Okay, so, let’s talk about this blown sugar thing I tried making the other day. It looked so cool online, all these fancy, shiny sugar sculptures, and I thought, “I can do that!” Spoiler: it’s not as easy as it looks, but hey, I got a story to tell.
First things first, I got my ingredients together, just the basics: white sugar, water, and some glucose ’cause I read somewhere that helps. I also used 50ml of water with 1/2 cup + 1/8 c white sugar. I dumped 50ml of water and a good amount of white sugar into a pot. Then, I cranked up the heat to high, ’cause the goal here was to get this mix to boil and turn into a sugar syrup. It took a bit, but eventually, it started bubbling away like a witch’s brew.
Once I had my syrup, I moved it to a silicone mat I had lying around. The instructions I found online said to add coloring at this stage. I grabbed some blue food coloring ’cause why not have a blue sugar sculpture? I dripped a few drops in and started folding the sugar onto itself. This part was tricky. The sugar was still hot, but it was starting to cool down and get harder to work with. I kept folding and folding, trying to mix the color evenly.
Now, for the “blowing” part. I inserted a tube that’s connected to an air pump into this lump of blue sugar. I gently pumped air into it, I was supposed to slowly inflate the sugar like a balloon. Let me tell you, this is where things got real. The sugar did expand a bit, and I managed to get a few, uh, let’s call them “abstract” shapes. I’m talking blobs, mostly. But hey, they were airy blobs!
I tried shaping them, but honestly, they mostly just stayed round. I did manage to squish a couple into something resembling ovals, but let’s just say my sugar art isn’t going to win any awards. I found out that you’re supposed to pull the sugar to make it easier to work with. I tried that, pulling it with my fingers, stretching it out. It did get this shiny, satin look, which was pretty neat, but it still wasn’t easy to sculpt.
My Pulled Sugar Attempts
- Attempt 1: Tried to make a simple sphere. Ended up with a lumpy blue blob.
- Attempt 2: Aimed for an oval. Got a slightly less lumpy, slightly more oval-ish blob.
- Attempt 3: Thought I’d try a ribbon. It broke.
In the end, my kitchen was a mess, I had blue stains on my fingers, and my “blown sugar” creations looked nothing like those perfect pieces you see online. But, you know what? It was a fun experiment. I learned a lot, like how quickly sugar can go from liquid to solid, and how much patience you need for this kind of thing. Would I try it again? Maybe. But next time, I’m definitely wearing gloves, and maybe I’ll watch a few more tutorials first. It’s definitely an advanced skill, but if you’re feeling adventurous, give it a shot. Just be prepared for a bit of a sticky situation!
It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And my journey involved a lot of sticky, sugary moments. But hey, at least it was sweet, right?
