Most Americans recall reaching out to grab huge pink swirls of cotton candy at the circus or at an amusement park. It brings back memories of hot summer days, crunchy sweets you can only eat with your hands, and of course sticky pink faces and clothes.
Cotton candy is also known by lovely names like spun sugar or fairy floss. As early as the 15th century, European chefs made extravagant desserts with sugar. However, the little hands looking for this sweet probably wore gold rings and Mom and Dad warned the children not to glue their dresses and crowns. The sugar strands were thicker and looked more like blown glass than today’s cottony spun sugar. Candy can be formed into golden cobwebs, eggs, bird’s nests, castles, and other fantastic creations.
Until the end of the 19th century, spinning sugar was a difficult and somewhat dangerous undertaking. Stick sugar, made from cane or beet, was used as granulated sugar was not invented until after World War I. Sugar, water, and other secret ingredients were boiled in large pots to the correct temperature and consistency. Cooks were advised to use only the best cane sugar ‘so no glitches would occur’ and to use copper bowls for best results. When the molten concoction was ready, the pastry chef had a few moments to scoop it out of the bowl with a fork or whisk and then toss the hot mixture through the air. The strands would quickly cool and solidify in air. The cook had to watch out for burns, and early recipes warn that plenty of oil should be used on the skin to prevent the hot, scorching liquid from sticking.
It took good American ingenuity to overload the spun sugar into the fluffy, fluffy cotton candy we know today. The sugar and colorant are heated in a small rotating container that sits in the middle of a large metal drum. The roulette wheel has small holes that make the liquid sugar fly out in threads. Once the strands come in contact with air, they become solid and form threads on the sides of the bowl.
Several American inventors are credited with creating the first modern cotton candy machines. The first patent was granted to John C. Wharton and William Morris for their cotton candy machine in 1897. The two partners presented their new “fairy floss” at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, where it became a success. Another American, Thomas Patton, patented a slightly different cotton candy machine a year later and partnered with Ringling Bros. Circus where the sticky candy is still served.
Sugar has also improved since colonial times. Now special sugars are formulated to create longer strands, giving the caramel a fluffier texture. Warm caramel is usually swirled into a cardboard tube or stick. In the 1970s, new machines were invented to produce cotton candy on a large scale. These machines produce a long, continuous dough of cotton candy which is then cut into rectangles. Now it can be found in stores packaged in plastic bags.
In “the trade”, cotton candy is simply known as “dental floss.” Machine operators will tell you that it is an art to collect and shape hot product the right way. The most popular color for cotton candy is pink, followed by blue. Sometimes other colors like yellow, purple, and green are also seen. Almost all cotton candy has food coloring added to it. Without color, it would be white or light tan. Purists like to eat their plain cotton candy, but it can also be flavored. Popular flavors include bubble gum and ice cream.
Adventurous cooks, indulgent parents, and cotton candy addicts can now make their own fluffy creations at home. Small machines (which resemble toys more than a kitchen tool) can be found for less than $ 100. Larger, more reliable machines can cost up to $ 1,000, though you’ll still need to add your own circus. America even has a day dedicated to this sweet and ethereal creation, so don’t forget to celebrate National Cotton Candy Day on December 7. Happy cooking!