Peter Edwards wrote:
> "Ruary Rudd" wrote:
>>Fondant is made by boiling a sugar solution to approx 234 Fahrenheit, at
>>this temperature the sugar has not caramelised.

> The UK's largest manufacturer of baker's fondant heats to only 221F.  Whilst
> 234F will not cause caramelisation, it gives a soft candy - not fondant

Both are fondant if you are a cook, in fact most recipes call for 234F
for fondant. The reason is the fondant is made with sugar only and you
need that temperature to have a paste, otherwise you are working with a
thick syrup.

234F is the high side of the thread stage and start of soft ball stage
in making candy so you can call it candy or fondant. Websters defines
fondant as "candy made of a thick creamy sugar paste" so consistancy
defines fondant, not temperature.

You are still a long way from carmalization which is 310-338F.

Allen gave a source for beekeeper's fondant that was tested on bees.
There are fondants on the market that use Tartaric Acid (an ingredient
in some cookbooks and recipes for bee's overwintering syrup) and other
ingredients which are not good for overwintering bees in cold climates.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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