Pulled Sugar and Blown Sugar

Pulled sugar and blown sugar are, perhaps, the most difficult of the pastry chef’s decorative art forms. This section explains the basic procedure for making pulled sugar. Several techniques for making ribbons, flowers, leaves, and blown fruits are illustrated in detail, and a number of other techniques are explained in the text.

• Sugar thermometer, for accurate control of the temperature of the boiling syrup.
• Sugar lamp or other warmer, to keep the stock of sugar warm and soft.
• Scissors and knife, lightly oiled, for cutting the sugar.
• Alcohol lamp, for melting sugar in order to fasten pieces together.
• Blowpipe, for blowing sugar; a pipe with a bulb for inflating is easier to use than one that is blown with the mouth.
• Silicone mat or oiled marble slab, for pouring out the cooked syrup.
• Fan or hair dryer, for cooling sugar items.
• Rubber gloves, to protect from burns when handling hot sugar (some experienced chefs prefer to work without gloves).