New molds

[chuckwagon]

Trying my hand at candy again,got some new molds, boiled in water and baking soda as directed, hope the candy doesn't take on the silicone taste, never used molds before. Boiled sap to 245,let cool to 190 stirred and poured in molds, it's cooling as I'm writing this, I did try some from the bottom of pot and it did taste good so I will know if these molds mess up the flavor , I will let you know.

[SeanD]

I think you'll really enjoy the silicone molds. You cleaned them the right way, so you won't taste the silicone. If you end up getting any pieces that are broken or you are not satisfied with, throw them in the freezer and they go into the next batch. Making confections can be stressful at first, but eventually you find out how forgiving it is.

Enjoy.

[chuckwagon]

Just tasted one and as you said taste great no silicone taste,came out of mold easily ,I did spray a little pam on them do you think that is necessary or will they come easily without it.some of them do have a whitish cloud in them is this caused by Temps or not stirring enough . Thanks

[wiam]

Should not need pam. If these are the gray molds usually used to make maple candy they are rubber not silicone.

[SeanD]

I don't use any kind of spray. They just pop out with a little push from below. The white streak is the uneven cooling. I have a candy machine and I get it most when I get out of a rhythm and I get uneven amounts of candy in the trough and uneven pours. You are doing it all by hand, so consistency is just a little trickier for you. It's no big deal. They are still delicious and I've never had anyone complain. In fact my family always mills about asking for any broken or bad pieces.

[chuckwagon]

Ok thanks, these molds are gray, maple leaf shape, next time I will try without spray, hopefully next week I will have more sap been pretty cold here not running to good.thanks for info. Pretty new to this so any tips are welcome. Thanks again

[chuckwagon]

Another question, I plan on giving these to family members for Easter, will these hold up in the fridge or should I freeze them. If frozen how will they be when I thaw them out.not sure if freezing will ruin them. Thanks

[wiam]

Another question, I plan on giving these to family members for Easter, will these hold up in the fridge or should I freeze them. If frozen how will they be when I thaw them out.not sure if freezing will ruin them. Thanks

Should be fine in fridge till Easter. Freezing will not hurt them. That is how we store ours.

[chuckwagon]

Ok thanks, for future reference how do I freeze them do I just put in zip loc bags or will they stick together

[maplwrks]

I store candy in the freezer in ziplocs. When you remove them from the freezer, immediately place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them in a cool dark place. They absorb a little moisture in the freezer, and letting them sit to the open air will allow them to dry a little. package them up when they harden down.

[wiam]

We store in retail bags. Never needed to let air.

[maple flats]

As we pour them, if the mix gets too stiff, we just put the pour pitcher (microwave safe) in the microwave and heat a little, then stir and resume pouring. The time needed depends on the qty to heat and the watts of your microwave, you will need to test that and learn on the go. We pour ours using a big plastic measuring cup, about 3-4 qts, but only fill it about 1/3 full each time to pour.
Even the part that cools in the pan on the stove can be scraped out, put in that pour container, reheated, stirred and poured.

[chuckwagon]

Thanks for all the info, it will come in handy in the future, right now I'm not getting sap just to cold, hoping to get some before buds start popping. Hope the season hangs in there for a couple weeks anyway