raspberries, lemons, oranges, mint syrup, etc.). It diversifies the taste and gives a beautiful color. The technology for preparing treats will not change at the same time - just add juice to the rest of the ingredients.

Perhaps everyone likes it. However, it is not advisable to purchase an apparatus for its manufacture exclusively for domestic purposes. After all, the installation costs a lot of money. However, you can make a do-it-yourself cotton candy machine.

Is it possible to do it yourself

Almost everyone is able to create an apparatus for making cotton candy with their own hands. This requires a few materials and tools. You will need a large pot, as well as some accessories that anyone can find in the pantry. With a little effort, you can create an apparatus without spending a dime. Using a homemade device, you can make any amount of goodies at any time.

Required parts and tools

So, as already mentioned, a large pan is required to make the apparatus. But that's not all. You also need a special container where sugar will be poured. The container must be made of fire resistant material. After all, sugar will heat up and melt in it. In this case, the container should rotate and throw out thin threads of cotton wool. Of course, that's not all. So, to create an apparatus for making cotton candy with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

Several drills, it is advisable to have a very thin one on hand - no more than one millimeter in diameter, and a drill.
or metal shears.
A set of files.
Soldering iron.

Device accessories

Sweet without a device, it is unlikely to turn out so airy and light. And to create the device you will need the following components:

Jet lighter. Such a device is characterized by a blue flame. This type of lighter generates heat that is much higher than that of conventional lighters. When burning, the device does not emit soot. It should be borne in mind that the lighter should be installed so that it can burn on its own. It will be much more convenient.
Power supply for the electric motor. It could be a regular battery.
DC electric motor. The device must be powered by low voltage.
Tin can, for example, from under vegetables.
Small lid for lighter.
Bucket or large saucepan.
Washer, bolt, nut.
A rod that exceeds the length of a pan made of metal or wood.
Tube, 15 centimeters long.

lighter mount

Consider how to create a do-it-yourself cotton candy machine. First you need to create a stand for the lighter. To do this, the device must be wrapped with cling film in two layers. To secure the lighter, it is worth mixing a small amount of epoxy glue, applying it to the milk cap and gluing the lighter. When everything hardens, you need to take the device and remove the film from it. That's all, the lighter stand is ready. It can be removed at any time.

Mounting the rod and motor

In order for a ready-made cotton candy machine, created with your own hands, to work, you need an engine. It can be connected with a short tube or a metal rod to a tin can. It's much more convenient. At the ends of the tube or rod, one hole should be made. Each of them has its own purpose. One will serve to connect to the motor shaft. You can fix it with superglue. You can also use a set screw. In this case, another hole is required. However, this method allows you to remove the engine if necessary.

The second hole is needed to attach the can. It is best to fix the container with a bolt. After that, the engine must be fixed on the transverse bar. This is done very simply. It is enough to drill two holes in the center of the plank. Fasten the motor with two screws.

Preparing the can

So, the do-it-yourself cotton candy machine is almost done. The tin can will serve as the container inside which the sugar will melt. To do this, you need to fill it with the product and unwind it. A hole should be made along the top edge of the jar. The top cover must be completely removed. It is better to clean the edge with a file.

On the sides of the can, you need to make a lot of holes, preferably at the bottom edge. To do this, use drills with a very small diameter, which only exists. It is better to step back one centimeter from the bottom seam, and only then you can make holes.

Installing the container

In a tin can, it is worth making a hole for fastening directly to the rod. We will fix the container with a nut and bolt. If desired, the jar can simply be soldered to a metal rod or nailed to a wooden plank. However, bolting is the best option, as it allows the container to be replaced.

The jar should be located above the source of fire inside the pot or bucket.

How to cook cotton wool

That's all. The do-it-yourself cotton candy machine is fully prepared for operation. Using it is quite simple. It is enough to light the lighter, pour some sugar into a tin can and start the engine. The lighter should be installed inside the pan or bucket.

As the jar heats up, the sugar will begin to melt and scatter through the holes in it, forming cotton candy fibers. After making the right amount of goodies, it remains to collect everything on a bamboo skewer. As you can see, everything is simple.

Cotton candy is a favorite treat not only for children, but also for adults. For many, it is associated with magic, a holiday and, of course, an amusement park. Professionals use a special machine that allows you to create a sweet balloon in minutes. In the hope of repeating the cooking technology, the housewives resort to various tricks to please their family. As it turned out, you can cook delicious puffed sugar at home, just be smart and carve out a little time.

Homemade unit for the production of cotton candy

It is not necessary to purchase a professional device, the device can be made at home using improvised materials and tools. Consider the steps step by step.

