Cream problems

[syrupdreamer]

I am tring to make my first batch or cream. I cooked it to the corect temp, cooled quickly with no movement and them started stiring with a kitchen aid about 6 hours ago. Turning slowly and has come along way but this seems way to long. Any help would be great.

[KenWP]

What temp did you cook to and if a kitchen aid will turn it it could be to thin still. It gets really thick at the end hard to turn with a spoon or drill let alone a mixer.

[syrupdreamer]

Cooked to 232, thinking the inverted sugar is to hi. How do you test for inverted sugar? thanks

[royalmaple]

Should have been 22-24+ boiling point of water.

[sweetwoodmaple]

Cream and maple sugar can be a pain. Critical Factors (in rough order of importance)

1. Invert Sugar
2. Sap/Syrup Fermentation
3. Boiling Temperature
4. Rate of cooling
5. Stirring temperature

http://www.nnyagdev.org/maplefactsheets/CMB%20201%20Making%20Maple%20Cream1.pdf

You can test for invert sugar sugar using glucose tablets. There are other posts from other traders (Sugarmaker for one) that give the procedure for testing.

Fermentation during any point in the process seems to kill the ability to cream or make into sugar.

For me, I just try the lightest syrup I have from the 2nd or 3rd run of the season. As the maple bulletin says, slightly higher inverts seem to make the cream more shelf stable with less separation.

If you are using a high end kitchen mixer, make sure you use the low end of the boiling temperature (typically 22 degrees above boiling). Like was said before, taking the cream to the final stage requires power. I finally quit stressing my KitchenAid Professional and bought a paddle cream machine this year. Figure on one hour to beat the mixture, and stir it until it totally loses it's shine and turns thick, almost like cake frosting.

Finally...just figure on messing up some and being patient. (learned this the hard way)

[Sugarmaker]

I try to go to about 232 also, water boils around 210 most days at our place but can vary. Last batches I made I set the pan of syrup ( About 3/4 gallon) in the freezer with the freezer unpluged tfor 6 hours ( to minimize vibrations). brought the cream out, warned by setting in hot watter until spoonable. then used the candy machine to agitate it and dispense into comtainers. We did add some cream as seed to speed up the process too.

Regards,
Chris

[ennismaple]

I'd say you didn't take it far enough. If boiled too much it'll set up quickly and be too thick to put in containers. If not boiled enough it won't set up. When I get mine right it'll turn creamy in 25 to 30 minutes and stay liquid enough for me to get it into the containers.

FYI - I normally take mine to 234 F but this will depend on your elevation above sea level and the thermometer.

[sweetwoodmaple]

I used to fight the firming up of the cream until I started taking it farther to the "frosting" stage. At that point, it is slightly more difficult to get in the containers, but will stay the same consistency...even if it takes you a 1/2 hour to fill containers. I also seem to have less trouble with separation.

[JohnsSugarShack]

syrupdreamer I made my first batch of cream Monday night but it did the opposite, it firmed up to the point that I had to take it out of the pot in pieces. Water was boiling at 212 so I took my syrup to 236 then set it in the sink with water and ice. Let it cool to 70 and started stirring by hand. It took about 25 minutes of stirring at which time it seemed to be finished but before I could get it into containers it firmed up like fudge. I didn't know what to do so I put some in the microwave and it melted to a cream again. I poured it into a pan on top of wax paper and ended up with approx 3 lbs of maple candy/fudge, it taste great but it wasn't what I was trying to make. Questions for the experience cream makers. Did I heat it too much? Did I stir it to long?:confused:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JohnsSugarShack/3292010FirstCreamAttempt?feat=directlink

[royalmaple]

Sounds like you went a bit too far. I just made some this weekend and it got somewhat think like a heavy frosting after setting up. But opened up a tub this morning to have on toast and it was just like peanut butter.

Only thing I can attribute to the success is 1% skill, 99% Paddlemaster 6000(tm)

[Amber Gold]

I've made about 7 batches of cream with no issues and this is what works for me.

Heat 1/2 gal of LA syrup to 234F, pour into the kitchen aid mixing bowl, put in an ice batch until the entire batch is around 90F, put on the paddle attachment and put it on 3 speed, maybe 4 speed if it's mixing easy enough. This usually takes about 45 min. and I get great cream. Nice fine crystal structure and thick like PB. We then pour it into a measuring cup and pour it into the jars.

For candy we heat 1 qt to 238F, cool down to 90F, mix, and while that batch is mixing heat another 1 qt to 238F, when the mixing batch is done, combine them in a double boiler and pour into your molds. This is the fondant method described by the Lamothe's. Works every time.