Confectionery ingredients and equipment

Confectionery is arguably the most demanding of the culinary arts. Requiring a degree of precision and accuracy unequaled in other areas of the kitchen. A batch of confectionery centers is not as forgiving as a batch of bread or cake. Because confections themselves are smaller than pastries or baked goods, a typical batch al confections uses smaller increments of each ingredient when scaling and handling small quantities, slight errors translate as sizeable percentages of the total. In addition to this basic requirement of precision in the amounts of ingredients, confectionery art demands precise handling techniques. Cocoa butter will only crystallize in a desirable form under specific conditions: if the temperature is a few degrees offs or the amount of agitation is not adequate, the chocolate will bloom. Resulting in a ruined product Sugar too requires exact control over percentage. Temperature, and handling in order to achieve the desired result, whether that is the prevention or formation of crystals. These are just some of the factors that the artisan confectioner must deal with every day. By understanding the ingredients commonly used in confectionery, knowing the proper use of confectionery tools, and mastering the basic processes, the artisan confectioner can bring to fruition any creative inspiration. As compared with cooking or even baking, confectionery involves relatively few ingredients. It is how those ingredients are handled, and the relative quantities of each. that makes each confection unique. Understanding the basic properties of each ingredient, and how they interact, enables the confectioner to be more successful in creating precisely the results desired. The importance of this cannot be over-stated: when a professional truly understands ingredients, there is nothing that he or she cannot accomplish in formulation.

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