To assemble a miniature car, prepare 2 tin lids (a sample from baby food jars will do).

Rinse the covers, put on protective gloves, grind them with sandpaper or a file. When processing the product, you need to remove all the paint so that later it does not get into the cotton candy.

Now start creating holes on both covers. Poke many small holes in the first lid with an awl or a thin nail, the final product (sugar threads) will come out from there. In the second lid, make one larger hole, granulated sugar will be poured into it.

Connect the covers together to form an impromptu cavity inside. Fix the result with aluminum wire or other convenient method.

Take any small motor (from a hair dryer, blender, mixer), attach it with nuts to the covers.

Now you need to prepare a solid base to which the structure will be attached. It can be a flat turned board or a piece of plywood.

Take the crown batteries, connect them to the motor terminals, observing the polarity. On one side, install a thick cardboard sheet or whatman paper, folded in half to form a partition.

Pour 40 gr. into the opening of the lid. granulated sugar, heat the rotating cavity with matches or a lighter.

The composition will begin to melt and settle on a solid partition, you just have to collect it with a stick or wind it on any other thin object (cutlery handle, cocktail tubes, etc.).

In the end, you will end up with fairly dense, but not very airy cotton candy. To make it as close as possible to the purchased one, pour not granulated sugar into the apparatus, but isomalt - a powdered sweetener.

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Professional cotton candy maker

A miniature unit can be ordered online, it will provide you with an unlimited amount of cotton wool. The advice is especially relevant for those who often host guests with children or arrange theme parties.

The design of the device is quite simple: on a stable base stand there is a metal disk, which tends to heat up, as well as a bowl.

Principle of operation

After purchasing, put the unit in the bathroom or on a shower tray, turn on the hot water and rinse the unit in the shower. Wash it with dish detergent, dry with a towel, and leave to dry.

After the final drying, plug the device into an outlet, warm it up for 7-10 minutes.

Pour 1.5-2 tablespoons of sugar onto a metal disk. At this time, it will begin to melt from the rotating heating disc, forming sugar weaves.

After that, lower the stick into the main bowl, on which the composition will be wound. If the sugar mixture has settled on the side walls, collect it in a convenient way. Vata is ready!

The pricing policy of the device is quite objective, so if you plan to cook a treat often, it makes sense to purchase a professional unit. It does not stain the kitchen, it is easy to clean, it is compact in storage and convenient to use. The disadvantage of a cheap device is considered to be its low efficiency, the unit quickly overheats, so it becomes necessary to constantly cool it.

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Making cotton candy without using the appliance

Do not be upset if you do not like making an apparatus or buying a professional device. Cotton candy can be prepared under normal conditions, while it will not lose its properties and airy structure.

Required Tools
Prepare a whisk, a ceramic bowl, a saucepan or a heavy-bottomed pan. Take care of the original frames to wind the sugar threads. These can be cocktail tubes, Chinese sticks, bamboo reeds, a fork or spoon.

Required Ingredients
Regarding the ingredients for making cotton wool, white or cane sugar is suitable, calculate the amount based on the serving size (usually 2-5 tablespoons are enough). You will need purified water, the proportions of which in relation to granulated sugar are 1: 3. For example, if 150 grams of sugar is taken, then there should be 50 ml of water. Prepare a table vinegar solution in advance (concentration no more than 6%), you will need 5-7 ml.

Mix granulated sugar and water into one composition, rub with a fork.

Pour in the vinegar, mix again and transfer the composition to a saucepan / frying pan for subsequent heating.

Now you need to prepare sugar syrup. To do this, turn on a small fire on the stove, simmer the mixture and stir constantly. Carefully collect the syrup from the walls so that it does not burn.

When the composition becomes completely homogeneous, turn off the stove, cool to a temperature of 30-35 degrees. At the same time, stir the syrup constantly so that it does not re-sugar.

When the mixture has cooled, put it back on a slow fire and boil, then turn off the stove again and cool.

Repeat simple manipulations 4-6 times until the composition becomes viscous. In this case, the syrup should have a pronounced golden hue.

When you bring the product to the desired color, check it for viscosity. Dip the edge of the spoon into the syrup and lift it up, the finished mixture should stretch well and not tear immediately after lifting the appliance.

Now build a frame for the production of threads. Place Chinese sticks or tubes vertically, secure them in a convenient way.

Dip a whisk into the thick syrup, then run it around the homemade frame.

Repeat the steps until you reach the desired amount of cotton. Do not scoop up too much syrup so that the threads are thin.

