Page:Wm. M. Bell's "pilot"; an authoritative book on the manufacture of candies and ice creams (1911).djvu/25

Rh There is quite a trick in keeping your batch just right in front of the furnace, if it chills the jacket will crack and if it is too soft the goods will not shine.

It is also quite important that you should have your. center the proper heat, if too hot it will kill the gloss on the jacket and crack it. One man should take care of the jacket and another watch out for the center for if the man handling the jacket touches the center his gloves will become sticky and spoil the finish on the buttercups.

It is very easy to become discouraged in learning to make butter-cups, so persevere, as experience is the only teacher.

Cream Slab.

There are many varieties of cream slabs, concrete, stone, marble, sheet iron, steel and probably others any of which are good if a man gets used to them. Sometimes a good man will spoil half a dozen batches getting accustomed to a new slab.

If your slab is perfectly smooth your cream needs less doctoring and can be creamed warmer than in the case of a rough slab, as the roughness of the slab will hasten the grain in the sugar.

You should be extremely careful as to the cleanliness of your slab before pouring a batch of cream on it as well as to see that it is always well sprinkled.