Making fondant at home/marble stone

[elitecodex]

Hey everyone... I want to experiment a little with fondant and found a simple recipe to make at home.

Its basically melting alot of sugar in water with cream of tartar until it reaches 240 and pouring it on a marble slab.

My question is on the marble slab... what does it do and is it really required? The recipe says to use a pastry scrapper to work with it as it cools. Can I use another material instead of marble? Would something like a cookie sheet work ok? I am just wondering if this is something I can work around until I can go get a piece somewhere (not sure where though).

Thanks everyone!

 

[Arky]

I don't know about fondant, but marble is required with some candy making because it regulates the temperature of the mixture, and it doesn't stick while drawing off the heat. I don't know that there is an adequate substitute unless perhaps a Silicone pad on a stainless steel counter might have the same effect!?!?

 

[Andy M.]

The stone is cold and cools the fondant as you work it. Because of its thickness it can draw out a lot of heat. I'm sure it doesn't have to be marble, granite or other stone will work. A cookie sheet can start out cold but will warm up quickly because of its mass.

 

[Arky]

I may be wrong, but granite or other stone is too porous. Marble has a tight crystaline structure that, when polished, gives it a low-stick/non stick property.

 

[Andy M.]

I may be wrong, but granite or other stone is too porous. Marble has a tight crystaline structure that, when polished, gives it a low-stick/non stick property.

The engineered stones are non-porous and harder than natural stones. They should be fine.

 

[elitecodex]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I guess I need to take a trip to Home Depot/Lowes and see if I can find a 18"x18" marble tile.

Thanks again for all your input!

 

[Andy M.]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I guess I need to take a trip to Home Depot/Lowes and see if I can find a 18"x18" marble tile.

Thanks again for all your input!

You might want to try a business that does marble counter tops. They may have an odd piece they would sell you.

 

[elitecodex]

The engineered stones are non-porous and harder than natural stones. They should be fine.

I got a 12x12 piece of marble tile today... I figured it was a good way to start. I wanted to ask about the granite. Im assuming that the surface has to be real smooth, but what is the worse that would happen if I used a piece of Granite? I did see some 18x18 pieces of Granite that may work.

 

[Arky]

The worst that could happen is your candy could stick to it. I wouldn't worry about fondant, but hot candy syrup, such as that used to make peanut brittle or taffy, it might make a difference - not having tried other stone surfaces, I'm not sure. My marble surface I use is 12x12x1 and I've found that an adequate size (and weight! It was a leather worker's carving surface.)

 

[Arky]

P.S. I use a sheet of rubber shelf liner (it looks like little beads - Wal-Mart carries it) under the marble to keep it from moving around while kneading.

 

[whole milk]

Too bad I missed this, making candy is a major hobby for me.

As someone else pointed out you don't have to have the marble but it's prefered because it helps the sugar mixture cool quickly. You CAN use a cookie sheet but LIGHTLY oil it first and set it on top of a grill net so that air can circulate around it and help cool it. Also, don't use a non stick pan because when you start working the fondant you might scratch it and those fine little pieces will get in your candy.

FYI, if you want to know when the candy is done and ready to be kneaded just put the top of your hand over the mixture -- do not touch it, once you pour it be very careful not to disturb it for any reason or it will crystalize -- and when it feels pleasantly warm then you can start to work it.

Also, do not scrape the bottom of the pan when you're pouring and know it's okay if you don't get all of the candy off the board into your ball. It's better to be safe than have a ruined piece of candy.

Enjoy the process, it's fun!