Making cotton candy using syrup is not difficult. To make a treat using the device, connect the head of the family to the production of the unit. Optionally, you can add food coloring to the composition to make cotton wool pink, yellow, blue or purple. It is also allowed to use several syrups of different colors, in which case cotton candy will turn out in the form of a rainbow.

When you take your child to a park, circus, or other family-friendly place, you will almost certainly see vendors offering to buy cotton candy. It can be difficult to reject such an offer: the sweet fragrant “tow” on a stick looks incredibly tempting, and the children who gobble it up look really happy and contented. It is useless to convince yourself, and even more so the child, that there is no use in it, that it costs a thousand times more than the cost of its constituent products, that it will stain your face and hands, it is useless. This sweet temptation has long been an attribute of the holiday, fun, childish serenity.
But in order to experience the festive mood, treating yourself to sweet threads wound on a stick, it is not necessary to rush to a park or other public place. You can arrange a holiday for yourself and your family without leaving your home. Making cotton candy at home is a very realistic idea. Having trained, even an inexperienced hostess will cope with the task. She will only need patience, accuracy and the presence of a certain amount of time, unless, of course, you invest in the purchase of appropriate equipment. A special unit will greatly simplify and speed up the process.

Cooking features

The technology for making cotton candy at home with and without a special unit is significantly different. In the first case, only sugar or a dry flavor mixture based on it is needed, in the second, a syrup turned into liquid caramel. The syrup will also be useful for some types of cotton candy machines.

Cotton candy production units can be industrial and compact, only the second option is suitable for home use. Such devices cost from 2 to 3 thousand rubles, although you can find cheaper and more expensive cars. How they work may vary slightly.

Turbine machines for the production of cotton candy have a large bowl, in the center of which is a turbine. Sugar or a dry mixture based on it is poured into it. Additives to give cotton candy an appetizing color and aroma, flavor of fruits, berries and other delicacies can be ordered in online stores. They cost about 500-1000 rubles per package, which is enough for at least 25 kg of sugar. In terms of cotton candy, this is a huge amount. When the unit is heated, the grains of sugar inside the turbine melt and are sprayed with thin threads on the inner walls of the bowl of the device. The culinary specialist only needs to lower a stick (special or adapted) into it and collect caramel threads on it with rotational movements.

Cotton candy disc machines require syrup to be prepared beforehand, which is poured onto a hot rotating disc. From it, caramel is sprayed on the walls of the bowl. If you lower a straw into the bowl, sweet threads will entangle it, and you will get cotton candy, almost indistinguishable from the purchased one.

Most modern machines allow you to make cotton candy in both of the described ways.

The purchase of the unit can be considered appropriate if there are many children in the house and children's holidays are often arranged for them. For a small family, such a purchase is unlikely to be justified. Wanting to please the children with a sweet treat, you will have to make cotton candy with your own hands, without resorting to the help of an apparatus. For this, a syrup is prepared, which is boiled down in several steps to the state of a viscous caramel. It is pulled out with a fork or whisk, wrapped around two or three supports, which are later separated from each other. The result is 2-3 servings of dessert.

When preparing cotton candy at home, there are a few things to consider.

You will have to cook caramel in several stages, otherwise it will become dark and not viscous enough, cotton candy from it will turn out not tasty and appetizing enough.
Before preparing cotton candy, the table and other surfaces that may be splashed must be covered with newspapers, cellophane, otherwise you will then be tormented by washing the room.
Hot syrup, which can also splatter, is easy to burn. When working with it, you need to be careful, it does not hurt to protect your hands with gloves. Children and pets will have to be expelled from the kitchen while preparing dessert, although the process will arouse their curiosity.
To give cotton candy a bright color and flavor, you can use not only ready-made additives, but also natural dyes and flavors. Berry syrups, vanilla and mint extracts, beetroot juice (it is used instead of water) have proven themselves best. If you decide to take the easy route and purchase a special blend, check the ingredients to make sure it doesn't contain any harmful ingredients.

Cotton candy recipe in a turbine-type apparatus

sugar or sugar mixture - 1-2 scoops per serving.

Cooking method:

Assemble the pre-washed and dried device, connect it to the power supply.
Wait 2-3 minutes for the machine to warm up.
Pour a measuring spoon into the hole located in the center of the turbine.
Wait until silky threads begin to appear in the bowl of the unit.
Dip a stick into the bowl and, rotating it, gather a silky fiber around it.

As the sugar runs out, you can add it. Then you can cook several servings of cotton candy or one large one. After the desired amount of delicacy is prepared, the device must be turned off, disassembled, washed and wiped dry. It is not worth delaying washing the device - frozen caramel is more difficult to wash.

Cotton Candy Syrup Recipe (for cooking with a special machine)

berry or fruit syrup - 20-40 ml per 1 serving.

Cooking method:

Turn on the unit, let it warm up. The disk will become hot enough in 2-3 minutes.
Scoop the syrup into a spoon, carefully drop it onto the edge of the spinning disc.
When the threads are formed, resembling a cobweb, lower the tube into the bowl and collect the cobweb around the stick. Do not forget to add a little syrup to the disk.

After preparing cotton candy, the unit must be washed and dried. Don't forget to unplug it from the mains before doing this.

Cotton candy recipe without apparatus

sugar - 150 g;
water - 50 ml;
apple cider vinegar (6 percent) - 5 drops.

Cooking method:

Think about what you will collect cotton candy on. You can use forks, spoons, chopsticks for eating Japanese dishes, cocktail tubes. It is important to fix them strictly vertically at a distance of about 10-15 cm from each other. If you place them closer, the portions of cotton candy will come out too small, but if the distance is too large, it will be difficult for you to wrap these supports with sweet threads.
Pour sugar with water, rub with a fork.
Add vinegar, stir.
Transfer the sugar to a small saucepan, put it on a slow fire.
Heat the sugar, stirring it often and collecting it from the walls to the center. It is very important not to burn the sugar, otherwise your dessert will have an unpleasant burnt aftertaste.
When the sugar is completely melted, remove the container with it from the heat, without waiting for the syrup to darken - this is just not necessary.
While stirring the syrup, wait for it to cool down to about human body temperature. It is necessary to stir the syrup while cooling so that it does not sugar.
Put the cooled syrup back on a slow fire, bring to a boil, remove from heat.
Heat and cool the syrup until it thickens and turns golden. You can check the readiness of the syrup with a spoon: if, when removing it from the container, the syrup reaches for it, it is ready. In order for the syrup to acquire the necessary viscosity, it will have to be heated and cooled 5-7 times.
Pick up hot thick syrup with a fork or whisk, wrap the threads of syrup stretching behind the fork around the prepared supports. If they are far away, sweet threads may simply not reach from one support to another, therefore, in the absence of experience in making cotton candy with your own hands, the supports should be placed closer to each other.
When the supports are entangled in a large layer of caramel threads, cotton candy can be removed from them and transferred to a bag. You can divide the delicacy into two portions or collect it on one stick.

Leftover sugar syrup should not be thrown away. You can transfer it to a mold and give it time to harden. As a result, you will get a delicious lollipop. To the products indicated in the recipe, you can add a few drops of vanilla or mint extract, a teaspoon of berry syrup, a small amount of food coloring. This will allow you to get a brighter and more fragrant delicacy.

Who among us has not bought cotton candy? Such people, most likely, do not exist in nature. And we know perfectly well that if you roll a fluffy cloud of cotton wool into a dense ball, it is unlikely that even a spoonful of sugar with dye will be collected in it, and still ... A beloved child looks with such eyes, and his memories of childhood are so sweet that they miss the treasured tray impossible to get through.

Everyone also saw how cotton candy is made. From a rotating metal cylinder, sweet threads fly out through holes, which the seller immediately picks up with a stick and begins to wind. It turns out a large lump of cotton wool, consisting of 95 percent of the air.

What and how is happening is quite clear. Sugar, mixed with coloring and flavoring, is heated in the central cylinder and begins to melt. As the cylinder rotates, the molten mass is forced through the holes under the action of centrifugal force and scatters to the sides. The seller only needs to catch these threads. Some craftsmen make not just fluffy clouds from cotton wool, but also simple figures.

How to make cotton candy at home?

The apparatus for making cotton candy can be made independently from improvised materials. For this you will need:

aluminum can of Coca-Cola;
an electric motor, for example, from an old electric razor;
a heating element;
a container like a basin with high sides so that the cotton wool does not scatter throughout the kitchen.

Manufacturing process.

1. We make a central cylinder for sugar from a can.

We cut the jar to about half, the cut edges are slightly bent inward.
In the sides with a thin nail we make holes for the threads.
In the center of the bottom, we also make a hole for fastening.

2. We insert the axis of the electric motor into the hole in the bottom, fix it.
3. At the bottom of the pelvis, we strengthen the electric motor with a container.
The most difficult thing is to bring the cans of heating elements to the bottom. It all depends on its type. It seems that the craftsmen themselves will figure out what can be done here.
When the installation is assembled, pour a spoonful of sugar into a jar, which can be mixed with dye (or drop a little fruit juice), heat the mixture for about half a minute, and then turn on the motor. Now just have time to pick up the emerging threads with a straw or a sushi stick with rotational movements.